NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN (2009)

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"Doing what you love, with the people you love"

This sequel can't create the spark that the first movie had but it's not an all around terrible movie if you're just looking for a silly comedy that... doesn't necessarily get you on the floor laughing your ass off. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN is not what you'd describe as a roller coaster ride but it's still interesting to watch because of the new additional historical characters and its ridiculous take on them.

If the first movie was about Ben Stiller's character, Larry Daley who's a deadbeat dad, learning to pay attention to each of the museum's character the way he should to his son, this time the story takes him to a place where he's not having fun doing his new job and too ashamed to confess that he misses his old one. It's a fairly engaging plot and Stiller does a good job of showing us a discontent individual. I'm not sure how they can come up with a third movie because the whole thing about history comes to life literally apparently is no longer a secret.

The humor isn't all that funny, it's like Stiller himself who we all know is only funny some of the times. I think a 10 year old would find the jokes more hilarious than the rest of us. There's too much yelling for no reason, the punch lines don't quite deliver and to me, the coolest new one out of the bunch would have to be General Custer played by SNL star Bill Hader, he's consistent in every gig that he does. Hank Azaria, the master of many voices, brings a new Egyptian villain that's more ordinary than intimidating. His interaction with Stiller sometimes get too drawn-out, if you will, as if the movie's begging us to please laugh at them arguing and bargaining with each other.

I have to talk briefly about Amy Adams. That redhead beauty plays the wax version of Amelia Earhart, I enjoy how she expresses her interest in adventures, it's like a kid in a candy store. Gotta love her kissing/slapping way to somehow recharge Daley so he can feel that same excitement as well.

Screenwriters Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, the genius behind Reno 911, also wrote this sequel and they have a cameo as The Wright Bros. It's obvious that they and director Shawn Levy downsize the number of characters from the first movie to only a few memorable ones but expand the perimeter of the adventure to a wider scale and utilize not just one but a few Smithsonian museums plus Lincoln Memorial. Excellent job on the visual effects. Once again, our curiosity to see who new characters would come up next on the big screen and what CG or interesting ways the movie's going to present them are the only factors that would keep us watching to the every end.