Product Description

History is larger than life—and twice as funny—in this monumental comedy sequel that’s “better than the original” (At the Movies)! Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast (including Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria and Robin Williams) as Larry Daley, a former night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, where the exhibits come to life after dark. But now Larry’s nocturnal friends are being retired to the archives of the Smithsonian Institution, luring him back for a hilarious, all-out battle against museum misfits who plan to take over the Smithsonian...and the world!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE
• Released on: 2009-12-01
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 105 minutes

Amazon.com
Ben Stiller wrestles with extinct beasts, historical figures, and meddling monkeys in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the sequel to the popular 2006 special-effects extravaganza. This time, the ancient Egyptian tablet (the one that brings all the exhibits at New York's Museum of Natural History to life at night) is being shipped off to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.--which, as the movie diligently tells us, is the largest museum in the world. Naturally, former museum guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) heads down to rescue it (and, by extension, keep his magical museum friends alive). He ends up fighting with a nasty pharaoh who talks like Boris Karloff (Hank Azaria, The Simpsons) and falling in love with Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams, Enchanted). All the old gang are along for the ride, including Dexter the monkey; much face-slapping and special effects ensue. There aren't many surprises, but Battle of the Smithsonian is cheerful enough to entertain everyone who enjoyed the first movie. Extras include commentaries by the director and the writers, the usual self-congratulatory making-of featurette, deleted scenes that are actually as good as the rest of the movie, an alternate ending, and an entirely pointless second disc about Crystal, the capuchin monkey who plays Dexter (the monkey disc has less than a half-hour of material, including two mediocre games). The great supporting cast from the first movie returns, including Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

More of the Same? Yes, but well done
Most sequels either fail miserably at trying to "top" the original ("Miss Congeniality 2" springs to mind), or succeed beyond all expectations ("Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan" is a good example).

"Night at the Museum 2, The Battle of the Smithsonian" hits neither of these extremes: it has no pretensions about being a great film. It seems the writers and producers just wanted to make a film that their audience would enjoy, and they succeeded. Certainly, the original film was better and more original in many respects, and there is lots of continuity with the first film, as many of the characters have returned. There are also some notable additions to the cast, such as Amy Adams - who is superb as Amelia Earhart (as many of my fellow reviewers here have noted).

Yet, the scene stealer in the film though is not Ms. Adams, but Hank Azaria, who plays the Egyptian Pharaoh Kahmunrah: the evil and inept older brother of Ahkmenrah (the Pharaoh from the original film). Azaria's Karloff-esque character is really well done. One of the best scenes in the film is when Kahmunrah and Ben Stiller's character (Larry Daley) argue over the fate of Jedidiah (played by Owen Wilson). I heard a rising tide of belly laughs all around me as this scene progressed: a salute to the old time vaudeville comedic dialog routines, played to near perfection by two excellent actors. Laurel and Hardy would have been proud!

Kudos to the Smithsonian for the unprecedented access and support they provided to the producers of this film. I've visited the Washington Mall and Smithsonian Museums many times, and it was great to see them on the big screen, and great fun seeing the havoc and mayhem that special effects allowed the film's characters to inflict upon our national treasures.

I like this film because it is honest with itself and its audience, and consistently delivers laughs and smiles. Is it a great film? No. Is it funny? Definitely. Is it a great way to spend a couple of hours with your better half, or the kids? Absolutely. For that reason I'll give it Four Stars: enjoy!

Clean for Kids, Enjoyable for Whole Family
Finally, a movie all ages can enjoy. And please take note, Hollywood -- yes, it can be done without swearing, sex or violence. Clever dialog, great acting and effects. We're all waiting for it to come out on video. We would even have taken the kids to see it again if the theater experience wasn't so expensive. One of the only criticisms is that we would have liked to have seen more of Robin Williams character. Rest assured, this is one movie that won't leave you jimmy-jacked!

Night at the Museum/Smithsonian
Although a sequel to the hysterical original; "Night at the Museum", "The Battle of the Smithsonian" still has surprises in store for you. The original is Stiller's timeless comedic qualities at his best and to compare the first and second isn't quite fair. We are looking at some great computer animation as well as the funny characters; new and old. Azaria is hilarious and probably had the crew laughing like crazy in between takes. I sat in a packed theater and there was never a silent moment; always laughter on a scale of 1-10, it was consistent at 5 and raised the bar to 10 on many occasions. Stiller and his buddies aren't going to see Oscar's for this movie but it is a light hearted, funny movie with the old characters mix it up with the old. I'm most defintely going to buy it at it's release. Good Family entertainment with some history inside, is hard to come by. Good Job!