SYNOPSIS
Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) now no longer works as the night guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. His dream of being a successful inventor has come true. When he visits his old friends at the Museum, though, he learns that they are all being shipped to storage at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. to make way for high-tech interactive exhibits. The ancient Egyptian tablet that makes the museum come to life at night has gone there as well, so Larry must work with new friends at the Smithsonian, including Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), to stop Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) from taking over and get the Museum of Natural History back to normal.
CRITIQUE
In the fall of 2006, Night at the Museum seemed crafted to be a franchise as a big, effects-laden comedy sure to give both kids and parents laughs. For significant entertainment value, though, the film didn’t go any deeper than that. This summer came the sequel. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is actually better than the first film because there is a touch of emotional depth added to the frivolous and frantic comedy, as well as the addition of excellent performers.
From the start, this sequel had a good idea behind it. Taking the concept of bringing a museum to life to the largest museum in the world, FULL of various recognizable things, is a clever move. This allows a giant squid, Darth Vadar, and Einstein Bobbleheads to occupy the same milieu and generate laughs along the way. Because the Smithsonian is actual several museums that surround the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial gets animated, too, which is very cool (a bit like the Statue of Liberty at the end of Ghostbusters 2).
The actors added to the cast are another positive aspect of this sequel. Adams, a performer of unending appeal it seems, has the largest role and grabs onto the chance to play Earhart with gutsy cheek. She gets to utter lines like, “What’s the rumpus, Ace?” and is Stiller’s love interest. The writers wisely have Adams reappear at the end of the film as a modern woman Stiller meets--as he can’t fall in love with a life-size wax figure in a museum.
Other additions, like Bill Hader and Jonah Hill, are comedic performers who can be relied upon to thrive on improvisation, fitting in perfectly with Stiller. Even Hank Azaria, as Kahmunrah, is hilarious, though his character is a villain of the stupid-silly variety. It is hard to imagine him being a true menacing threat. The villains in the first film, the senior night guards who gave Larry his job, were actually more effective.
Night at the Museum gets a sequel that is actually a bit better than the original in Battle of the Smithsonian, and that’s largely because of the talent of the new cast members and the emotion of the deeper story added here to the funny throwaway comedy.
THE VIDEO
This is a gloriously problem-free transfer, Night at the Museum 2 being presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are vibrant, contrast is solid and picture quality is very good.
THE AUDIO
Night at the Museum 2 is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. There are also French and Spanish Dolby Digital language tracks offered. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are featured.
THE EXTRAS
Audio Commentaries: Director Shawn Levy gives a solo track and writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon join for another track. Levy discusses the film in a clear and informative way, revealing the usual technical things like what is CG and what is not, who had the idea for a certain line, etc. He also interestingly lets the audience know exactly what is improvised by the actors and which ideas came from elsewhere. It is quite gratifying to hear a filmmaker talk about his film and acknowledge that he is trying to make people happy and that is good enough for him. Garant and Lennon’s track is funnier, with a lot of hilarious joking about what Night at the Museum 3 will be about. They also funnily gush about their appearance as the Wright Brothers in the film-- Lennon is an actor you’ll recognize from films like 17 Again. They do get to a little about their writing process as the final credits roll, but they are quite entertaining up to that point. Both tracks are worth a listen.
The Curators of Comedy: Behind-the-Scenes of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: The entire cast and director Levy give a behind-the-scenes look at the film in this extra. It is quite interesting to see the scale of the production and the filming in the Air and Space Museum. The obvious respect all these talented comedians have for each other is nice to see too. This is fun to watch once.
Deleted Scenes: There are six scenes included in this extra, and they include an extended version of the “Brunden” scene and an alternate ending which actually includes the three old night guards who were the villains in the first film and played by legends Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs. The best scene here is the one where Adams gets to really state the heart of the film’s theme as Amelia, while the funniest is the bad guys all crammed into a elevator listening to muzak!
Gag Reel: This is a short but hilarious reel of bloopers and flubs. The props mess up, bleeping goes on, and it is very funny.
Phinding Pharaoh: Hank Azaria’s screen tests of various accents for the character of Kahmunrah make up this bonus feature. Hearing a deep South or Cockney accent coming out of the Egyptian-costumed actor is funny, so this is definitely worth one watch. When Levy calls Azaria (who has long voiced many characters on The Simpsons) “possibly the most talented vocal actor in the world” you realize that can’t be far from the truth.
The Jonas Brothers in Cherub Bootcamp: This extra is a tongue-in-cheek faux documentary of the preparation the Jonas Brothers went through to voice the singing trio of cherubs in the film. There is staged footage of Levy badgering them in different ways in a “boot camp” atmosphere. When Joe Jonas pretends to break down into tears, try not to laugh!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The performers and comedy in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian assist in deepening the story, improving it over the original. New cast members, especially Amy Adams, and bigger spectacle also increase the entertainment quotient of the film, so buying (or at least renting) this DVD will be the preference of many viewers. The special features on this disc are actually numerous and good as well. As something crafted entirely for family viewing, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian satisfies.
