My wife and I enjoyed the original "Night at the Museum" we expected to the sequel to be typical of seconds... not quite as good. However, "Battle of the Smithsonian" bucks this trend and in our opinion it is significantly better than the original. The plot is a bit silly our favorite night-watchman had made it big as inventor of useless products. His new position as CEO means that he is no longer working at the museum. The museum has also undergone a few changes namely most of the exhibits are being shipped into storage. The storage is below the Smithsonian... and that is where the action begins!"Battle of the Museum" blends, action, humor and a numerous celebrity cameos into a fun-filled flick. The story introduces us to some Egyptian pharaoh (can't remember which one), Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, Amelia Earhart , Abe Licoln, and miniature Einstein bobbleheads! The star of the story is the incredibly imaginative action sequences... the jumping in-and-out pictures, the banter of Abe Lincoln.... all of it light-hearted and very entertaining.
As far as the acting Ben Stiller was .... Ben Stiller you either love him or you hate him. We really did enjoy Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart she seems to have nailed the accent, look and walk plus she was very funny!
Final Verdict Recommended for everyone (This is a very kid friendly movie) but it highly recommended for everyone who enjoyed the original.
5 Stars
Buy Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) (2009) Now
Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is no longer an out-of-work loser who needs to step up to the plate. This time around he's a highly successful CEO and workaholic who needs to slow down and focus on what really matters. That means he's got to accept that his true calling is not to invent new and mostly useless gadgets (like a glowing flashlight and a super-sized doggie bone) but to be an ordinary night guard in a far from ordinary museum.One thing that was even more evident in this film was that the basic strategy in bringing to life the various historical characters was to create someone who was recognizably similar to the original but somehow insecure or silly. A giant Abe Lincoln was easily the best looking new character in terms of special effects, but his mannerisms and personality were just silly and shallow; unlike with most of the major characters of the original the writers seemed to be making very little effort to draw upon some "historical essence" in the outline of the new folks. Hank Azaria nearly managed to add something with his odd but interesting turn as an incompetent evil Egyptian with a British accent and a lisp, but the real exception and the one element that felt truly fresh in this film was, of course, Amy Adams' characterization of Amelia Earhart. She brought a vitality and spontaneity to the role that was convincing and engaging, and she easily stole every scene she was in. The only unconvincing aspect of her performance was the fault of the writers: her strange romantic attraction for Ben Stiller's character, who only accomplished anything through luck (and a very small amount of pluck) and a cartoonish conviction that he could always manage things because none of it really mattered and things would all turn out right in the end. Her interest in Larry Daley is even more peculiar when it turns out her passion was really just the writer's vehicle for teaching him a valuable life's lesson (something about "seizing the day" and doing whatever makes you happy no matter what it will all amount to in the end).
All the old characters are back, but there's a host of new ones drawn from the Smithsonian, where his old friends are shipped and he is called upon to save the day. As far as I can tell, all of the old characters, including Stiller, are "slumming" this time around. Rather than giving original and interesting performances, they seem like they are just trying to do enough to make it apparent they are the same folks the audience has come to love from last time. Owen Wilson, especially, looks like he hardly cares what's happening. The first film's chemistry between his cowboy and Steve Coogan's centurion has all but disappeared and for the most part Wilson seems resigned just to bury his head in the sand and wait until the movie's over. Sure there are a few new characters and situations, but most of them just seem bigger, not really better. The best moments this time around, and the ones my children enjoyed most, were basically variations on the best moments in the first film: this time Stiller is in a slap-fest with TWO rare monkeys!
If you like silly cartoons and who doesn't every now and then? this one's not bad and not boring and holds a few minor surprises. Very young children won't be able to tell the difference between this and a truly original blockbuster summer family entertainment film. Well worth watching if you've got nothing better to do for a couple of hours.My 12 year old daughter and I really enjoyed watching NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN together. Like the original, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 is great family entertainment no bad language, no blood, no sex, and no real violence. Just lots of fun, laughter, and a pleasant evening together.
In NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2, night guard Larry Daley has moved on and is getting rich selling his wacky inventions on television infomercials. But his heart isn't really in it; he isn't as happy as he thought would be. When Larry discovers that many of his beloved friends from the exhibits at the New York City Museum of Natural History are being shipped to permanent storage at the Smithsonian archives, he rushes to try to help them. But when the Egyptian tablet that brings his friends to life is accidentally sent along to the Smithsonian, Larry has a whole new set of problems on his hands. With every exhibit in the Smithsonian museums and the archives below coming to life, Larry must enlist the aid of a spunky Amelia Earhart, a vain and grandiose General George Custer, and a bouncy pack of Einstein bobble-heads to save the day, and make everything right.
In NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 is a laugh out loud funny movie, full of some very creative action sequences. The museum exhibits still come to life, but this time they include famous paintings that you can jump into (reminiscent of Mary Poppins), pop art sculptures that chase you around, all manner of aircraft (from the Wright Brothers' first plane to a launching Apollo space craft), the gifts from the gift shop, and even a gigantic Abraham Lincoln from the Lincoln Memorial. Hank Azaria as the evil pharaoh and Amy Adams as a perky, independent Amelia Earhart are delightful additions to the NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 cast, and Robin Williams is as charming as always Teddy Roosevelt. The special effects are pretty cool, and the jokes and slapstick keep on coming.
Is the story predictable? Yes. Did we care? No! NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN is a great family summer film. It won't change your life, but it will help you forget your troubles for a few hours and have some fun with your loved ones. The entire family will grin, giggle, and out-right guffaw, with several good, old fashioned belly-laughs thrown in. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN is an excellent way to spend a cozy popcorn evening together. And who knows, your kids might even learn a little history!With the box office success of "Night at the Museum" in 2006 (the film made over $525 million worldwide), both director Shawn Levy ("Cheaper by the Dozen", "Pink Panther") and actor Ben Stiller ("Madagascar", "Tropic Thunder", "There's Something About Mary") waited for the perfect script before getting involved in a sequel. And if they were going to do a film, it would be in a much bigger scale and trying to make the film better than the original and sure enough, this time around, the film worked with the Smithsonian.
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" went on to make over $412 million worldwide and now the film is available on Blu-ray via a 3-disc set which includes the Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" is featured in 1080p, Widescreen (2:35:1) and once again, Twentieth Century Fox delivers with vibrant and detailed picture quality. You see the textures within the costumes, the metal lining of the pharaohs headdress, the detail of various settings and overall, a colorful film. Even the prop/characters such as the Abraham Lincoln, the fossilized T-Rex, Teddy Roosevelt look very good. There are scenes where the green screen effect wasn't too convincing (ie. Amelia and Larry on a plane outside of the museum) and almost looked a bit campy. But you can't help but be hooked in by the awesome production of the film and watching this film in HD really brings out the beauty of the film. So overall, picture quality for "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" is solid.
As for the lossless audio of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian", the film tends to be front channel heavy. I actually was expecting the film to be quite immersive and there are some scenes (one with Amelia crashing into the museum with the plane or Abe Lincoln taking on the underworld soldiers) that sound quite awesome, but it was not filling up the soundscape that I was quite hoping for. But for the most part, dialogue is clear and understandable, Silvestri's music also comes out quite nicely through the front channels as well.
Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and Portuguese.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" comes with the following special features:
* Audio Commentary by Director Shawn Levy Very informative, upbeat and detailed audio commentary by Shawn Levy. Complimentary to the cast and crew, Levy's commentary is pretty thorough on discussing many scenes, setting it up and what he wanted to accomplish.
* Audio Commentary by Writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon An upbeat commentary. Informative and fun, both writers tend to joke around but also give information on what is seen at certain museums and explain certain experiences and more.
* Gag Reel (8:09) "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" bloopers.
* 12 Deleted Scenes Including Alternate Ending -(11:28) Twelve deleted scenes (which include Out of Town Emergency, Brunden: The Director's Cut, Meet Ivan, Napoleon and Al Capone (Extended), Ivan Interrogates Larry, World Twister, Capone Gets Invited, How Many Bad Guys Can You Fit In an Elevator?, Custer's Plan (Extended), Moon Rover, Takin' Em Down, Gangster Style, Larry's Pep Talk to Custer (Extended), Alternate Ending with Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs) featuring optional audio commentary by director Shawn Levy. From improvisation with Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill, Amelia Earhart's moonrover scene and more.
* Curators of Comedy: Behind The Scenes With Ben Stiller (19:55) Behind-the-scenes of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian". Interviews with the talent and how they wanted to make this series much better than the first and making history come to life. And the cast discussing their favorite scenes in the film.
* Museum Scavenger Hunt Game While watching the film, you can activate a scavenger hunt where you find items during the film.
* The Jonas Brothers in Cherub Bootcamp -(3:53) Director Shawn Levy talks about needing to hire people to play the cherubs and so he found out that the Jonas Brothers would be perfect. A hilarious featurette featuring Shawn Levy putting the Jonas Brothers through cherub bootcamp.
* Phinding Pharaoh With Hank Azaria (4:48) Director Shawn Levy talks about having Hank Azaria experiment with various vocals.
* Show me the Monkey Featurettes (17:56) "Monkey Business" Interviews with director Shawn Levy and cast about the Crystal the monkey who is in the film and how the trainer utilizes the skills of the talented monkeys in the film. Behind-the-scenes footage of the trainers working with the monkey and more. (12:52) "Primate Prima Donnas" Showcasing the monkeys Crystal and Squirt and using a second monkey for the film. (6:24) "The Secret of Life of a Monkey Movie Star: Life Off Camera". A look at how a typical day is for the monkeys.
* Historical Confessions: Famous Last Words (6:27) Featuring interviews with the characters of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and what they contributed in their career.
* Secret Doors and Scientists: Behind-the-Scenes of The American Museum of Natural History (15:57) Ellen Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History and other staff talk about what is seen in the film can be seen at the American Museum of National History and more. A walkthrough through various parts of the museum and more.
* Cavemen Conversations: Survival of the Wittiest (4:17) Interviews with the three cavemen of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (and of course, all the cavemen do is grunt and make noises).
* Museum Magic: Entering The World Of The Photograph (5:39) The filming of the post-World War II (VJ Day in Times Square) scene recreating the scene of the Eisenstaedt photo.
* Director 201: A Day in the Life of Director/Producer Shawn Levy (19:17) The camera follows Director Shawn Levy on the set of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" for a day. Also, meeting the various crew members working closely with Shawn Levy.
* Gangster Levy (1:55) A B&W noir short featuring director Shawn Levy and his assistant director. Recreating a gangster noir clip which would be used in the film.
* FOX Movie Channel Presents Making a Scene (9:35) Interview with the cast and crew and discussing the "No Go for Launch" scene.
* FOX Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere (5:28) Host Tava Smiley in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian for the world premiere of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian".
* TRAILERS Trailers for upcoming Twentieth Century Fox films.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" was a film that was entertaining but similar to the first film, both films are not strong on plot but a film that features good use of CG, special effects and action.
If anything, the hijinks and craziness of the film is still intact and I really did enjoy the scenes featuring both Larry and Amelia. But the film seems like a clutter of comedians and characters trying to get their time on the screen and director Shawn Levy tried to focus too much on these crazy antics of those characters than focus on the overlying storyline.
If anything, the film is your classic cat and mouse game with the evil pharaoh trying to catch Larry and Amelia for the tablet. It's a simple storyline that tries to include jokes and things that just come out of left field and just sputters downward. Darth Vader and Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch in a scene together? Or an octopus trying to hug and kiss Larry? The humor of some of the jokes just didn't fly well with me and felt some of the comedy was not funny at all.
Granted, it was nice to see some of "The Office" (USA and UK) cast in the film, Hank Azaria showcasing his voice talent for the character of the Pharaoh and giving the character a comical spin and although short, the improv scene with Stiller and Jonah Hill was fun. I do admit that I felt my attention of the film was more for Amy Adam's Amelia Earhart character. Adam's is a talented actress and seeing her act on screen was definitely one of the highlights of the film.
And as for Ben Stiller, although he was in the film, I felt that his character was downgraded and most of the focus was on the surroundings rather than his character. And I suppose it depends what one expects from this film. Those wanting more props, special effects, gags and action...then this film is for you.
Of course, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian", like its predecessor, is looked at as a family film. A film where kids can be entranced by the surroundings of the museum and almost be taken to a fantasy world. Seeing how my son enjoyed both films tremendously, I suppose the formula works especially since the film has achieved tremendous box office success worldwide.
But in the end, I felt the film was mediocre at best but as a Blu-ray release was quite solid when it came to picture quality and definitely for the inclusion of so many special features. And for children who loved the film, the fact that the Blu-ray release comes with the Blu-ray disc, a DVD and a digital copy of the film is pretty awesome.
Overall, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" may not be a great film but it does make for a good popcorn flick with awesome production and also has plenty of fun moments. But as long as you are not looking for a serious plot or anything deep, then you'll definitely be entertained. As for the Blu-ray release, it's a pretty solid release with 3-discs, awesome picture quality and a lot of special features. So, I have no doubt in my mind that fans of the film will definitely enjoy this release.
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