Lackluster but endurable

My expectations for this film were not very high to begin with, but like with any sequel, I would at least expect it to be as good as the first (which I did enjoy). Needless to say, Battle of the Smithsonian did not meet this expectation. However, I suppose there is a chance that younger kids might enjoy this film and after all that is who this film was made for.

Let me start by saying, boy oh boy is Ben Stiller’s shtick getting old. Actually, scratch that, it IS old. The whole stuttering and stammering talk with his head bobbing and hand gestures, it’s like he doesn’t even try anymore. Nothing in this film is new for Stiller. It’s just the same old rehashed performance we’ve seen him do in countless other films.

It kinda pains me to watch Stiller do this same act when I know he can pull off great comedy behind the camera. It’s amazing to me that the guy who wrote and directed the hilarious Tropic Thunder still performs his dated act every single time he’s in front of the camera (including Tropic Thunder).

Another actor I think might be heading down the “one trick pony” spiral is Jonah Hill (Superbad). His part is small but his act is the same we saw in Superbad. I have hope for Jonah Hill so I’ll reserve my judgment until he does a few more films.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian starts off two years after Larry Daily (Ben Stiller) has quit his night guard job at the Museum of Natural History and has started a very successful business selling products of his own invention (i.e. the glow-in-the-dark flashlight). One day he drops by the Museum of Natural History for a quick visit and soon finds that all of the exhibits are being moved to the Smithsonian and being replaced by hologram, interactive exhibits. But the tablet, the one that brings all of the exhibits to life at night, is not going with them.

The exhibits get moved to the Smithsonian. At home, Larry Daily gets a frantic phone call from the miniature cowboy Jedadiah (Owen Wilson) saying that the tablet was shipped with them and they are being attacked. Now the tablet is at the Smithsonian. The worlds biggest museum is about to come to life! Stiller rushes to their aid and so the adventure begins.

At the museum, Larry Daily is reluctantly partnered with Amelia Earhart, played by the wonderfully charismatic Amy Adams (Enchanted, Doubt). She is the only one in this movie who gives a worthy, well-suited performance.

One giant, and I mean giant, mistake this film makes is by failing to follow its own rules. It’s well established in the first film that the tablet must be inside the museum to bring the characters to life. We know this because in the first film the old men take it away the night Larry Daily brings his son to the museum and the exhibits don’t awake. However, in Battle of the Smithsonian, Larry takes the tablet from the Smithsonian to the Museum of Natural History warning one creature at the Smithsonian only to “be in by sunrise.”

Also, not to say it is a flaw necessarily, but it sort of irked me to see things that weren’t exhibits come to life. In the trailer, you see a bunch of little Einstein’s come to life but these are souvenirs not exhibits. The filmmakers seemed to want to stretch the powers of the tablet but did it without concerning themselves with the continuity. The film, like I said, is aimed for a younger audience and they probably won’t concern themselves with such issues.

On the plus side, the film does have a few small laughs.  The first one had a tone and energy that the second definitely lacks.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 21st, 2009 at 10:04 pm and is filed under 2, Doug Anderson, Film Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.