Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Review

‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’ is a Film Everyone can Enjoy

-----‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’ is pretty self explanatory from the title. However, there are few key changes that keep this one from being a simple remake. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has moved on to bigger and better things, with his small time inventions becoming big time inventions. Take his glow-in-the-dark flashlight, for instance. When he finds out his beloved museum displays are being shipped out to the Smithsonian, he finds himself saying goodbye to his favorite exhibits. That’s when he gets a phone call from miniature display Jedediah (Owen Wilson), saying that they’re being attacked by the evil Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria).

-----Ben Stiller is back as nice-guy Larry Daley. He is but one small piece to one of the most star-studded casts in history. Practically everyone returns with the exception of one Carla Gugino, who played Stiller’s underdeveloped love interest in the original. Other than that, you’ve got the scene-stealing Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan returning as cowboy and Roman respectively, the classy Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, and the hilarious Ricky Gervais as Dr. McPhee. I could go on praising the returning cast, but you get the idea. Besides, there are also many fine additions to the already spectacular ensemble. The energetic Amy Adams plays Amelia Earhart in a somewhat annoying role, which actually starts to grow on you. She has just enough shameless enthusiasm to win you over throughout the course of the film. Other newcomers include the always outrageous Bill Hader as General Custer in a funny role, Jonah Hill in a hilarious cameo, and Hank Azaria as the evil Kahmunrah. Azaria’s agreeably funny, but has a bit too much screen time as the cocky Egyptian. I was also surprised to find that he was the voice of two other CGI characters, which he plays like a pro. I never even thought to suspect his might be the voice behind the distinguished Abe Lincoln. On a side-note, the Jonas Brothers are the voices and likenesses of the three flying cupids. I wish as much as the next guy that they could have stayed in their 3-D concerts, and don’t know why the filmmakers decided to appease the “tween” population with their presence. I urge you to try your best to ignore this, and hopefully it won’t detract from your liking of the film (that was a joke) (although, I really don’t care for them much at all, and do wish they would have been left out).

-----The movie is far more ambitious than its already sizeable predecessor. While this is fun, and covers a lot of new ground for the franchise, it’s not always a plus. As it tries to cover what feels like the entirety of the Smithsonian, it loses a little focus during numerous CG driven sequences. The CG is, however, fun, and impressive. It rarely if ever distracts from the film, and works primarily for it. While some actors lose some screen time as the focus shifts to the new characters, they still get their due, and the new additions are worthy of the attention. Without a doubt, ‘Battle of the Smithsonian’ is the perfect title, as the film leaves its roots to explore a larger scale of events.

-----Technically, as I mentioned, the CGI is solid, and the art direction is clever. Many of the film’s small details make the difference between mediocrity and excellent family entertainment. Take for instance, Al Capone, who makes an appearance courtesy actor Jon Bernthal. Coming from a black and white display case, he remains shades of grey among a sea of colors when he comes to life alongside his gangster henchmen. It may seem insignificant, but these fresh tweaks here and there really made the film fun for me. It’s this consistently skillful execution of what is already a really witty movie that makes it outstanding, and certainly some of the best live-action family entertainment of the last decade.

-----Some have complained that the movie should have been funnier with all of the comedic geniuses starring in it. While there is an argument to be made, I hold that while many of the stars are capable of show-stealing comedy, that’s hardly the purpose of the ‘Night at the Museum’ franchise. Sure there are enough funny people in the room to constitute nonstop laughs for two hours, but there are still a good number of laughs to be had. And do you really want people like Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Bill Hader constantly competing for laughs? I think the result would be an erratic movie with no story and absolutely no chemistry between its stars. As it is an action-adventure alongside a comedy, I enjoyed seeing stars like Robin Williams and Owen Wilson settle into supporting roles, doing their part for the movie, rather than vying for attention and screen time.

-----Ultimately, ‘Night at the Museum II’ will have parents, kids, and teenagers laughing and enjoying some good clean family fun. While many of the great jokes are in the trailers (which seem to be getting more revelatory every year), they are good enough, and plenty enough to draw many laughs from the audience, and should even hold up well for repeat viewings. The story is fun, and mercifully avoids dutiful scenes. Instead, we are given a funny and outrageous experience. Think 1995’s ‘Indian in the Cupboard’ on steroids and you’ve got ‘Battle of the Smithsonian’ nailed. It is, however, a fast paced film that does occasionally threaten to explode, and this may cause it to clock in just under the first film’s excellence for some viewers. Despite being a bit too grand for its own good however, it’s worth seeing for the brilliant ensemble of Hollywood legends alone. Not to mention the movie’s pretty darn entertaining too. In the end, ‘Battle of the Smithsonian’ is a fine example of a sequel respecting and reviving its predecessor, while also expanding on the concept of the franchise.

Official Trailer