Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian

Review By: Ryan Hamelin
RyanHamelin@TheCinemaSource.com

Movie Grade: B-

The first Night at the Museum brought together a veritable who’s-who of comedic actors and the kinds of sight gags and visual panache that had been missing since the glory days of big budget Hollywood comedy extravaganzas like Airplane! and Ghostbusters. The film itself was less than stellar, but it had a certain childlike charm that kept the ride enjoyable despite its numerous plot holes and other shortcomings. The concept of a museum that came alive overnight was enough to hold the film together, and Ben Stiller proved that his everyman qualities could shine through under even the most bizarre circumstances. Owen Wilson as a miniature cowboy named Jebodiah and Steve Coogan as his arch nemesis, the equally tiny Octavius, were highlights of the original movie, as was Robin Williams’ turn as Teddy Roosevelt. Looking at all these elements together on the page, the sequel seemed as though it would probably write itself, and in many cases, it felt as though it did.

Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian does a lot of things better than it probably should. The sight gags are grander, the CGI is more commonplace but also better utilized, and the fish-out-of-water narrative has been transplanted onto the larger canvas of the Smithsonian national archives. So yes, on that level, the sequel is much bigger than its predecessor. The narrative thread, however, is not.

Instead of working in the museum, Ben Stiller has left to become a successful product designer whose most recent invention, the glow in the dark flashlight, is kicking off its promotional tour. When he learns that the old museum’s collection is being moved to the Smithsonian to make way for new hologram state-of-the-art exhibits, he realizes that the ancient tablet that had given his friends life during the evening would now be in the center of the largest collection of artifacts in the country. He heads to Washington DC with the idea of getting back the tablet and helping to save the day, and infiltrates the government storage underneath the national mall in a matter of minutes.

Since the story only takes place over the course of a single night, its impact is far less powerful than the charm of the first film. Instead of connecting the happenings in the museum with the real world, the story ditches Ben Stiller’s wife entirely, and focuses on huge set-piece action and lots of stuff getting destroyed in ways that it could never be put back in order by the morning, part of what was wonderful about the secret requirements of the night watchman’s job in the original.

That being said, the film never lets up. The pace is extremely quick from the get-go, and a lot of impressive stunts and sequences occur throughout. Amy Adams is delightful as always, playing a glowing version of Amelia Earhart who may or may not have a soft spot for Stiller’s more refined average ...