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NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN |
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There is something to the old saying
about leaving well enough alone. I say that all the time when I reiterate my
general disdain for sequels. The reason most sequels don't work is because
they are the outgrowth of a financial success rather than a planned project. You can tell the difference. The
"Star Wars" series was planned from the beginning. "Harry Potter" was planned.
"Lord of the Rings" was planned. "Back to the Future's 2 and 3" was planned. Kill Bill was
planned. They all flowed well and a generally good quality. "Scary Movies 2 - 4" were not planned.
"Saws 2 - 4" were not planned. "Terminator Salvation" was not planned. "Crank 2:
High Voltage" was not planned. "Step Up 2 The Streets" was not planned. All were
borne from the high profits their predecessors produced. |
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The 2006 Christmas Holiday flick
"Night at the Museum" reeled in $250 million domestically [to be the second
biggest film that year behind "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"] and
over a half billion worldwide. That my friends ain't hay. That begs for a sequel. So the studio (Fox) called director
Shawn Levy and told him to do it again. Levy assembled the same writers and
most of the key cast members to take a shot at milking the royal cash cow
once again. Instead of a Christmas opening, they
settled for a Memorial Day opening against "Terminator Salvation" - which may
or may not be a good idea. A story was thrown together and
filming was done in Canada to keep the costs down. Voila! A bad sequel with a contrived
illogical storyline. Considering museum pieces coming to life is absurd
anyway, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" is pretty lame. |
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In a nutshell, Larry Daley has left
his job as the museum night security guard and gone on to become a very
successful inventor of "As Seen on TV" gadgets. But he misses his reanimated friends. He decides to visit
the museum and learns all the exhibits are being shipped to the Smithsonian
for storage - the Natural Museum is getting a high tech overhaul and has
little need for stuffed figures. [Note - the Smithsonian only stores
pertinent one-of-a-kind items in the archives, not run-off-the-mill diorama figurines.] Suddenly he gets a distress call
from Jedediah (Owen Wilson) that they are under attack from Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria). Quick as a wink, Larry
zips off to DC and the Smithsonian to save his buddies. He gains access with the assistance
of his son Nicky (Jake Cherry) who has a diminished role this time around.
Maybe even he couldn't stand the storyline. By pulling up the blueprints of
the Smithsonian online (something I was not able to do) and some slight of
hand Larry gets access to the archives fairly easily. Note there seems to be
no one else around to challenge his presence in the Nation's museum! |
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Sure enough Kahmunrah is putting
together a posse of historic baddies including Napoleon Bonaparte, Attila the
Hun and an unexplained black & white Al Capone. The goal is world
domination. Keep in mind the statues etc are only animated at night. Larry is aided by Amelia Earhart
(Amy Adams) as he tries to find a solution. They in turn go about seeking
advice from various other history and artistic figures including Abraham
Lincoln from the Lincoln Memorial, Rodin's The Thinker (which last I heard
was still on permanent display in front of the Musee Rodin in Paris), and
bobble head Einsteins (when did bobble heads become museum quality?) The rest is a ridiculous farce that
isn’t funny even under the influence of laughing gas. Robin Williams, Steve Coogan and
Rami Malek return in their roles but in a diminished capacity as the gags are
handed to Azaria in a triple role of the Thinker, Kahmunrah and Abe Lincoln.
He tries but the story is weak. Adams is the only one who somewhat shines in
a role that might have been a better focus. I’m not sure who will like this
thing. Maybe special effect buffs. But that's it. The jokes in "Night at the
Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" slide off like they are coated in Teflon. Hopefully
there will be no part three! --GEOFFREY BURTON
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