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by R.J. Carter Published: November 30, 2009
Returning to the scene of the museum mayhem he escaped, Larry finds all his old friends still return to life each night, thanks to the magical Egyptian tablet on display at the museum. But his friends have sad news for Larry -- the bulk of them are being moved into archival storage at the Smithsonian, where they'll be crated for the foreseeable future. Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) lets Larry in on the secret that the tablet will be staying at the Museum of Natural History; his friends will basically rendered lifeless henceforth. But Dexter, that cheeky little capuchin monkey, steals the tablet, which then makes its way to the Smithsonian. And thus begins the real chaos, for at the Smithsonian is Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), and he plans to use the magical item to recall his warriors from the afterlife and begin a new reign in the present day. Calling to his side the historical figures Napolean Bonaparte, Ivan the Terrible, and Al Capone, Kahmunrah forces Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and the rest of the imported displays into going on the defensive, so that they have to call in Larry for a rescue. Shawn Levy's film relies mostly on special effects as well as the conceit that the dramatis personae are all museum displays. Only this time, the setting provides for a far greater range of characters. Even the paintings come alive, as the frames become windows into other places. Seeing Kahmunrah enthroned in Archie Bunker's chair was priceless, as was the attempts of Darth Vader and Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch to join the ranks of Kahmunrah's bad guy brigade. The story is light, with not nearly as many twists and turns as the original, but it's still big on laughs and delights for those who get just how big the Smithsonian is and what is housed there. Particularly sparkling in this film is the performance of Amy Adams, who plays the plucky Amelia Earhart. Her potential as a love interest for the loveless Larry provides a bit of light on Larry's path toward finding true happiness. Bonus features on this release include two feature commentaries -- one with Director Shawn Levy, and a second with writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. You also get the obligatory making-of featurette, and a smattering of deleted scenes and outtakes. "Phinding Pharoah" is a fun feature which shows several different efforts by Azaria in finding the right voice for Kahmunrah. Additionally, there's a mockumentary on Levy directing the Jonas Brothers to take on the role of the singing cherubs. The second disc of this release is all about the monkeys -- specifically, Crystal, the capuchin who plays the parts of Dexter and new simian Able. This disc includes three featurettes on Crystal (and her understudy, Squirt) which details some of her training and her life off camera. This disc also has two activities -- "Monkey Slap," which requires a DVD-ROM drive and a PC, and "Able and Dexter's Flights of Fancy," in which you'll get information on flying and monkeys (but not flying monkeys), followed by pop quizzes. If you answer the questions correctly, you get fuel and can choose a design element for the plane you're building which one of the monkeys will later fly. (I built a rotor-powered rocket with chicken-wing wings; who knew it would fly?) "Night at the Museum: The Battle for the Smithsonian" is a good bit of family fun, sure to generate a night full of laughs for one and all. |
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