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Average User Score: 7 (21 sources)

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Tell the world what you think of Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian

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Night at the Museum was a great movie, it had great comedy, was pretty creative, and was an all-around enjoyable film. When I found out a sequel was coming out I was pretty unsure. I mean, how could they make a great sequel to Night at the Museum?...
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Night at the Museum was a great movie, it had great comedy, was pretty creative, and was an all-around enjoyable film. When I found out a sequel was coming out I was pretty unsure. I mean, how could they make a great sequel to Night at the Museum? My question remains unanswered.

Night at the Museum 2 is about all the stuff from the museum from the first movie being put in the Federal Archives under the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Larry (the old night guard) goes to save them when he finds out that the beloved miniatures and wax figures are in trouble: Kamenrah (Akmenrah's brother) wants to take over the world by getting back the tablet (the one that brings everything to life) and unleashing his army of the underworld. (SPOILER ahead) Long story short, he unleashes his underwhelming 'army' or guys with bird heads (about 10 or 15 guys... ooh, we're in trouble) and gets defeated by the Abe Lincoln statue. The rest in between is basically a bunch of chase scenes and... yep, more stuff coming to life.

The whole museum coming to life thing was cool in the first movie, but after seeing it again, it feels like a very tired concept. They stretched it a little too far this time, and even early on they seemed to be fishing for some decent jokes. Actually, the movie wasn't even that funny. The focus shifted to the story pretty early on, which isn't a great idea when the story isn't the best part of the movie. Kamenrah's lisp was over used too, I mean sure it was funny for the first 30 seconds but after hearing conversation after conversation after evil, maniacal, plotting conversation... it just isn't funny any more. Ben Stiller still did a good job acting his part out, but they really didn't give him many good lines. He did what he could with his part, really, but he wasn't given much to begin with.

To sum it all up, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is an ok movie that just strays from what it should do best. I wouldn't say it's disappointing because I expected very little of it to begin with, but I would say it's a letdown to the first movie. Pass this one up and watch the first one, even if you've seen it before it's worth watching it again for the fifth time over seeing this one for the first time.

Score: 6/10

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Posted may 30, 2009 7:28 am pt

• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  83
  Battle of the Smithsonian has plenty of life. But it's Adams who gives it zing.

  by Owen Gleiberman | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  75
  Nothing elegant about Adams here, but she's terrific -- a sparkling screen presence. Her Earhart hoists this big-budget sequel above the routine.

  by Michael Phillips | Read Full Review »
• [+] Baltimore Sun
  
  75
  Takes a great idea -- what if the inhabitants of a museum came to life at night? -- and milks it for every drop of fun it's worth.

  by Chris Kaltenbach | Read Full Review »
• [+] Village Voice
  
  70
  Though it's a little slow to start and some of the humor clunks, the film features a wholesome charm, some truly dazzling effects (the Lincoln Memorial alone is worth it), and enough mild, parent-nip in-jokes to keep all but the stone-hearted happy.

  by Michelle Orange | Read Full Review »
• [+] Empire
  
  60
  It's funnier this time, but still veers noticeably from kid-friendly slapstick to adult-friendly banter.

  by Helen O'Hara | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  60
  Some of that frenetic running around has been replaced by inspired effects sequences and amusing riffs by the talented cast, especially new arrivals Hank Azaria and Amy Adams.

  by Michael Rechtshaffen | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Daily News
  
  60
  Far surpasses original.

  by Elizabeth Weitzman | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New Yorker
  
  60
  Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is what my mother would have called a kakabarly--a large, foaming broth into which she emptied the forlorn and highly miscellaneous contents of her icebox.

  by David Denby | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  58
  Your 12-and-unders will dig it, and it might even serve as a sort of movie-Bookmobile and get them to read a little history, or at least a little Wikipedia. But otherwise it's utterly dispensable.

  by M. E. Russell | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
  
  50
  Unfortunately, once these creatures do come to life for a second outing, the promise soon evaporates and the clever comedy, built largely on crisscrossing anachronisms and various sly cultural references, is not enough to sustain a romp that is all rather predictable.

  by Kate Taylor | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  50
  Shallow and harmlessly diverting picture.

  by A.O. Scott | Read Full Review »
• [+] San Francisco Chronicle
  
  50
  Some of the results are delightfully loopy. Some are cornball.

  by Amy Binacolli | Read Full Review »
• [+] Philadelphia Inquirer
  
  50
  The problem with NATM:BOTS is that Stiller, Adams, and company seem to be pretending that they're having fun, too.

  by Steven Rea | Read Full Review »
• [+] Variety
  
  50
  Where the original had a vaguely tenable narrative hook (deadbeat dad finds redemption through nocturnal heroics), the new pic seems purely a vehicle for lavish visuals and cheap gags.

  by Lael Loewenstein | Read Full Review »
• [+] ReelViews
  
  50
  It's harmless. And pointless. And dumb. This is a perfect example of a motion picture that exists exclusively because its predecessor made a lot of money.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »