"Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" is the third installment in the NATM movie series starring Ben Stiller as Larry, the harried night watchman at the New York Museum of Natural History that has to play caretaker to a gaggle of museum exhibits that magically come to life every night.
This time around, the plot concerns the magical Egyptian artifact that allows the exhibits to come alive. For obtusely-described reasons, the magic tablet is losing its potency. Several of Larry's museum pals are now acting erratically (or rather, more erratically than what's been par for the course so far in the series). Apparently, the only way to find out exactly what's going on is for Larry and the gang to go to a British museum where an Egyptian Pharaoh and wife are embedded, to hopefully get some answers. (The overseas transport of several human-sized museum statues is treated with matter-of-fact aplomb; one of many such curiosities in the film that are best just accepted.) Along the way, the ragtag group (including stand-ins for Sacajawea and Genghis Khan) encounter a replica Sir Lancelot, who becomes a new companion on their quest. Among the exhibits returning for this affair are Owen Wilson as a miniature cowboy and the late Robin Williams as President Theodore Roosevelt.
A father - son bonding subplot is a little lukewarm: Larry's son Nicky (Skylar Gisondo) is presumed to have a strained relationship with his divorced father but the portrayal doesn't seem to revolve around much besides low-key arguments about future plans, in between ducking Triceratops skeletons and snake statues.
Also helping add to the fun in the film are cameos from an assortment of known Hollywood personalities. Recent "It Girl" Rebel Wilson ("Pitch Perfect") has an amusing turn as a guard at the British Museum - and it is vaguely hinted that the torch-- or rather, flashlight-- will be passed along to her for any possible future installments.
There is not much objectionable here, with the exception of a monkey relieving himself not once, but twice. "Secret of the Tomb" isn't as groundbreaking comically as the first installment, but it's solid enough for an evening of lighthearted fun.
This time around, the plot concerns the magical Egyptian artifact that allows the exhibits to come alive. For obtusely-described reasons, the magic tablet is losing its potency. Several of Larry's museum pals are now acting erratically (or rather, more erratically than what's been par for the course so far in the series). Apparently, the only way to find out exactly what's going on is for Larry and the gang to go to a British museum where an Egyptian Pharaoh and wife are embedded, to hopefully get some answers. (The overseas transport of several human-sized museum statues is treated with matter-of-fact aplomb; one of many such curiosities in the film that are best just accepted.) Along the way, the ragtag group (including stand-ins for Sacajawea and Genghis Khan) encounter a replica Sir Lancelot, who becomes a new companion on their quest. Among the exhibits returning for this affair are Owen Wilson as a miniature cowboy and the late Robin Williams as President Theodore Roosevelt.
A father - son bonding subplot is a little lukewarm: Larry's son Nicky (Skylar Gisondo) is presumed to have a strained relationship with his divorced father but the portrayal doesn't seem to revolve around much besides low-key arguments about future plans, in between ducking Triceratops skeletons and snake statues.
Also helping add to the fun in the film are cameos from an assortment of known Hollywood personalities. Recent "It Girl" Rebel Wilson ("Pitch Perfect") has an amusing turn as a guard at the British Museum - and it is vaguely hinted that the torch-- or rather, flashlight-- will be passed along to her for any possible future installments.
There is not much objectionable here, with the exception of a monkey relieving himself not once, but twice. "Secret of the Tomb" isn't as groundbreaking comically as the first installment, but it's solid enough for an evening of lighthearted fun.