Night at the Museum Sequel is a Lackluster Exhibit in Comedy

night_at_the_museum_battle_of_the_smithsonianWhen the original “Night at the Museum” was released in 2006, it was the type of comedy that appealed to a younger demographic, but managed to win over adults as well, thanks to a witty script and a talented and diverse cast.

The sequel, “Night at the Museum II: Battle of the Smithsonian” however, lacks both the on-screen charisma and plot levity of its older brother, making it an experience that will be remembered more for its mistakes, rather than its few successes.

Taking place a few years after the original, Larry Daley, played by the quirky and lovable Ben Stiller [Zoolander, Tropic Thunder] finds himself bored and unhappy as the CEO of a company that specializes in made for TV products.

So what is a man to do with more money than he can possibly dream of and the success and solid relationship with his son that seemingly avoided him at every turn in the last film?

You guessed it, return to the museum he used to work at as a night watchman.

It’s the kind of logic that would give a Vulcan an ulcer.

During Daley’s absence, things have gone terribly astray and his magical friends find themselves being transported to the basement of the famous Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

What sounds like a fluid series of events however, takes way too long to progress and lacks any sort of common sense. While this time around it’s obvious this flick is intended for children, rather than adults, the jumps in the story from one place to another are idiotic at best.

As a result, any viewer over the age of 10 will find themselves extremely aggravated through most of the movie.

Another reason why the original was so charming was the supporting acting of Owen Wilson [Drillbit Taylor, Marley and Me] Robin Williams [Dead Poets Society, Finding Nemo] and mainstays Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs. This time around, while Williams and Owen [and a slew of others] return, the old-school trio is absent, hurting the overall product immensely in the long run.

While Hank Azaria [Shattered Glass, Mad About You] is an amazing voice-actor, known for his work over the past two decades on the Simpsons, his terrible portrayal of the film’s main villain, Kah Mun Rah [while utilizing a terribly unbearable British lisp] make him unbearable to watch at times.

There are some bright new additions to the cast however, as the adorable Amy Adams [Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Enchanted] lights up the screen as the adventurous Amelia Earhart and forms a solid one-two punch with Stiller.

Bill Hader [Superbad, Knocked Up] also manages to sparkle as General Custer and provides a few laughs as well.

Unfortunately, it isn’t enough.

In the big scheme of things, the tandem of Adams and Stiller, with a well-written script, should have been enough to put this film over the top.

Ultimately, the lame script and silly, over the top comedy destroys any chance “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” had at getting a real laugh out of an adult crowd.

Aside from another monkey-smacking session and a few witty one-liners, there isn’t much to laugh at.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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