Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

"Night at the Museum" was a well-made family comedy with potential for a sequel and to set that sequel at one of the biggest museums on earth was a great idea. The filmmakers got too carried away though. "Battle of the Smithsonian" also lacks the level of character development and story structure we had in the last movie. I just felt that those involved in making this movie were not trying.

The first movie had a plot twist, a father/son storyline and more importantly, a character arc. In the sequel, the focus of the movie is spectacle and silly comedy. One could argue that Larry does follow a character arc in "Battle of the Smithsonian" but my reply is that it is far less dramatic and relatable. It is neat that Larry is now successful but the lesson he is learning in this movie feels forced upon him instead of being what he needs. Larry doesn't really need the security outfit at the Smithsonian for example because he is still able to make his way to the lower levels unseen. The love story between him and Amelia also feels forced. The previous film had some verisimilitude but the new powers of the tablet of Akhmenrah introduced in this show exist only to grant the villain in this story some power. Speaking of Kahmunrah, he would have been a better character if he were more evil and less comedic. I don't think this is the fault of Hank Azaria though but instead a mistake in casting. Kahmunrah could have still been a source of comedy even if the character had been more serious just like Attila the Hun in the first film. An idea of a serious ruler who has come to life in a museum in the modern day has humorous possibilities all by itself and there was no need to give the character all those silly lines. This is a problem with all the new characters in that some are modernized like the Thinker and others, like those in the "V-J Day in Times Square" photo, are not. None of the exhibits from the Museum of Natural History were modernized but they were still humorous in the previous movie. The special effects (despite their volume and complexity) were also below par and I attribute that to the absence of Oscar-winning special effects supervisor Jim Rygiel. While "Battle of the Smithsonian" has plenty of shortcomings, it can still make you laugh. The Smithsonian not only has historical artifacts but also pop culture exhibits and so the appearance of Darth Vader, Oscar the Grouch and Archie Bunker's chair from "All in the Family" are humorous. I also got a kick out of the Tuskegee Airman narrator.

The returning cast members all did fine. Ben Stiller had his moments such as Larry asking Octavius why he looks "dramatically off into the middle distance" and when Larry grabs the microphone to cancel the launches in the Air and Space Museum. Hank Azaria (from "The Simpsons") not only plays Akhmenrah but also is the voice of Lincoln and the Thinker. I feel he did better however in his later villainous role of Gargamel. To have Christopher Guest from "The Princess Bride" as Ivan the Terrible was fun though. I was so happy that for Oscar the Grouch, the filmmakers use the actual Muppeteer: Caroll Spinney. "Battle of the Smithsonian" was my intro to Bill Hader and Jay Baruchel, both of whom would later voice well-known animated movie characters. I would also consider this movie to be my introduction to Jonah Hill, even though I first heard him as a voice on "Horton Hears a Who!" My favorite "cameo" however in this film goes to Clint Howard who appears to be reprising his role from "Apollo 13". That was pretty cool. Director Shawn Levy by the way is the father looking for a flashlight at the start of the movie.

This sequel would have been better if the filmmakers had not tried to depict so many exhibits. They also didn't work too hard on the story. Fortunately, the final film in the franchise saved some face.

3.5 Stars