It’s too bad that there is no such thing as a magic Egyptian tablet that brings museums to life. Night at the Museum 2, Battle of the Smithsonian proves that it really does make museums much more exciting.
Those of you who remember the first Night at the Museum will remember Larry Daley (Ben Stiller, Tropic Thunder) as the night guard of a museum that comes to life at night. Daley learns he really has the best job in the world, seeing as he can party with Teddy Roosevelt and mini cowboys and Romans every night.
At the very beginning of the sequel we meet a new Larry Daley who is no longer the Night Guard at the museum. He now owns “Daley Devices,” a company that invents household gadgets such as the “glow in the dark flashlight.” He even seems to have his own show; one that would remind anyone of Tim Allen’s “Tool Time,” from Home Improvement.
Although Larry is now able to provide for his son (whom he also seems to have full custody), and has become very successful, he is clearly unhappy. He returns to the Museum of Natural History to find that all the exhibits are being moved away to make room for holographic replacements.
Larry realizes that he is at a turning point, and does not really know what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
The next night Larry receives a troubling phone call from Jedediah (Owen Wilson, You, Me and Dupree), one of the cowboy miniatures from the exhibit. Larry goes to the Smithsonian Museum’s archives, the place where the old exhibits from the Museum of Natural History were moved, in hope of finding his friends.
Then night falls. Larry suits up as a night guard one more time and is in for the biggest night, at the biggest museum, of his life. Unlike the first movie, the action of this story takes place all in one night.
In case anyone forgot, the Smithsonian Museum takes up a serious amount of square mileage in Washington DC’s Museum District. On this night, even The Lincoln Memorial and the Air and Space Museum will come to life to help Larry fight off Kahmunrah’s (Hank Azaria, Mystery Men) ancient Egyptian army, which includes his allies Al Capone and other notorious historical baddies.
Kahmunrah’s ultimate goal is to use his brother Akmenrah’s (from the first film) magic tablet to raise the underworld.
Hank Azaria played the most lovable bad guy; the kind who likes to be bad and makes jokes about it. He also provides the voices for Abe Lincoln and the Thinker. Bill Hader plays an idiotic General Custer whose best plan of attack would be “When I say ‘WE WILL NOT ATTACK!’…we’ll attack!”
Even the Jonas Brothers show up, except for the fact that they are computer generated baby cupid statues that sing “My Heart will go on.”
Amy Adams (Enchanted) plays Amelia Earhart, who becomes a love interest for Daley, and as always she brings plenty of personality to the role.
All the favorites from the first film have returned, Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, along with Sacajawea, Attila the Hun and miniatures Octavian (Steve Coogan) and Jedediah Smith.
A funny scene is when miniature best friends Jedediah and Octavian go on a slow motion attack against some soldiers’ feet, and it strongly reminds of a scene from “300.”
This movie packs as many characters and substance in as it can, but every moment has some humorous merit.
Battle of the Smithsonian is one of those movies for the whole family, or a date, or if you just need some light entertainment. It certainly surpassed the first Night at the Museum.
Rated PG for mild action and brief language, runtime 105 minutes, now playing everywhere. 3.5 out of 4 stars
