Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:156
Fresh:69
Rotten:87
Average Rating:5.2/10
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 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... [More]
Reviews for Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 3/5 |
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 |
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3/5 |
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 |
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Proves to be bigger and better than the first. Full Review |
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 2.5/5 |
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 |
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3/5 |
Never less than politely entertaining, but often misses its huge targets. Full Review |
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3/5 |
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 |
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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 |
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2/4 |
One wonders if director Shawn Levy was more interested in cramming special effects into the movie than creating actual comedy. Full Review |
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C+ |
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian can be too cluttered and hyperactive to appreciate its broad pleasures. Full Review |
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3/5 |
...what the heck, it's fun on the same level as the original... Full Review |
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2/4 |
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 |
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3/5 |
With all the oversized personalities that surround him, Stiller gets upstaged. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Stiller has a look on his face as if he knows he's participating in total garbage. Full Review |
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2/5 |
It was fresh, funny and clever the first time. Now, not so much. Full Review |
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The result is pretty much a free-form traffic jam in which everyone fights everyone else. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
an amusing concept that still holds some charm now, although it also lends itself to bombastic overkill, which sequels are naturally inclined toward anyway Full Review |
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3/4 |
Best of all are Azaria, a brilliant comic character actor... and Adams as the feisty Earhart, thrilled to be off on a new adventure. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Smithsonian wants to be frothy, but it can't help having a little more heart and soul than you'd expect or even require. Give it a chance, it's a fun show. Full Review |
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1/4 |
Unfunny, unnecessary and with unlimited box office potential, 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian' is all show and no go. Full Review |
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3.0/4.0 |
... more of the same while being slightly different and raising the stakes. It's a formulaic sequel, but it works every bit as well as the original did. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Night at the Museum: Battle of the...
May 26, 2009:
Tune In to the Rotten Tomatoes Show This Week!
This week, The Rotten Tomatoes Show will be looking at the movies that opened over the weekend, with help from you (the Rotten Tomatoes community), the Current TV community, and... More...
May 25, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Museum Terminates Salvation
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...
May 22, 2009:
Review Terminator Salvation, Night at the Museum 2, and Dance Flick on TV!
Did you miss last night's episode of the Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV? Watch it online here for slam-bang reviews of last weekend's Angels & Demons, The Brothers Bloom,... More...
May 21, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Terminator, Night Are So-So Sequels
This week at the movies, we've got deadly machines (Terminator Salvation, starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington); historical hysterics (Night at the Museum: Battle of the... More...
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