NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: Battle of the Smithsonian
Playfully big, fast-paced, gag-packed installment filled with special effects pleases the kids at heart
by Vishal Verma

A 20th Century Fox release of a 21 Laps and 1492 Pictures production.

Produced by : Shawn Levy, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
Executive producers : Thomas M. Hammel, Josh McLagen, Mark Radcliffe
Directed by : Shawn Levy
Screenplay : Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon
Genre : sp. effects rom com
Target Audience : Family

Starring

Larry Daley - Ben Stiller
Amelia Earhart - Amy Adams
Jedediah - Owen Wilson
Kahmunrah - Hank Azaria
Teddy Roosevelt - Robin Williams
Ivan the Terrible - Christopher Guest
Napoleon - Alain Chabat
Octavius - Steve Coogan
Dr. McPhee - Ricky Gervais
General Custer - Bill Hader
Al Capone - Jon Bernthal

Technical Analysis

Kids – the biggest customers of the world are the toughest to be pleased & in this growing age of CGI heaviness along with the bombarding of more & more Bindaas, cartoon networks & Disney to name a few in the comfort of your sofa cum bed, this tiny little cinegoer is becoming more smarter & jazzier.

Who knew that a sequel to the very successful movie “Night At the Museum” could come out and be fresh, interesting and entertaining – this one is. Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daley, the night watchman turned entrepreneur, and he is the core of the film. Jonah Hill in a pocket-size role as an alarmed security guard. Amy Adams as a lovely, plucky Amelia Earhart. Bill Hader as a blond, Breck-girl General Custer.

And of course, Hank Azaria as Kahmunrah, a lisping Egyptian in a flattering tunic who wants the tablet for his own nefarious purposes, with other effective cameos that include Alain Chabat  as the Napoleon,  bearded Christopher Guest  as Ivan the Terrible, and a string of helpful tiny Einsteins at the Air & Space gift shop give the museum second installment a playful life. So does Darth Vader and Oscar the Grouch, a Degas dancer, a Calder mobile, a Pollock splatter, a Koons balloon dog, Abraham Lincoln and the iconic V-E Day smooching-sailor photo, into which Larry and Amelia escape for a brief whirl through a monochromatic Times Square.

Adding enough pop and pizzazz the film offers enough ingenious touches and playful humor that makes the movie rest on the heads of the kids & doesn,t slip from the laps of adults.

Ben Stiller is the perfect center for the film. He can make it all look like fun whether it be having a monkey slap his face or flying the Wright Brothers first plane from Kitty Hawk. He seems to be having a good time and that makes the audience have a good time. Old favourites such as Ricky Gervais' curator, Owen Wilson's miniature cowboy and Steve Coogan's brilliant tiny centurion are back for more but the big surprise is the introduction of a love interest for Larry.

The wonderful Amy Adams is aviator Amelia Earhart, squeezed into the trousers & the museum for a lovely delight.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, gets 3 out of 5

One for the playfull, fast –paced gags. One for the effects. And one for Ben Stiller, the lovely Amy Adams & Hank Azaria.

The movie loses on intelligence but that’s isn,t a complain.

The Story

Night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), now a successful entrepreneur, returns to the Museum of Natural History to visit his friends--the exhibits that come to life at night--only to learn that they are being shipped off into deep storage at the Smithsonian Institution. To make matters worse, the exhibits at the Smithsonian, including the pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), are suddenly coming to life--and they aren’t at all happy about their new visitors. Determined to save his friends, Larry rushes to Washington, D.C., and makes his way into the inner workings of the largest museum complex in the world while Kahmunrah recruits the likes of Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon (Alain Chabat), and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Larry, meanwhile, finds himself with spunky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) as a co-conspirator and love interest, and General Custer (Bill Hader) leading the battle for the Smithsonian.

Business Analysis

This Playful, big, fast-paced, gag-packed installment is expected to fetch handsome installments from the B.O in India from English regular families & cgi game obsessed kids.

Other Credits

Camera: Hugo Weaving, Alan LovellCamera (Technicolor), editors: John Schwartzman;, Don Zimmerman, Dean Zimmerman; Music: Alan Silvestri; Production designer: Claude Pare; Supervising art director: Helen Jarvis; Art Directors: Grant van der Slagt, Michael Diner; Set Decorator: Lin MacDonald; Costume Designer: Marlene Stewart; Sound (Dolby Digital/DTS), Pail Massey, David Giammarco; Supervising sound editors: Craig Henighan, John A. Larsen; Visual effects supervisor: Dan Deleeuw; Visual effects: , Rhythm & Hues; Additional visual effects: Cafe FX, Moving Picture Co., Digiscope; Visual effects coordinators: Shad Davis, Stephen Parsey, James Baldanzi; Stunt coordinators: JJ Makaro, Garrett Warren; Associate producer: Ellen M. Somers; Assistant director: Josh McGlagen; Second unit director: Gary Capo; Casting: Donna Isaacson. Reviewed at Famous Studios, Mumbai on July, 22, 2009. Media Promotions (India): Universal Communications. Running time: 104 MIN.
 

Indianmotionpictures.com is striving to present the most thorough review database. We do not currently list below-the-line credits, although we hope to include them in the future. Please note we may not respond to every suggestion. Your assistance is appreciated.