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The original film worked well with me at one simple level. It woke the inner-child in me and made me feel the magic within history. Larry Daly (Ben Stiller) relives the fantasy once again at the Smithsonian Museum as all the exhibits miraculously come back to life in front of him all over again. The story is told again in a heart warming way as this grown-up divorced business man once again strives to take control of his life. The educational value of the first film had much to teach us although not as much in the sequel. In this sequel of Night at the Museum, much of the initial magic is already lost forevermore. We already know the displays are going to come back to life, and the general feeling of suspense is gone. To make things worse, the whole story feels convoluted and unreal. We are expected to believe that Larry has turned from a no-good night guard at the museum in the first film to this mega-successful businessman during the course of only a few years (and after being a virtual nobody for the vast majority of his life). I mean come on, Hollywood! Where did the charming loser from the first film go so quickly? Stiller's Larry is hardly likable at the beginning, and once he learns that his lovable exhibit friends are moving to the Smithsonian Museum (after the Museum of Natural History closed for technological renovation), things start happening so fast, that his motives for leaving his comfortable job to help rescue his friends are unclear, under developed, and a bit unconvincing. For instance when the couple supposedly enters into the famous WWII picture where the sailor is kissing this girl during a parade, Larry Daly takes his time to push the guy away and takes up the kissing himself, which is totally lame. The main course of this sequel is of course the special effects created by the two museum's re-animated exhibits, with the evil Egyptian Kamunrah (The Simpson's Hank Azaria) acting as the main villain who operates the evil Smithsonian exhibits who strive for world domination. Some effects are cute (Al Capone's gangsters brought back to life in black and white, the Lincoln Memorial rising from his chair) and many others wind up under developed & underused. At times, it seems so much is happening on screen, that you don't really know where to focus your attention. Many returning characters from the first film are outrageously underused (including Robin Williams' Teddy Roosevelt and Owen Wilson's Jedediah) and many comedians who are brought specifically for the film contribute blink-and-you-miss-it performances, including Ricky Gervais & Jonah Hill). The only true contribution for the film is the lovely Amy Adams (Enchanted), who portrays a fluffy re-animated Amelia Earhart who seems more lost than ever. To sum things up, I'd say that Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian may have been cute at times, but it was mostly useless, as it really didn't add any significant notion to the elements presented in its predecessor. The first film felt like an instant classic to me, however, the sequel felt more like a quick money-grab with a lot of missed potential. I'll give this film average 3/5 marks for its ability to grab and keep your attention at times, but seems to be extremely distracting when the action is intertwined with comedy (especially some of the interaction between the squabbling characters) that makes the film look passe' & bugs bunny slapstick for the most part. PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!Read full review
I like, not love the original 2006 film. An original idea. What brought it down was Ben Stiller doing his normal Ben Stiller role & Owen Wilson. The 2cd film. It is an okay follow up. Once again, Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson I just do NOT like. The plot, you can follow it. But, we have cheesy unnecessary scenes, cut aways. The Star Wars fan & collector I am the brief Darth Vader bit could have been MUCH better, Oscar the Grouch was good. Here we go with casting. Hank Azaria the main villain. Sorry, I did NOT buy it. How many times has he done a weird foreign accent for a film? Too much. Been done so many times. They needed another actor. Nope, I did not buy him in the role, a waste. The character make have worked better with another actor. Now, I think Amy Adams did a good job as Amelia Earhart. This role I bought. Plot holes in SEVERAL PLACES. Like when Amelia & Larry bring the characters back to the original museum at the end. We only saw a few characters but yet when we see what happens when they get back the whole crew is back. You could see the end of the film from a mile away. Once the day was saved we knew what would happen. Only time in the 2 films I liked Ricky Gervais character was at the VERY END of this film. Notice Larry’s son Nick did NOT really age or get bigger between films? Enough with the bit with the monkey now monkeys battling Larry huh? Seen it before, got old in the 1st film. As for the DVD package. A horrible, these new, cheap plastic cases with holes in them. Who thought these up? NO chapter search list, no printed information of any worth inside. Normal extras on it. A good try, does NOT hit the bulls eye, not close. Just an okay, passable effort.Read full review
A good movie for kids ages 8-15. Clever, historical material is used to make the story interesting. The plot involves a father, anxious to connect with his son, who finds a job as a night watchman at a museum. The job is not nearly as simple as it seems: the figures in the museum come to life after dark in their historical roles. This movie is a lot of fun and offers a few history lessons along the way. Adults will enjoy the humor as well.
Great value; not just good. I don't know if "interesting," is the right word to use. It's just a DVD that I wanted. As for the characters, I heard back very quickly. I will definately order from DVD Box again :-)
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Good movie . new, clean, good value, arrived on good time, VERY HAPPY.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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