Very few movies risk having Dick Van Freakin' Dyke be a bad guy that steals from a loser, played by Ben One Look Stiller, surrounded by Ted Kennedy, a dinosaur, Indians, cowboys, and a slapping monkey. The movie was Night at the Museum, and it took so many risks, it turned heads as a fun family movie with action and a bit of crooked history in the mix. The movie grounded itself in reality and dared to go into the fantasy at night. The second movie leaves the reality, Mr. Freakin Van Dyke and picks up Hank Azaria, Amy Adams and Abraham Lincoln in a one-liner fest that will leave you howling with laughter and forgetting the real world that is promised to return at dawn.
The story picks up with our reluctant hero, Larry now a successful inventor. Larry left the museum behind him until he finds out the museum was packed up and sent to Washington, D.C. In an act of redemption, Larry goes in to release his friends and is caught up in some of history's most significant figures in history, and an evil Egyptian Pharoah who wants to bring armies of the undead back to life, with the help of Al Capone, Napoleon and Ivan the Terrible (which should be Ivan the awesome, but whatever).
First off, you won't hear me complaining about how easy it was for Larry to gain access to the secure archives of the Smithsonian, because if thats the only thing you find wrong with a world of dinosaurs, talking statues and a giant squid, well, there's issues. Ben Stiller, despite the fact he was technically the lead, took a back seat in the entertainment department to the many, many other characters. Hank Azaria played a great badguy, who was a laugh a minute, Owen Wilson was back as Jebediah, Robin Williams had a small part as Teddy Roosevelt and the star of the movie was easily Amy Adams, who was her usual adorable, eye catching self as Amelia Aerhardt.
I loved the special effects and costumes, and they really extended the cast a whole bunch to give it a truly larger than life feel, with a mix of modern and past references that were hilarious. The writing truly gave a great experience with so many one liners, it was hard to keep up. Previously, the movie was ground in reality with a very real bad buy in Dick Van Dyke, and the hesitant hero, Larry. The second movie has a larger than life badguy, and a very clear, quiet hero who is sure of himself and deadly with a flashlight.
The one downside to the movie is there were so many funny characters, there simply wasn't enough time to explore any of them. Even our hero, Larry was unclear in his motivations. Amelia Aerhardt had a love story that seemed kind of useless, and the characters from the first movie, characters that you truly come to like also take a backseat for new, shinier characters.
The movie, overall was very enjoyable with plenty of laughs for kids and big kids alike and is truly worth a turn in theaters and will be a must buy upon DVD release. It wasn't perfect, but in a fantastical world of dinosaurs, Egyptians, dead presidents and Darth Freakin Vader, it's a fun ride.
I give it a 8 out of 10
FUN FACT: This is the 2nd time a movie has featured both Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon. The first was Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).
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