Battle of the Smithsonian: Completely One-sided

           Ben Stiller reprises his role as Larry Daley, a once-unstable-now-successfull father, in the 2009 summer sequel to it's 2006 comedy predecessor [Night at the Museum], Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. BotS, as the film will be referred as, tells the story of ex-nightwatch guard of the Museum of Natural Hitory, Larry Daley. Having recently found success, he is soon thrown back into the frying pan, when he discovers the perils awaiting the very museum he took pride in protecting.

           With a change in general setting, the film does, indeed, shift to a much larger historical scope. The introduction of countless new faces amongst this fun little lesson in histiography, though, falls short of expectations. While new characters are introduced one-by-one, unlike it's predecessor, BotS doesn't manage to breathe life into the familiar faces it attempts to resurrect. It seems as if the movie tries to play around with the characters, rather than make a serious effort at entertainment; poking fun at numerous figures in history, which to no avail, makes the movie rather dry.

           When it comes down to the actual, "living," characters, namely Stiller, you can't help but get this feeling of Deja Vu. There is no general change in style from the prequel to the sequel, and the movie is left with a familiar feeling: not too far off from Night at the Museum. With the almost machine-like similarity in acting, BotS is left feeling banal, save for a laugh or two. Even then, though, the laughs don't keep you rolling around for more than a few seconds, and you've moved on.

           In the end, BotS manages to milk a few mild laughs from the audience, but, with a cast of characters not far from the Three Stooges, you can't help but feel like you didn't get what you came to see. Perhaps the power to bring history to life, just isn't powerful enough to bring a movie to life. That being said, Battle of the Smithsonian barely manages to pull through as a worthwhile watch, if you have the time, that is.        7/10