I went to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian today. This is definitely a family friendly movie, though I think adults can enjoy it as well if they are in the mood for a light hearted, somewhat silly movie. The movie can stand alone fairly well, but some things will make more sense if the movies are watched in order.
Larry has moved on from working as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History and now owns his own company. He is becoming more focused on his work, though it does seem like his relationship with his son Nick is still strong. Larry is surprised when he goes to visit the museum for the first time in several months and he finds out that most of the exhibits are being replaced new, high tech holographic type displays. The original exhibits are going to be stored in the Federal Archives at the Smithsonian. Larry finds out that things are not going well once the exhibits get there and he heads to the new museum. He has to deal with Kah Mun Rah, an Egyptian plotting to rule the entire world.
My ThoughtsI enjoyed this movie overall, though it is a bit silly and won't appeal to many people. The movie has a fun adventure and a decent amount of humor that makes for a fun, entertaining movie overall. The movie isn't as funny as the trailers made it seem, but it is still funny. Several things made me laugh. There are new characters thanks to new exhibits at the Smithsonian coming to life. The plot isn't that different from the first movie, but there are a few new twists because of the new setting. The movie is predictable, which may turn off some viewers. There are lots of special effects, but they don't overtake everything.
There are several new characters in this one thanks to the new setting and only a few of the previous characters return and have much to do. Several of them are just shown in a few scenes, which is disappointing in some cases. I really liked Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt in the first movie, and in this movie, Teddy only turns up in a few scenes. Some of the new characters are interesting and I did enjoy seeing Oscar the Grouch turn up briefly.
Overall, this is a fun, entertaining family friendly adventure movie. I really enjoyed it, though I know it won't appeal to many. People that liked the first movie may also like this one. People that didn't like the first one should probably stay away from this one.
I did get a longer review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
