Flash Movie Review: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
My obsession sprung out from one of my favorite children books, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.” The idea of hiding in a museum until after it closes fascinated me for a long time when I was a kid. Having visited the museums in my city numerous times, I credit them for helping my mind open up further into the world of possibilities. One museum had a real airplane suspended from the ceiling that I never walked under as I made my way to the gigantic train set, with its various locomotive trains traveling multiple tracks through manufactured landscapes. There was another museum that would transport me back in time to when Pharaohs ruled as I saw their wrapped remains resting in elaborate coffins. I would daydream about sleeping overnight in a museum; going on my very own treasure hunts as I explored the massive hallways that I just knew had to have secret passageways. They probably lead to secret underground laboratories and vaults. I was convinced there was a whole different world to explore behind the sculpted granite walls of all those museums. Â Â SOMETHING was beginning to happen to the inhabitants of the museum that would affect their very existence. With very little time left security guard Larry Daley, played by Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), would have to travel to London, England to discover the reason why his friends were being robbed of their ability to come to life after dark. This latest adventure comedy, the 3rd in the franchise, saw the return of cast members such as Robin Williams (Dead Poets Society, August Rush) as Teddy Roosevelt and Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris, Wedding Crashers) as Jedediah; along with some new characters like Sir Lancelot, played by Dan Stevens (The Guest, The Fifth Estate) and Tilly, played by Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect, Bachelorette). For the life of me I had a hard time finding anything I liked about this stale film. Oh wait, the special effects were still fun even though I had seen them all before. The story and script were simply horrible. So pedestrian and plain, I could not find anything funny. There is a horrible expression that goes, “beating a dead horse” and I felt the movie studio was doing it with the release of this film. There was nothing new or exciting; it had all been done before, so what was the point? I will say most young children will probably like the film since it was colorful and took place in a fascinating place, a museum. On second thought, plan a trip to a local museum instead of going to see this movie.
1 2/3 stars
Posted on December 23, 2014, in Fantasy/Sci-Fi and tagged 1 2/3 stars, adventure, ben stiller, comedy, fantasy, london, museum, owen wilson, rebel wilson, robin williams. Bookmark the permalink. 6 Comments.
Bumner – have a great Christmas 🙂
Afraid so, but please don’t let it dampen your holidays. Have a happy and healthy holiday season.
That’s a pity, cos I enjoyed the first two movies. Fun what you said about wanting to stay in a museum overnight 🙂 They are great places. And my kids also loved going to the CT museum and seeing dinosaur models, walking under the life-size whale skeleton and listening to whale sounds. Magical places 🙂
Perfect description, museums are magical. I wished I would have said that in the review. lol Thanks for the comments and sharing your memories.
I don’t know what I am more sad about. This movie being made or that it may be the last thing Robin Williams was in. Have a good Christmas
So true, it is hard seeing Robin in these films now. Thanks for the comments.