NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (PG)
Released by 20th Century Fox
Review by Adam Mast
Did we really need a NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3? From a story stand point, no, we didn’t. But since the first two films made a gazillion dollars at the box-office, a third chapter was inevitable.
In NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB, Ben Stiller returns as museum night guard, Larry Daley. Thanks to a magical occurrence that brings artifacts to life at night, this particular museum is the talk of the town. Trouble arises, however, when a mysterious Egyptian tablet threatens to drain the night time magic from the museum, so Larry, his son (played by Skyler Gisondo), and a handful of familiar friends (played by the likes of Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams, just to name a few) head off across the pond to a British museum where they hope to solve the mystery behind the ancient tablet.
SECRET OF THE TOMB is certainly harmless enough (save for a urine gag and a Jew joke.) In fact, there are a couple of things that actually make the movie quite tolerable. Dan Stevens is a charismatic force to be reckoned with and he steals every scene he’s in as the dashing Sir Lancelot. There’s an inventive action sequence that finds Larry and Lancelot sucked into an MC Escher painting and it is certainly a SECRET OF THE TOMB highlight.
We are also treated to wonderful but all too brief appearances from Dick Van Dyke and the late Mickey Rooney. It’s a joy to see these comedic icons in action. Speaking of comedic icons, we are also fortunate enough to see Robin Williams in one of his final performances. Admittedly, I was moved by a poignant moment late in the film when Williams’ Teddy Roosevelt says goodbye.
Unfortunately, SECRET OF THE TOMB isn’t very memorable as a whole. A large portion of the film is of the recycled variety. Playful dinosaur skeletons, a peeing monkey, a father trying to connect with his son, etc. Yep. Been there, done that. Again, it’s all harmless enough but it’s just so routine.
Stiller is on cruise control as Larry but I’ll give director Shawn Levy props for allowing Stiller to play two roles in this picture. In addition to Larry, Stiller also plays a caveman and this allows the actor to show the broader side of his comical range. By going this route, the goofy caveman serves as a nice contrast to hapless Larry. Rebel Wilson (PITCH PERFECT) has a bit part as a night guard at the British museum and while the appearance is brief, you almost get the sense that–despite the proclamation that this is the last movie in the series– perhaps the film-makers are grooming Wilson to carry the torch into a possible fourth entry.
The second NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM picture remains my favorite. A big part of that had to do with the addition of Amy Adams and she is sorely missed here. Despite being a movie about inanimate objects coming to life, SECRET OF THE TOMB very seldom came to life for me. In fact, if you remove Dan Stevens and Robin Williams from the equation, it might have turned out far worse. On the other hand, my family had a blast with this flick every step of the way, so what the heck do I know?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUI6_Bkali8
