Film reviews
Men In Black 3
It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.
Bel Ami
The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.
The Dictator
A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.
The Woman In Black
Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.
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Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian (Film)
Rating: PG
Running Time: 105
Country: USA
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Amy Adams, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson
Distributor: Fox
Release Date: May 21, 2009
Film Worth: $13.00
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth“…bigger and better than the first.”
In the risky territory of comedy sequels, Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian is one film that doesn't disappoint. With solid performances from returning stars, seamless integrations of new faces, and well-placed cameos in the halls of the largest museum in the world, director Shawn Levy has actually created a sequel worth seeing.
Ben Stiller is back as Larry Daley, museum night guard turned inventor of infomercial products. While successful, he's mostly unhappy, and ventures back for a visit to the Museum Of Natural History. There he finds that many of his artifact friends have been deemed out-of-date, and will soon be shipped off to the archives at The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. to be replaced by high-tech holograms.
Before long, Larry receives a frantic call from the always entertaining miniature cowboy, Jedediah (an uncredited Owen Wilson), informing him that the Smithsonian exhibits have awoken upon their arrival. Unfortunately these include a scene-stealing, cranky, lisping Egyptian ruler, Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), who has banded together with multigenerational villains Ivan The Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat) and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) in an attempt to take over the museum and then...the world.
Larry races to the Smithsonian to save the day with help from spunky aviatrix and adventurer Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), who adds refreshing energy and a bit of (somewhat forced) romance to the film. Other newcomers include the useless General Custer (Bill Hader), always-honest Abe Lincoln (Hank Azaria again), Albert Einstein bobble-head dolls and a giant Leviathan squid. Darth Vader and Oscar The Grouch also make guest appearances, whereupon they're hilariously rejected by Kahmunrah as not being evil enough to join his gang.
Smart cameos by George Foreman, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, and The Jonas Brothers add to the already stellar cast. However, due to the plethora of new characters and one-too-many subplots, the beloved Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) and the irritating Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) get less screen time than in the first film.
This disappointment is more than made up for in witty lines, clever historical humour, and great effects. With Owen Wilson stuck in an hourglass, a chase inside the VJ Day "Kiss" photo, an escape in the legendary Wright Flyer, and a final fight scene reminiscent of the battle at the end of Beauty And The Beast, Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian proves to be bigger and better than the first.
