Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Review

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was actually something of a pleasant surprise for me. While I suppose I can’t say that it’s better than its predecessor, per say, it does solve many of the problems I had with the original Night at the Museum. Namely, an embarrassing and unneeded domestic subplot, a lot of screen time for an annoying monkey, and feminist-influenced historical inaccuracies about Sacajawea. As a result, I enjoyed it a lot more than the original, and was laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

The movie gets going pretty quickly. The unnamed museum from the first movie has decided that its exhibits are in need of a technological upgrade. As such, the old exhibits are shipped off to the Smithsonian for storage. Larry, now the CEO of his own company, receives a phone call from Jed, the miniature cowboy from the first movie, who is unfortunately back for this sequel Apparently, all is not well in the storage facility of the Smithsonian Larry, being a good friend, immediately appears in Washington DC to infiltrate said facility in a scene that gives new meaning to the phrase ‘blatant ripoff of National Treasure’. Once inside, Larry ends up battling for control of Ra’s Tablet (remember? That mystical piece of rock that brings the museum to life?) with an ancient Egyptian king who speaks in one of the most fascinating lisps ever captured on film. Oh yeah, and he ends up with Amelia Erhart in tow, since the makers had already milked Sacajawea's potential as a vehicle for feminist propaganda for all it was worth. Still, though, she’s likable enough by the end, and other new characters, like Napoleon and General Custer, are an absolute riot. The plot itself is mediocre, but is helped along by an almost constant stream of clever jokes and creative dialog. By the end, you’ll probably have lost all interest in the plot, but will find yourself looking forward to the next comedic twist the writers throw at you. In particular, I found the “final confrontation” to be hilarious (I wont spoil It for you, but lets just say it involves a creative use for Larry’s flashlight and the phrase “Well… this is awkward.”)

In essence, NM: BS keeps most of what was funny and entertaining about the original Night at the Museum, and does away with most of the annoying aspects. It’s still clichéd and full of plot holes, but it’s funny and fun, and maybe worth owning if you like Ben Stiller’s style of comedy.