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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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141 - 159 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

[A] morass of Three Stooges-level slapstick and juvenile-style playground taunting...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
05/21/09
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

As it turns out, 93 main characters is too many.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
05/21/09
Matt Pais
Matt Pais
Metromix.com

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

Enjoy the zooming action and slightly nerdy reverence for the past, and try not to think about what this delightful concept might have been in the hands of a tighter, more aware director.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
05/20/09
Katey Rich
Katey Rich
CinemaBlend.com

Along with the addition of Amy Adams as a spunky Amelia Earhart, moving the action to the Smithsonian (and ignoring any concerns about believability) brings this goofy sequel to life like a wax sculpture of Teddy Roosevelt.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
05/20/09
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Spritely scenarios are drowned out by the manic mayhem.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
05/20/09
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

So many new characters have been added to the ones who appeared in the original film, and director Shawn Levy flits between them at such a zippy pace, no one gets much of a chance to register. And that's a huge waste of the comic talents amassed [here].

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
05/20/09
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press

Bigger, longer, and even more chaotically crowded (more stars! more f/x!) than its predecessor, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian proves that adding another ring doesn't make for a better circus.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/20/09
Lael Loewenstein
Lael Loewenstein
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This time around there's a little more life on display.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
05/20/09
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter

On the whole, this pumped-up sequel proves to be a more satisfying kid-friendly action film than the original.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
05/20/09
Tim Grierson
Tim Grierson
Screen International

This is what you call a wholesome kiddie movie on drugs.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/09
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

As of now, the scariest four words in the English language are officially 'A Shawn Levy Film.'

Full Review Source: Hollywood & Fine | comment 1 Comment
05/20/09
Marshall Fine
Marshall Fine
Hollywood & Fine

fun facts and intriguing images zip by as quickly as the plot

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/19/09
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Stiller's still stuck in the first movie, with little to impress beyond some hi-tech wizardry. I See Dead Props, along with a story that could have used some pick me up too. And with artifacts gone wild, as the museum cross-pollinates with Toys R Us.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment 1 Comment
05/19/09
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

Though it's a little slow to start and some of the humor clunks, the film features a wholesome charm, some truly dazzling effects (the Lincoln Memorial alone is worth it), and enough mild, parent-nip in-jokes to keep all but the stone-hearted happy.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment 7 Comments
05/19/09
Michelle Orange
Michelle Orange
Village Voice

Second (and third) chances abound for this cast of characters.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
05/19/09
Sara Schieron
Sara Schieron
Boxoffice Magazine

How can one movie contain Ricky Gervais, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, Amy Adams, Christopher Guest, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Jay Baruchel and Craig Robinson while offering so very little in the way of laughs?

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
05/19/09
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

This is a bigger and better night out than the first.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 2 Comments
05/18/09
Helen OHara
Helen OHara
Empire Magazine
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]
 
 
141 - 159 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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