Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Since the last installment in the "Night at the Museum" franchise, director Shawn Levy has brought us "Real Steel" with Hugh Jackman (another father/son plotline). I really enjoyed that movie and so I was willing to give "Secret of the Tomb" a chance after "Battle of the Smithsonian" fell short of expectations. This third movie brought back some of the drama and verisimilitude from the first movie that was missing in the second. This third and final installment did have a twist towards the end of the plot as well but it was not as great as the one in the first film. Families will still enjoy this movie nonetheless.

The start of "Secret of the Tomb" feels too coincidental unfortunately. For example, as mentioned by Larry, that crate has a lot of room in it. Furthermore, those at Pompeii are unaffected by the further corrosion of the tablet. You can tell that the filmmakers weren't too happy with how "Battle of the Smithsonian" turned out in that there is no acknowledgement of that movie. You don't even have to watch that show to understand this one. I think the fact that this sequel had new writers made a good deal of difference. This time, the filmmakers did not go too far in showing off the tablet's power on a massive museum. The British Museum is probably larger than the Smithsonian but the focus of the movie was on saving the exhibits from New York and not on showcasing everything that the British Museum has to offer. It was great to have Cecil, Gus and Reginald back in the franchise. They were supposed to be in the second film but their scene was sadly deleted. During the prologue, I was quite certain that C.J. would turn out to be Cecil. As mentioned, "Secret of the Tomb" has drama and a good story but it lacks originality (which can't be helped). For instance, sound gag which this time occurs in the air vent is getting old. The father/son storyline was good but could have been more sincere in its execution. My favorite lines in the movie include "Speak softly and carry a big stick" and "Clear!!" The fight sequence in "Relativity" was neat but being the sticker that I am, the drawing is actually in Washington DC.

The split-screen with Larry and Laa was such that I kept second-guessing myself as to whether Ben Stiller was playing both characters. The best moment is when Larry grabs Laa after they escape the break room because I can't figure out how they did that. It was so cool when Ben Kingsley turned up as Merenkahre. This is proof of what I had to say about Kahmunrah for "Battle of the Smithsonian" because Kingsley's character is played straight but still has a genuine funny moment concerning the Hebrew slaves he used to have. My favorite cameo in this movie will go unmentioned so as to not spoil the surprise but here are some clues: he plays himself acting on West End and has worked with director Shawn Levy before. Another reason why I went to see this movie was for the actors that the film was dedicated to. There are many movies staring the late Robin Williams that I have yet to see but I am betting this is the last "new" movie I will see with him in it. The same will probably be true for Mickey Rooney. I am amazed that Rooney showed up for that one small moment. Robin Williams by the way also does the voice of the Garuda artifact. His final scene with Stiller now has unplanned subtext due to his sudden passing.

It is interesting that I rate this movie the same rating as "Battle of the Smithsonian" while at the same time saying that "Secret of the Tomb" is better. My logic behind this is there was no reason to make this third film except to save face (I feel the same way about "Shrek Forever After"). If the second one hadn't been so silly though, there would have been no need to save face anyways. The third film fell just short of wanting to own it on Blu-ray while the second film was entertaining just enough to tolerate watching it again, hence the similar rating for both. Having said all that, I enjoyed this finale to the trilogy. Finally, don't worry everybody because the monkey that plays Dexter is actually female.

3.5 Stars