Film Reviews

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

• Rating:
• Director: Shawn Levy
• Starring: Amy Adams
• Details: US/105mins (PG)

The first Night at the Museum was pretty much your archetypically broad American comedy, designed to appeal to as many people as possible, thus offending no one. It was the epitome of comedic bland, so naturally was a huge box-office success, bringing in the masses and making damn sure that this sequel would soon follow. This one is marginally better than that insipid effort, as director Levy throws more stars, more special effects and an even heavier underlining message at us - learning is cool, kids. But this is still little more than some talented comedians dumbing it down and picking up a paycheque.

This time out, Stiller's former night security guard has become a big success, having started his own company and invented lots of cool, useless gadgets - the kind they sell on cheesy infomercials. Occasionally he'll head back to the Natural History Museum and frolic with his buddies, but he's too busy with his company to really put his heart into it. When he finds out that all of the exhibits are being shipped to Washington for storage, he hits the capital city to protect his pals from Hank Azaria's dastardly Kahmunrah; an Egyptian Prince, with a chip on his shoulder the size of a pyramid. During the trip at the Smithsonian, he meets Amelia Earhart (Adams), the famous American adventurer, and soon feels sparks.

Obviously aimed squarely at the kids, you still can't help but feel that nobody's heart is fully in this. Stiller is not an actor built to play the straight man, and despite one overtly slapstick scene (where he literally spanks two monkeys) there really isn't a lot of opportunities for him to be funny. When they do fall, they land mainly at the feet of Azaria, who does manage to raise a few chuckles; but the likes of Jonah Hill, Owen Wilson and Ricky Gervais are basically the crust of a shoddy comedy pizza. Adams still lights up the screen, even in a silly role, though - and a sillier ending. A positive message it may project, but there is not a lot here to engage anyone over 12.

Review by Mike Sheridan