Night At The Museum

It would be pretty easy to lay into a movie like this. It's derivitave (more of a sequel to Jumanji than Zaruthra, in spirit at least), it has stars being woefully underused (Robin Williams in twinkly eye mode instead of acting mode, Ricky Gervais playing the museum director just like his Office manager character) and a script which is painfully obvious at times.
Through necessity, Stiller takes a job as nightwatchman at the Museum, as the three older guards are being laid off - the museum is on hard times. However, thanks to an ancient bit of Egyptian mumbo jumbo, the exhibits all come to life at night - threatening to either wreak chaos on the city, or give Stiller his chance to shine and finally impress his son.. wonder which happens..?
But, let's admit it, I laughed at times, and stuck with it to the end. In fact, it actually took a few turns that did surprise me, and strung out a one line concept into a fairly enjoyable kids flick, with enough cameos bursting out of every scene to keep the adults fitfully amused. Effects are all passable to excellent, and Ben Stiller actually does just about enough to carry the movie through. Jake Cherry is a satisfyingly non-annoying child actor as Ben Stiller's son, I laughed at Gervais, and who knew Dick van Dyke and Mickey Rooney were still alive, never mind acting...
It's not an all time classic, but it will keep the kids amused....

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is between jobs. Again. His brilliant inventions are either too far ahead of their time or already taken. This is wearing on his son Nick (Jake Cherry) who at ten years old is already developing a back up plan in case his first career choice doesn't pan out.

At the urging of his ex-wife (Kim Raver), Larry decides to get a steady job to help put stability into his son's life. The only job the employment agency thinks he is qualified for is night guard at the museum. There, he will be replacing three old guards (Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs) who are being downsized due to budget cutbacks.

His first night on the job, he's in for a surprise. Between dusk and dawn, the entire collection of the museum comes to life. Suddenly, he finds himself dealing with everything from a dinosaur skeleton that wants to play catch to Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams). The animals in the African display want to eat him or take his keys. And in the diorama room, it's not Cowboys verses Indians, but Cowboys verses Romans. Larry has no clue how to deal with all this nonsense. Will he find a way or will he quit when the going gets tough like he always does?

When the trailers started showing up for this movie this summer, I couldn't wait to see this film. Fortunately, I was rewarded with a fun flick. There's lots of humor from the premise and Larry's attempts to deal with things only makes things funnier. While there are a couple momentarily scare scenes, the majority of them are played for laughs, so only the most easily frightened will be scared by it.

Ben Stiller is perfect as Larry, and the rest of the cast is great as well. I especially liked seeing Dick van Dyke on the big screen again. Owen Wilson and Steve are perfect as the leaders of the Cowboys and Romans. They play off each other perfectly.

These days, we are used to great special effects, and this movie is no exception. Yet they are part of the story and never take over.

The movie's only flaw is the story. The themes are familiar, but since there are so many of them, they get short changed. Taking out one would have made for a stronger film since the rest of them would have been better developed. And there's a third act plot twist and needed a better set up earlier in the film. Still, these are minor complaints.

While the story could have been a little better, that's a minor quibble. For the most part, this is exactly what it sets out to be, fun entertainment the entire family will enjoy.

Sat with the kids, who had seen the film at the cinema without me originally. I expected to make my excuses and go and mow the grass or do the ironing. 2 hours later i was a happy man. What a great film !!

Content for adults and kids alike. The story is original and keeps your interest throughout. Recommended by a middle aged saddie !!