Family fun and that's good enough
Written: May 31 '09
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Bang For The Buck |
 |
|
|
Pros: Entertaining; great special effects; film moves quickly
Cons: Shallow depictions of historical characters; moralizing that is off-putting
The Bottom Line: A great summer film for families. No more and no less.
|
|
|
| HawgWyld's Full Review: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian |
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is, of course, the sequel to 2006's Night at the Museum.
In the 2006 movie, Ben Stiller played a loser (Larry Daley) who became a security guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York. Thanks to the Tablet of Akmenrah, the exhibits came to life at night and Daley was able to meet historical figures, organize them into a force to keep a pack for former security guards from stealing the tablet, etc. The movie was a heck of a lot of fun and a great thing for kids to watch.
Fortunately, the same is true of the sequel. This one won't win any awards, folks, but it's a great family film that throws out enough special effects and juvenile antics to keep kids entertained. If you've ever had a kid bored halfway through a film, you know that one that keeps their attention is a good thing.
In Battle of the Smithsonian, we find that Daley has quit the museum as he has started a successful company that sells items such as flashlights that glow in the dark. Ah, but Daley isn't happy -- he misses cavorting with his museum exhibit friends at night. He learns that most of the exhibits will be transferred to the Smithsonian while the tablet will be left in New York. That means, of course, that the exhibits being sent to Washington, D.C., will never come to life again.
A sneaky monkey exhibit, however, steals the tablet and that means the exhibits being moved to the Smithsonian will continue to prowl at night. That also means that exhibits throughout the Smithsonian will come to life, as well. Daley receives a call from Jedidiah (a miniature cowboy played by Owen Wilson) informing him that there's trouble afoot.
Yes, some of the Smithsonian exhibits are evil, and the worst of the lot is Kahmunrah (Frank Azaria), an Egyptian would-be pharoah who organizes such nasty folks as Napoleon, Al Capone and Ivan the Terrible into a force ready to take over the world. Daley flies to Washington, D.C., breaks into the Smithsonian and looks for a way to rescue his friends and the world.
That's about all I'll say about the plot as I wouldn't want to ruin it. The special effects here are top notch, particularly in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum where planes buzz throughout the building and much fun is had with some Einstein bobble-head dolls. Also, paintings come to life, as well, and Daley eludes some nasty folks in the famed black and white photo depicting a New York celebration of the end of World War II.
Ah, and then there's Amelia Earhart, portrayed by a plucky Amy Adams wearing tight pants. She turns out to be Daley's biggest ally throughout the film and provides more than a bit of spark to the photo. Sadly, however, the rest can't be said of the rest of the actors. Robin Williams reprises his role as Teddy Roosevelt but isn't on screen much at all. Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan reprise their roles as the aforementioned Jedidiah and Octavius, but the pairing falls flat this time around. Meanwhile, General George Custer (Bill Hader) is a very surface, stereotypical character -- less like the real historical figure and more like the most inane descriptions of him.
In fact, that's the largest problem with the movie -- the historical figures are mere shadows of who they actually were in real life. Lincoln can't tell a lie and spouts Civil War-era propaganda. Earhart is considerably more ditzy than she was in real life (although Amy Adams in tight pants might make one forget all about that), Napoleon is highly insensitive about being short, etc. Yes, this is a family movie and all, but it would appear absolutely not attention was paid to portraying the characters as anything but brief, comical sketches of the "real thing."
Another problem is the moralizing of it all. Yes, Daley is rich and successful, but he's unhappy because he's not doing what he loves for a living. I get irate when people who are millionaires try selling that kind of thing to the public. It's simply not convincing and comes across as more than a bit hypocritical.
Regardless, this is a fun film well worth seeing at the theater. It moves along quickly enough and it's certainly entertaining. It's lightweight summer fare, and it succeeds very well on that level.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Good for Kids
Viewing Method: Studio Screening/Premiere
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Script
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
HawgWyld
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
Reviews written: 1437
Trusted by: 495 members
About Me:
The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.