Have You Been to the Museum Recently?

I’ve never been a fan of sequels. I firmly believe that turning a single movie into a movie series is a bad idea. No matter how wonderful a movie may have been and how charming its characters were, rarely do you actually want to see what happens to them next. That having been said, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is so much better than its earlier movie.

The movie takes place two years after the original. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is no longer a night guard at the American Museum of Natural History, but the owner of his own company. On a rare visit, he discovers that his former museum is closed for renovations and that some of the museum pieces are being moved to the Federal Archives at the Smithsonian Institute for permanent storage. When he gets a call from one of the pieces (the pieces come to life at night thanks to a special Egyptian artifact) that leads him to believe that the other pieces are in trouble, he hops on a plane and heads for the Smithsonian to rescue them. With the help of Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and others, will he be able to save the world from the evil plot of Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria)?

Why I think this movie worked better than the first movie is because it centers less on the antics of Ben Stiller and more on everyone else. Yes, the main character clearly is Stiller, but, with so many new characters being introduced, it felt as if the writer (Thomas Lennon) and director (Shawn Levy) toned him down to a digestible level. (It may seem like I don’t like Ben Stiller. Truthfully, I do. I just feel that comedians needlessly go over the top when they appear in children’s movies. They perhaps believe children won’t get the joke unless it’s slammed into their faces which is more often than not untrue.) As a result, Azaria and Adams steal the show. Sounding very much like Vincent Price, Azaria’s wannabe pharaoh is both hilarious and pathetic. Adams, ever the sweetheart, makes you want to be a fan of Amelia Earhart’s even if you never considered it before. Also starring Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader, Christopher Guest and Robin Williams, this movie is a true ensemble picture.

If we are to take one message away with us from every movie, the message this movie relates is that the key to living a good life is doing what you love. In other words, even if you’re making a million dollars a day and living in the house of your dreams, if you are unhappy and unfilled, your life is far from good. In our present-day economy, the idea of turning down a perfect job because it doesn’t fill you with a warm feeling seems absurd. Yet, considering that life is short and that we never know when death will hit us, it deserves a thought or two. If you’re in the mood for a laugh and have enough money to spare to buy a ticket, I would definitely recommend you see this movie.