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Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

tomatometer

43

Average Rating: 5.1/10
Reviews Counted: 163
Fresh: 70 | Rotten: 93

Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian is busy enough to keep the kids interested but the slapstick goes overboard and the special effects (however well executed) throw the production into mania.

42

Average Rating: 5.2/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 18

Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian is busy enough to keep the kids interested but the slapstick goes overboard and the special effects (however well executed) throw the production into mania.

audience

60

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 449,962

My Rating

Movie Info

Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daley, the unfortunate night watchman who continues to encounter living and breathing museum exhibits in Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian, 20th Century Fox's tent-pole sequel from director Shawn Levy. Scott Frank, Robert Ben Garant, and Thomas Lennon provide the script, with Chris Columbus returning to handle producing duties. Amy Adams (Enchanted) and Hank Azaria join the returning cast of Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, and Owen Wilson in the 1492

PG, 1 hr. 44 min.

Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon

Dec 1, 2009

$177.1M

20th Century Fox

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian Trailer & Photos

More Photos (55)
More Trailers and Videos (6)

Cast

Critic Reviews for Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

All Critics (168) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (70) | Rotten (93) | DVD (5)

The result is pretty much a free-form traffic jam in which everyone fights everyone else.

June 1, 2009 Full Review Source: New Yorker | Comment
David Denby
New Yorker
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's a collection of some of the most interesting figures throughout history and some of the most talented performers we have working today.

May 26, 2009 Full Review Source: At the Movies | Comment
Ben Lyons
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This is a family comedy that will entertain the kids and amuse the grown-ups. It's also a rare Hollywood sequel that's better than the original.

May 26, 2009 Full Review Source: At the Movies | Comment
Ben Mankiewicz
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, is breezier than the first Museum, at least to me, which means in three years I'll be revising my opinion downward.

May 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | Comment
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Azaria pretty much steals the show.

May 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Toronto Star | Comment
Greg Quill
Toronto Star
Top Critic IconTop Critic
—

The museum sparkles, but the movie is awfully dull.

May 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Dan Kois
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The silliness meanders wildly, and Stiller looks like he's more than happy to let everyone else do most of the work.

September 29, 2011 Full Review Source: American Profile | Comment
Neil Pond
American Profile Source: American Profile

I'm not sure if anyone in this film actually acted alongside anyone else, or if the performances were all cut together in the editing suite.

October 27, 2010 Full Review Source: Quickflix | Comment
Simon Miraudo
Quickflix Source: Quickflix

Doesn't have the originality of the first film and feels a little boring as such.

April 15, 2010 Full Review Source: Fan The Fire | Comment
Sam Bathe
Fan The Fire

Amy Adams is the lone saving grace to be found herein, which is a nice way of saying she's all that kept me from pondering "to be or not to be".

December 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Projection Booth | Comment
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

No stone is left unturned.

November 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | Comment
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

One wonders if director Shawn Levy was more interested in cramming special effects into the movie than creating actual comedy.

August 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Washington Times | Comment
Sonny Bunch
Washington Times Source: Washington Times

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian can be too cluttered and hyperactive to appreciate its broad pleasures.

June 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | Comment
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

...what the heck, it's fun on the same level as the original...

June 12, 2009 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | Comment
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Amy Adams adds plenty of welcome 'moxie' (and a tight pair of aviator's britches), but otherwise there's not much here besides noise, chaos and monkey-slapping.

June 12, 2009 Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | Comment (1)
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

With all the oversized personalities that surround him, Stiller gets upstaged.

June 7, 2009 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com

Stiller has a look on his face as if he knows he's participating in total garbage.

June 7, 2009 Full Review Source: Tucson Weekly | Comment
Bob Grimm
Tucson Weekly

It was fresh, funny and clever the first time. Now, not so much.

June 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | Comment
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

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Not bad. I dont usually like Ben Stiller. But this served as a perfect segue into my activities in DC with my girls. We are going to be exploring the Smithsonian and this movie got them so excited to go.

June 29, 2009
jmanard52
John Manard

Super Reviewer

Battle of the Smithsonian makes Night at the Museum look like Citizen Kane as somehow they've managed to throw in even more unneccesary CGI, Characters, painfully bad jokes and un funny slapstick. The one word honestly that would describe the entire film as a sequel or as a stand alone is, unnecessary.

October 28, 2011
Directors Cat
Directors Cat

Super Reviewer

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian Quotes

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    1. Amelia Earhart: I just feel as if I've been asleep for along time and now suddenly I'm awake.
    – Submitted by Kaye E (41 days ago)
    1. Teddy Roosevelt: [trying to interpret the tablet] The man with the spear trapped the sideways fish in a vase. Ah! And there was also a beetle.
    – Submitted by Daniel W (3 months ago)
    1. Teddy Roosevelt: The key to happiness is doing what you love.
    – Submitted by Nusfish K (3 months ago)
    1. Napoleon Bonaparte: Were you guys like friends in college and now just afraid to ruin your relationship with each other by telling the other person that you want to be more then friends, that you like-like each other?
    – Submitted by Gabby K (10 months ago)
    1. Teddy Roosevelt: Good Lord, Lawrence! Why are you slapping a monkey?
    – Submitted by rob g (14 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Nachts im Museum 2 (DE)
  • Night at the Museum 2 (UK)
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