Running time: 105 minutes
Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Christopher Guest
Rating 6 out of 10
Exhibits in a museum coming to life is a fun idea first time around, but second time out the novelty factor is decidedly diminished. Sequel to the hugely successful original movie, Night at the Museum 2 still has plenty of fun moments, but overall it lacks its predecessor's innovation and charm. With the nucleus of the first film's talent, including Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Robin Williams, director Shawn Levy and writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, back for the sequel, the similarities are more apparent than the differences.
The film breaks out from the confines of the Museum of Natural History, switching locations to Washington's Smithsonian Institute, and in so doing it is provided with a veritable cornucopia of exhibits with which to instill life. The surreal sight of a battle involving a litany of historical figures, including Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, General Custer, Al Capone and a giant Abraham Lincoln statue is an example of what gives the film its appeal. The fact that it is unclear exactly who's fighting who and why is essentially why the film's appeal is limited.
When we meet Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) again, the intervening years have been good to him. Since leaving his job as a night guard at the museum, he has gone on to become a successful businessmen selling his products on a cable TV shopping channel. On a visit back to his old job, he learns that a number of the exhibits he had befriended, including the tiny cowboy Jebediah (Owen Wilson), were being crated up in readiness for their permanent storage in the archives at the Smithsonian Institute.
Following the move, Larry gets a frantic call from Jebediah imploring him to help. So, with the aid of his son Nicholas (Jake Cherry), Larry sets out to liberate his friends from the Smithsonian. One of the main obstacles he encounters is the ancient Egyptian king Kahmunrah (a wildly over the top, but funny, Hank Azaria). In the course of his mission, Larry finds himself the romantic focus of pioneering flying ace, the plucky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams).
One new element added this time is artwork that comes alive. Seeing the characters in Edward Hopper's famous painting Nighthawks moving, and Jeff Koons' giant Balloon Dog bounding around, recaptured some of the ingenious magic of the first film. But in the end even that wasn't enough to overcome a flimsy storyline and a pervading sense of déjà vu.
Kevin Murphy
The film breaks out from the confines of the Museum of Natural History, switching locations to Washington's Smithsonian Institute, and in so doing it is provided with a veritable cornucopia of exhibits with which to instill life. The surreal sight of a battle involving a litany of historical figures, including Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, General Custer, Al Capone and a giant Abraham Lincoln statue is an example of what gives the film its appeal. The fact that it is unclear exactly who's fighting who and why is essentially why the film's appeal is limited.
When we meet Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) again, the intervening years have been good to him. Since leaving his job as a night guard at the museum, he has gone on to become a successful businessmen selling his products on a cable TV shopping channel. On a visit back to his old job, he learns that a number of the exhibits he had befriended, including the tiny cowboy Jebediah (Owen Wilson), were being crated up in readiness for their permanent storage in the archives at the Smithsonian Institute.
Following the move, Larry gets a frantic call from Jebediah imploring him to help. So, with the aid of his son Nicholas (Jake Cherry), Larry sets out to liberate his friends from the Smithsonian. One of the main obstacles he encounters is the ancient Egyptian king Kahmunrah (a wildly over the top, but funny, Hank Azaria). In the course of his mission, Larry finds himself the romantic focus of pioneering flying ace, the plucky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams).
One new element added this time is artwork that comes alive. Seeing the characters in Edward Hopper's famous painting Nighthawks moving, and Jeff Koons' giant Balloon Dog bounding around, recaptured some of the ingenious magic of the first film. But in the end even that wasn't enough to overcome a flimsy storyline and a pervading sense of déjà vu.
Kevin Murphy
