Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
At the end of the 1st Night at the Museum movie, Larry (Ben Stiller) was a sort of hero. Here, having resorted to a life as a paid-programming inventor, he has inadvertently ditched his pals back at the museum. But he has a chance to win back their adorations by going to the Smithsonian to retrieve his long-lost friends who were moved when their Museum of Natural History closed for renovations. Problem is: Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), an evil Pharaoh, plans to use a magical tablet to come back to life, corrupt the Smithsonian's historical figures, & take over the world. Haha, you see how ridiculous this franchise is. Ridiculous, but also fun.
Not only does Larry want to save pal Jedediah (Owen Wilson), but he must stop Kahmunrah's plan. Larry receives aid from a host of inanimate objects (who come to life at night), but none more helpful or lovely than Amelia Earhart (wonderful Amy Adams); she's in the Smithsonian because of her non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic. Other characters who pop-up (most are recruited by the evil Kahmunrah) include: Al Capone (Jon Bernthal), Gen. Custer (Bill Hader), Napoleon (Alain Chabat), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Abraham Lincoln (voiced by versatile Hank Azaria), the Thinker (ditto), Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher), & returning characters like Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais), Octavius (Steve Coogan) & Teddy Roosevelt (good 'ole Robin Williams). Can Larry, his new love interest Amelia, and his host of allies defeat Kahmunrah before dawn arrives & freezes them all? When all the wondrous inhabitants of the museum come to life (paintings, animals, rocket ships) ... it makes for one Hell of a crazy night for all.
'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian', directed by Shawn Levy, is a mixed bag. Like ... the mixingest bag of bags EVER. Right now I'm going to give you my pendulum-effect of emotions whilst watching the film. The 1st 20 minutes or so did nothing to get me jazzed-up; kinda dull. Ben Stiller gives a decent performance, but nothing to write home about. I found Jonah Hill to be irksome in the 2 minutes he was allotted. Robin Williams is fine; I wish he were in it more. Hank Azaria is great as a lisping ancient Egyptian ruler; his comic timing is impeccable. I enjoyed the 3 singing angels (voiced by the Jonas Brothers). I chuckled at the personification of Albert Einstein. Most other performances are either phoned-in or inadequate.
The premise is interesting (as in the 1st film), but not executed in overly unique fashion. The plot is somewhat juvenile. The humor is familiar, but not clever (using cheap gags & pat cultural references). ALL that said, highlights include some whiz-bang special effects, great costume work, a rousing Alan Silvestri score, & a jubilant performance from Amy Adams. Without her, I would not have liked this movie half as much as I do. She's appealing, bubbly & made me appreciate everyone & everything going on around her. When all is said & done, I enjoyed 'NatM:BotS' about as much as the 1st film. It's geared at kids, but plenty of adults will get a kick out of it. It's harmless, charming, silly, & will probably make a lot of $$ at the box office.
Not only does Larry want to save pal Jedediah (Owen Wilson), but he must stop Kahmunrah's plan. Larry receives aid from a host of inanimate objects (who come to life at night), but none more helpful or lovely than Amelia Earhart (wonderful Amy Adams); she's in the Smithsonian because of her non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic. Other characters who pop-up (most are recruited by the evil Kahmunrah) include: Al Capone (Jon Bernthal), Gen. Custer (Bill Hader), Napoleon (Alain Chabat), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Abraham Lincoln (voiced by versatile Hank Azaria), the Thinker (ditto), Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher), & returning characters like Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais), Octavius (Steve Coogan) & Teddy Roosevelt (good 'ole Robin Williams). Can Larry, his new love interest Amelia, and his host of allies defeat Kahmunrah before dawn arrives & freezes them all? When all the wondrous inhabitants of the museum come to life (paintings, animals, rocket ships) ... it makes for one Hell of a crazy night for all.
'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian', directed by Shawn Levy, is a mixed bag. Like ... the mixingest bag of bags EVER. Right now I'm going to give you my pendulum-effect of emotions whilst watching the film. The 1st 20 minutes or so did nothing to get me jazzed-up; kinda dull. Ben Stiller gives a decent performance, but nothing to write home about. I found Jonah Hill to be irksome in the 2 minutes he was allotted. Robin Williams is fine; I wish he were in it more. Hank Azaria is great as a lisping ancient Egyptian ruler; his comic timing is impeccable. I enjoyed the 3 singing angels (voiced by the Jonas Brothers). I chuckled at the personification of Albert Einstein. Most other performances are either phoned-in or inadequate.
The premise is interesting (as in the 1st film), but not executed in overly unique fashion. The plot is somewhat juvenile. The humor is familiar, but not clever (using cheap gags & pat cultural references). ALL that said, highlights include some whiz-bang special effects, great costume work, a rousing Alan Silvestri score, & a jubilant performance from Amy Adams. Without her, I would not have liked this movie half as much as I do. She's appealing, bubbly & made me appreciate everyone & everything going on around her. When all is said & done, I enjoyed 'NatM:BotS' about as much as the 1st film. It's geared at kids, but plenty of adults will get a kick out of it. It's harmless, charming, silly, & will probably make a lot of $$ at the box office.