Night At The Museum 2 Review

In the first Night At The Museum, director Shawn Levy showed how a simple artifact could bring an entire museum of artifacts come to life. In the sequel, the audience could use some of that vitality as well. While still a good and enjoyable movie, Night At The Museum 2 fails at coming anywhere close to where Night At The Museum reached. Continuing the story of night guard Larry Daley and the museums that he patrols, Night At The Museum 2 leaves a lot to be desired after seeing its predecessor.

            In Night At The Museum 2 Ben Stiller (Meet The Parents, Zoolander) reprises his role as Larry Daley who, now two years after the incident in the first movie, is a millionaire CEO of a large product company. As time has gone on he has become more and more out of touch with his friends in the Museum of Natural History. In his first visit in over four months he learns that the exhibits are to be moved to the Smithsonian in Washington DC, which serves as a wake-up call for how much he has ignored his friends. It is soon revealed that Ahkmenrah’s brother, Kahmunrah, is at the Smithsonian, and is bent upon obtaining the life-giving tablet so that he can resurrect his undead army. In his exploits to stop Kahmunrah’s efforts, Daley meets a host of historical and artistic figures including Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, The Thinker, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Other fictional celebrities such as Darth Vader and The Grouch from Sesame Street make cameos as well. As Larry Daley fights to stop Kahmunrah and regain his old friends, we are shown a story filled with adventure, mystery, love, and friendship.

            While it is to be accepted that sequels don’t usually live up to their predecessors, Night At The Museum 2 falls behind more than most do. Compared to the first Night at the Museum, it’s boring. There is action, but it happens in spurts that are short-lived. The majority of the action in the movie is centered on Daley and Earhart running away from antagonists from any number of cultures. However, much of the comedy remains in the film, and it is still a great family movie, only not as enjoyable as the first. In its lonesome, it is fun and exciting. Unfortunately, Levy did such a good job with the first film that the expectations were raised too high for Night At The Museum 2 to meet them. Night At The Museum 2 is a movie to see only when there is nothing else to see, or if you are a diehard fan of the series. Otherwise, it is highly recommended to wait until it is released for DVD and rent it.