Released on May 22nd of this year - it's the sequel to very successful blockbuster hit
of 2006 - starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams, and
a huge ensemble cast.
In the first movie, our protagonist, Larry Daley, played by Ben Stiller becomes the night
watchmen at New York's Natural History museum, where the exhibits literally "come alive"
at night.
Fast-forward a couple years for the plot of this sequel, and we find that Larry's old
museum pals are being shipped away to live in storage - underneath the National Mall,
in the Smithsonian Museum archives.
Larry has to travel to Washington DC and do battle with the quick-talking and goofy Pharoah,
Kahmunrah, played brilliantly by Hank Azaria, for the mystical Golden Tablet that brings
all of the exhibits to life.
I hadn't seen the original until yesterday - so watching both movies back-to-back was
a real treat.
Ben Stiller is refreshing in the only role he is able to play well - the slapstick hero
with a heart of gold.
Although dreadfully underused, each and every member of the supporting cast does their share
of bringing in the laughs.
Having nearly every actor from the original movie reprising their role in this bigger
and more adventurous sequel is always a great recipe for a successful movie.
The character's developments from the previous film felt organic, and the new problems presented
didn't seem like the usual "Hollywood-Money-Grubbing-For-A-Sequel", like we've seen in many other franchises.
I felt that bringing the action to the Smithsonian was a great concept, allowing for many fun
and exciting character additions.
And as this is a family movie - I think this strategy worked wonderfully - the action is
nearly non-stop throughout the film, with a playful lighthearted tone keeping everything
kid-friendly for the 105-minute run time.
Unlike the first film, Stiller was smartly cast opposite Amy Adams as the female/romantic
lead - dutifully playing Amelia Earhart - this romantic sub-plot gives the movie a nice foundation
that I feel the first movie lacked.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this movie too much, but I genuinely laughed and smiled more
than a few times while watching this movie - which can best be described as the ultimate
kid's fantasy.
I especially loved how the film brought to life several famous American paintings - an
interesting and fun scene you can't help by smile at.
Obviously, this movie's large ensemble cast it where it really shines - but I couldn't
help but feel this is also where the movie failed.
Many of the characters - especially the trio of villains Kahmanrah enlists to help him
retrieve the tablet - seemed woefully underdeveloped and poorly utilized.
There were several scenes where characters were haphazardly introduced just to deliver
a single joke, and then were forgotten about for most of the film.
In contrast to the original film, where I felt the core cast meshed very well with each
other.
Sadly, Robin Williams - who was easily the most memorable character from the first film
is mostly absent from this film - making only minor appearances to close out the film.
So, it was a very fun and original family comedy that complimented the first film nicely...
but what did you think about Night At The Museum 2:
benpalm1 I enjoyed Battle at the Smithsonian, but mostly because I enjoyed relating the
movie to my own Smithsonian visit and because i was in the mood for cheesy, unintelligent
comedy.
who knows when I'll be in both of those moods again?
danm966 Night at the Museum 2 was utter crap.
It was such an embarassment to the first one as many of the jokes were genarally not funny
and most of the film was a slapstick comedy mess.
I think it would be a good movie for people under the age of 10.
LOVED the first one, but this is a 2 thumbs DOWN.
evillttlimp I thought Night at the Museum (both the original and the sequel) was cute.
I enjoyed watching it, and the visuals were quite impressive.
Also, Amy Adams is always fun to watch.
Alight!
Well, I got some complaints last week for changing up the Rate-O-Matic on you... so
we're returning to the old format - where this rating will now reflect our collective
score.
The reviews on this one movie were definitely mixed, but most of you agreed that it was
an above-average movie - so it receives a 7 - Cool!