Night At The Museum 2: Battle Of The Smithsonian [PG]

The world's biggest museum is coming to life. Evil pharaohs, Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, Al Capone. How many feared historical persons would you face to save your friends?

I wasn't really in the mood to watch anything that I needed to concentrate through last night so what better movie to watch than the second Night At The Museum?

Alright, so I can easily understand why a second film was made, what with the success of the first one and everything, but I do have to say that out of the two, the first is hands down the better one. Even though the film features all the same characters plus a few new ones and many of the jokes used are quite clever, Battle Of The Smithsonian just didn't have the same effect as the first Night At The Museum.

The film begins with Larry, ex-night guard for the museum of natural history, and his own success story. Obviously whilst he was working at the museum, his inventions began to gain momentum and we see him here as a very busy CEO. Late one afternoon Larry decides to visit all his friends at the museum and learns from the museum director that the museum is modernising and that many of his friends and our favourite exhibits are being sent away into storage in the federal archives in Washington. As soon as the sun goes down and the museum's inhabitants wake up, Larry finds that he has fallen from many of his friends good graces. After watching them being boxed and driven away the next morning, Larry receives a phone call from cowboy buddy Jedadiah and learns that monkey trouble-maker Dexter has stolen the golden tablet that causes the museum exhibits to come to life. Not only is the biggest museum in the world coming to life, but the brother of the pharaoh who the tablet belongs to, plans to take the tablet for himself and with it, gain world domination. Now it's up to Larry to rescue his friends and bring the tablet back to its rightful owner.

Ben Stiller reprises his role as Larry and he's pretty much just like he was in the first movie. I have to say that it is entertaining to watch Ben having arguments with stone cupids and getting into fist fights with monkeys.

The film is filled with familiar faces including Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Ricky Gervais, but, as I said, there a many new faces including Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart, Christopher Guest as Ivan the Terrible, and Hank Azaria as Kahmunrah the pharaoh who is "not a friendly".

If you liked the first movie, this one is worth watching. It's just as cute and funny, I think the only downer was that the story got a little too silly and farfetched. But it is a fun movie to watch if you just want to sit and be. There's no real need to concentrate and it's filled with moments that will have you laughing, most of these moments will revolve around hank Azaria, I do have to say that he was a bit of a scene-stealer in this movie.

Battle Of The Smithsonian is one the whole family can watch, it may deal with a few more concepts that young kids won't understand, but there's no real violence involved, even in the final battle it's more about the humour. Definitely one the whole family can enjoy, but I do suggest you watch the first movie if you haven't already.