“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” a sequel with an absurdly long title, exists because its predecessor made a lot of money. And while the original was imaginative and fairly entertaining (excluding the silly slapstick), this one is pointless and stupid. There’s nothing there – no plot, no characters, nothing except special effects. This time around, the magic tablet that brings museum exhibits to life ends up at the Smithsonian and in the hands of Pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), who has allied with Napoleon, a black and white Al Capone and Ivan the Terrible, to take over the world. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) also has allies, including the miniature Jedediah (Owen Wilson), who spends most of the movie trapped in an hour glass; Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams); Honest Abe (voice of Hank Azaria) from the Lincoln Memorial; and Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), among others.
The only actor that doesn’t seem to be going through the motions is Amy Adams, who manages to imbue her character with effervescence and life. Hank Azaria appears to be having fun, but he’s so over the top that he becomes tiresome after 10 minutes. Kids will probably like this movie because the filmmakers have been careful not to change the formula. And that’s the problem with “Night at the Museum 2” - it’s more of the same. 5/26/09
1 comment:
This movie is what bad film-making is all about. The first sequel was either "Dracula" or "King Kong" I'm not sure which but since then most of the sequels are almost guaranteed to be bad. The exceptions are "The Godfather" and "Lord of the Rings" (possibly a few others). This shameless "retread" is making money in spite of the drivel it offers because the kids love the characters. I liked the first "Museum" because it was cleverly made with some good characters and ideas. This iteration is just plain "bad". It will make my top ten worst films of 2009.
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