Watching on Wednesday: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Title: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Type: Movie
Age Group: Youth
Release Year: 2009
My Rating: 4/5

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is back after two years when he had became the CEO of Daley Devices. When he visits his beloved Museum of Natural History where he was once a night guard, he finds out that most of the exhibits were closing down. The artifacts and wax figures are to be shipped to The Archives under The Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. Only a few exhibits are to remain, including the Golden Tablet of Ahkmenrah. He is disappointed but nothing can be done and he may never see his museum friends again.

When he suddenly receives a phone call from the Western cowboy figure Jedediah (Owen Wilson), he discovers that Dexter, the capuchin monkey, had stolen the Tablet. Now, the evil Pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) demands for the Tablet to let the Underworld loose so he could control the world. Larry must sneak into The Archives and stop the Pharaoh. Along the way, he meets Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), General George Armstrong Custer (Bill Hader), and many more new faces.

Before I saw Night at the Museum, I thought it was going to be childish and exaggerated. Instead, it was a movie that I enjoyed. Except for some reason, I had the same assumption for the sequel. Instead, it was as delightful as the first.

What I really loved about this movie was the humour. Unlike most comedic moments you see now on TV, they are kept clean because it is directed to a younger audience but are hilarious nonetheless. It kept me giggling throughout and had me waiting for more funny scenes.

I found the famous pictures that were moving when the museum came to life to be interesting. Partially because when Larry and Amelia jumped into one to escape from their enemies, it took them back to a period where the war was over and everything was black and white. I love how fashion changes over the decades so I found it to be catching. Unlike the first movie, the sequel goes through a lot of cool exhibits, such as the The National Airspace and Craft Museum, to random characters from Star Trek and Sesame Street.

I definitely recommend this movie for the family if you have a child or a younger sibling/relative. Even if not, it isn't a bad movie to watch by yourself either if you want to feel like a kid again.