Friday, May 22, 2009

Box Office Review - Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian


The first Night of the Museum was an enjoyable, but standard kid’s film. The sequel is exactly the same as the first one, so I guess it could be called a success. When I say that it is the same, I mean the same jokes and storyline. Naming a movie after a time of day obviously comes with some limitations. The film takes place over another night, but this time it is at the Smithsonian. The film lacks a lot in story, but that basically can be expected by such a film. What should not be expected from such a film is how good the cast is. The old cast returns, as well as some new people. Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart is probably the best part of the film. She gives Earhart a fun and adventurous personality, and this has definitely peaked my interest for the biopic Amelia that will be out later this year (something tells me that Hilary Swank’s portrayal will not be as fun as Adams). Also starring with Adams is Hank Azaria, who pulls triple duty as Kahmunrah, The Thinker, and Abraham Lincoln. He is very good, especially in the role of Kahmunrah. Bill Hader, Christopher Guest, Jay Baruchel, and Jonah Hill also have small roles. Jonah Hill’s one scene is easily the funniest in the movie. Stylistically the film looks exactly like the first one, except for one scene that is in black and white. It went on for a couple minutes, and was a cool thing to do. It is a rather short and insignificant scene, but to have a segment in black and white in a new family movie is a risky choice. The majority of non film fanatics that I have talked to about black and white films say that they will not watch something if it is in black and white (which is a shame). I was originally not going to recommend the film on grounds that the story is uninspired. Let me make this clear that the story is just standard family fare, but I laughed aloud a few times and the acting was good. Small kids will eat this up, and if you’re a fan of any of the actors you should probably check it out.

A very mild

Good Banana



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