NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB
DIRECTOR: Shawn Levy
CAST: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Dan Stevens, Ben Kingsley, Ricky Gervais, Rebel Wilson
CLASSIFICATION: PG 7-9
RUNNING TIME: 89 min
RATING: **
THE tide in Hollywood has changed – the movie industry is no longer king. These days, the small screen is where the money is at.
With big-screen giants avariciously migrating, film studios have become more frugal with their purchases. And so it isn’t surprising to find that we now end up with franchises being milked to tedium.
We have witnessed this with The Hangover. By the time it got to The Hangover Part III, Todd Phillips was flogging a dead horse.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb suffers a similar fate. Like Jumanji, the element of adventure, underscored by delightful surprises as historical figures come alive at the Museum of Natural History, is what drew the masses to the comedy of the imagination.
But meandering down the same path – bar for the new mission – has become utterly mind-numbing. Yes, the motley group of characters – from President Theodore Roosevelt (played by the late Williams) to the unlikely mini-figure friends – cowboy Jedediah (Wilson) and the roman soldier Octavius (Steve Coogan) to Ahkmenrah, the pharaoh who is the son of Merenkahra to the monkey Dexter (played by Crystal the monkey of The Hangover fame) – coax enough laughs with their own drama. Once again, it is more of the same old, same old variety.
The third and final instalment is centered on protagonist Larry Daley (Stiller), who has to race against time to ensure that The Tablet of Ahkmenrah, which keeps magic alive, doesn’t die. And the only person who can help is Ahkmenrah’s father Merenkahre (Kingsley) – but he is at the British Museum.
Larry, along with his teenage son Nicky (Skyler Gisondo), head for London and find themselves with their beloved and loyal historical posse – including Laa, a Neanderthal who believes Larry is his “dada”.
While they manage to dupe Mindy (Wilson), the loquacious and airheaded security guard, they hit another snag in the mission – Sir Lancelot (Stevens), who believes The Tablet to be some kind of Holy Grail and wants to take it back to Camelot.
Why doesn’t it work?
For starters, the script is nothing more than an anaemic attempt at creativity. The addition of Sir Lancelot and Mindy failed to conceal the fact that the writers were heavily reliant on their established historical mascots to bolster the situational comedy. In the beginning, it was cute, funny and refreshing. Three attempts later, it is an unsalvageable and insipid outing.
Again, the CGI is impressive. But that is as short-lived as those feeble attempts at adding a bit of emotional angst with the father-son scenes.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb isn’t about Oscar-winning performances. It’s about actors bringing their distinct characters to life. It’s about channelling their characters’ humour and harnessing that sense of adventure to take fans on an unforgettable journey.
This is one big anticlimax – like Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Kris Humphries. Attractive, at first, but no impetus to see it through. Enough said!
If you liked Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, you’ll enjoy this.