Movie Review - Night at the Museum 2

Movie Title
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
Year
2009
Genre
Adventure, Comedy

Story
Several years have passed since the events from the first Night at the Museum movie. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is now a successful entrepreneur, the owner of Daley Devices – manufacturer of innovative household products. One day, he passes the Museum of Natural History and noticed that it was closed for upgrades and renovations with most of the existing museum artifacts (ie: his friends from the first movie) being moved to the Federal Archives at the Smithsonian the very next day. He tries his best to use his position to influence the powers that be to reverse the decision but to no avail. This meant that his friends will no longer come alive at night because the Egyptian tablet that brings them to life would remain at the Museum of Natural History. However, the mischievous monkey from hell, Dexter, stole the tablet before they were shipped out to the Smithsonian in Washington, resulting in the .Smithsonian artifacts coming to life, and not all of them are friendly!
Larry springs into action to rescue his friends once he discovers their plight. Watching how he gains access to the Smithsonian Archives was amusing to say the least. He gets help in the form of Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams from Enchanted) and General George Armstrong Custer (Bill Hader who looked very suspiciously like a heavily made-up Ryan Seacrest, but thankfully isn’t.) against the bad guys, called the Axis of Evil, led by Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria – who also played The Thinker & Abe Lincoln in the movie). The members in the Axis of Evil included Al Capone (Jon Bernthal), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest) and Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat).
Of course the movie is predictable and the good guys win in the end, but the journey there is enjoyable.

Acting
Fans would know that Azaria is the super-talented and extremely funny man behind many of the voices in the Simpsons cartoon. Here, he also plays multiple characters but watching him play Kahmunrah’s role was the main highlight of the movie.

Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart makes a good pairing for Larry as both his adventuring partner and love interest. Her innocence from an age long gone mixed with her energy cum enthusiasm (or “moxie” as she called it) makes her a joy to watch here.

The monkey(s?) that played Dexter and Able (the first monkey to go to space) were also extremely funny. I suspect some of the actions and expressions were CGI.

Overall
Funny and cute. Giant octopuses, space ships, abstract art and bobble-head Einsteins. Spoofs, Cameos, Romance, Suspense, Action, Magic, Cheesy Boy-band music, this movie has something for everyone.

Good way to spend 2 hours away from the harsh realities of life and have a good laugh. Go watch it (but watch part 1 first)!

Order your copy here:http://astore.amazon.com/eareotbi-20/detail/B002GJTYIW
Rating: 7/10