A Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Remember watching Saturday morning cartoons? You would get up early and sit there in your pajamas with the volume turned down low so you wouldn’t get in trouble for waking up mom and dad. They would show these really old Merrie Melodies cartoons where the clock would strike twelve and all the toys would wake up and start dancing around. You would sit there entranced, mesmerized by the fantasy of it and that night as mom and dad tucked you into bed, you would roll over and look at your toys trying to memorize their positions so in the morning you could see if the had moved. Part of you was hoping that they would.

It was with this same childhood innocence that I watched the original Night At The Museum. It was great fun to see all the exhibits come to life. The performances were imaginative and it was very humorous watching Ben Stiller react to the situation and then eventually learn to master it. When I left the theatre I wasn’t thinking, “Boy, I hope they make a sequel.” But when they did, I was open to it. I just wasn’t sure how they were going to pull it off.

Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian, takes place several years after the first one. Ben Stiller, as Larry Daley, is no longer a night watchman, he is now running a successful company selling his latest inventions. When he hears that the museum is closing for renovations, he becomes concerned for his museum friends and makes a visit to make sure they are all right. All is not well though, as the exhibits are being crated up for storage in the federal archives in Washington D.C. Some of the exhibits will stay in New York, along with the magical life-giving tablet, which means that the ones that are being moved will no longer have a night life. Larry can’t see that happening, so he gets involved and tries to solve the problem.

I enjoyed this movie. Some new characters were added to the mix that were very funny. But I wasn’t as charmed this time around. I’m not sure if it’s because we are treading on the same ground, or because the script wasn’t as tight. Either way, I liked the first movie much better. 

Of the new characters, Amy Adams was delightful as Amelia Earhart, but completely unlike the Amelia from our history books. Hank Azaria was hysterical as an Egyptian king, but his accent and mannerisms were so over the top that any historical accuracy was completely thrown out the window. His performance was purely for laughs and he delivered plenty of them.

As a family film, I give A Night At The Museum high marks, it’s good, clean, fun. But overall I found it weak when compared with the original. I’d wait until the crowds die down, or if you want to avoid the kids, rent it. Either way, the film is fun and worth seeing.

Rating: Bargain Matinee     Good, clean, whimsical,  fun!