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Movies / Upcoming / Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

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Reviews Counted:158

Fresh:69

Rotten:89

Average Rating:5.1/10

Consensus: Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian is busy enough to keep the kids interested but the slapstick goes overboard and the special effects (however well executed) throw the production into mania.

Australian Rating: TBC

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Comedies

Australian Theatrical Release:
May 21, 2009 Wide

US Box Office: $177,118,775

Synopsis: Shawn Levy (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, JUST MARRIED) directs the sequel of his hit film NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. Night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), now a successful entrepreneur, returns to the Museum... Shawn Levy (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, JUST MARRIED) directs the sequel of his hit film NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. Night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), now a successful entrepreneur, returns to the Museum of Natural History to visit his friends--the exhibits that come to life at night--only to learn that they are being shipped off into deep storage at the Smithsonian Institution. To make matters worse, the exhibits at the Smithsonian, including the pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), are suddenly coming to life--and they aren’t at all happy about their new visitors. Determined to save his friends, Larry rushes to Washington, D.C., and makes his way into the inner workings of the largest museum complex in the world while Kahmunrah recruits the likes of Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon (Alain Chabat), and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Larry, meanwhile, finds himself with spunky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) as a co-conspirator and love interest, and General Custer (Bill Hader) leading the battle for the Smithsonian. The stakes are higher in this sequel, where even the paintings on the Smithsonian walls come to life at night. Stiller is his capable deadpan self as the now-successful Larry who finds purpose again while helping his friends, and Adams is spot-on as feisty, adventure-seeking Earhart, complete with period lingo. Azaria is a scene-stealer as Kahmunrah, who is menacing despite his lisp. Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Robin Williams, and Ricky Gervais also reprise their roles in this sequel, which is the first film to be shot at the Smithsonian. [More]

Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria

Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Christopher Guest, Alain Chabat, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader, Jon Bernthal

Director: Shawn Levy

Director: Shawn Levy
Screenwriter: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon
Producer: Shawn Levy, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
Composer: Alan Silvestri
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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The Toy Story-esque plot could be written on the femur of dormouse and some scenes still lean towards inanity. But, in the main, this is a funnier and more coherent slice of kids' entertainment.

Full Review Source: Time Out Sydney | comment Comment
05/22/09
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out Sydney
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

All up it's Levy's best work so far and while I realise that's faint praise, it's far from being damning.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
05/24/09
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

When Night at the Museum 2 sticks to its preferred brand of high-jinks, it delivers upon its promise of plenty of throwaway fun for the all-ages crowd.

Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | comment Comment
05/20/09
Leigh Paatsch
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The two short scenes that bring British comic Ricky Gervais into the movie as the stuffy museum administrator suggest the possibility of a third movie... A decent script surely is needed before that's given the go-ahead.

Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
05/21/09
Des Partridge
Des Partridge
Courier Mail (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Never less than politely entertaining, but often misses its huge targets.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | comment Comment
05/20/09
Hilton Thomas
Hilton Thomas
Empire Magazine Australasia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A lack of discipline and a desire to appeal to the lowest common denominator have wreaked havoc on a decent cast and a great idea, almost burying the outstanding effects. It's a flimsy rescue story.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
05/18/09
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Proves to be bigger and better than the first.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
05/21/09
Amy Wheeler
Amy Wheeler
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A fistful of family fun... brimming with amusing lines, great effects and a series of smart cameo performances.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
05/18/09
Mark Adams
Mark Adams
Daily Mirror [UK]

This is a funnier and more coherent slice of kids’ entertainment.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
05/22/09
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Night at the Museum 2 is a fistful of family fun... brimming with amusing lines, great effects and a series of smart cameo performances.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
05/22/09
Mark Adams
Mark Adams
Sunday Mirror [UK]

It was fresh, funny and clever the first time. Now, not so much.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
06/01/09
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

Overstuffed with gimmicks, but short on charm and creativity.

Full Review Source: Giant Magazine | comment Comment
05/21/09
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Giant Magazine

Amy Adams adds plenty of welcome 'moxie' (and a tight pair of aviator's britches), but otherwise there's not much here besides noise, chaos and monkey-slapping.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment 1 Comment
06/12/09
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

It makes everything bigger and more impressive on a technical level, but can't ever find a story to match.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
05/21/09
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Adults have the choice of either admiring the scenery or taking a nap. There's not much else worth doing. Certainly, paying attention to the story is an exercise in futility, but you're welcome to try...

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
05/22/09
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

The film offers enough ingenious touches and playful humor that the less-inspired elements hit with a screech.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
05/22/09
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

a scattergun trawl through human (albeit mostly American) history and culture, with the emphasis more on entertainment than instruction.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
05/25/09
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies

Maybe not as fresh and unique as the first one, the sequel has enough laugh-out-loud moments to enjoy.

Full Review Source: The Movie Kit | comment 1 Comment
05/22/09
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
The Movie Kit

Fun, fast-paced sequel is more upbeat than the original.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
05/22/09
Betsy Bozdech
Betsy Bozdech
Common Sense Media

Every bit as over-long, talky and cumbersome as its title.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
05/22/09
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies
 
 
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Latest News for Night at the Museum: Battle of the...

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Fox won the holiday battle of the sequels as the adventure comedy Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian debuted at number one over the long Memorial Day frame easily... More...

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May 21, 2009: Critics Consensus: Terminator, Night Are So-So Sequels
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