Reanimated reunion

Unabashedly goofy family film Night at the
Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is
enjoyable thanks to a great cast

SHAMELESSLY SILLY: Stiller

by MALCOLM FRASER

The first Night at the Museum was an oddball family film, with Ben Stiller starring as a failed inventor turned museum guard who discovers a magic Egyptian tablet that brings the museum’s exhibits to life. With humour along the lines of Stiller getting repeatedly slapped by a monkey, it seemed like it ought to have been terrible, but somehow it had enough charm to make it enjoyable (and a huge hit). The sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, from the same team of director Shawn Levy and writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, offers more of exactly the same.

The film begins with Stiller’s Larry now a successful businessman hawking his inventions on infomercials. Dropping by the museum, he finds out that his frozen friends are being replaced by fancy technological displays, and shipped to a warehouse in Washington, DC.

But when the magical tablet gets taken along for the ride (courtesy of that mischievous monkey), its powers awaken Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), a power-mad Egyptian pharaoh who plans to unleash an army of undead warriors (with a little help from Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon and Al Capone). Stiller is called into action to lead his reanimated crew in a battle to stop the pharaoh and save the world, assisted by Amy Adams, who puts her patented girl-next-door charm to work as Amelia Earhart.

Like the original, the sequel pulls off the tough tightrope act that so many family films miserably fail—it has all the goofy gags and roller-coaster action scenes necessary to satisfy the youngsters, but enough wit to keep adults entertained as well (while steering remarkably clear of all things snarky, raunchy or overly clever).

And also like the original, it gets a lot of mileage out of an excellent cast. Ricky Gervais, Owen Wilson and his erstwhile enabler Steve Coogan return from the original, alongside newcomers Christopher Guest, Jonah Hill and Ed Helms, and the dependably hilarious Azaria gives an inspired turn as the preposterous villain. Even Robin Williams is tolerable, and that’s saying something. Unabashedly silly and shamelessly sentimental, but good-hearted and well-made, it’s a safe bet to keep your nine-to-12-year-old charges entertained with a minimum of personal suffering.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF
THE SMITHSONIAN OPENS THIS
FRIDAY, MAY 22