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Movies / On DVD / Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

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

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Reviews Counted:158

Fresh:69

Rotten:89

Average Rating:5.1/10

Consensus: 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.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for mild action and brief language.

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:May 22, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $177,118,775

Synopsis: Shawn Levy (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, JUST MARRIED) directs the sequel of his hit film NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. Night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), now a successful entrepreneur, returns to the Museum... Shawn Levy (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, JUST MARRIED) directs the sequel of his hit film NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. Night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), now a successful entrepreneur, returns to the Museum of Natural History to visit his friends--the exhibits that come to life at night--only to learn that they are being shipped off into deep storage at the Smithsonian Institution. To make matters worse, the exhibits at the Smithsonian, including the pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), are suddenly coming to life--and they aren’t at all happy about their new visitors. Determined to save his friends, Larry rushes to Washington, D.C., and makes his way into the inner workings of the largest museum complex in the world while Kahmunrah recruits the likes of Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon (Alain Chabat), and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Larry, meanwhile, finds himself with spunky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) as a co-conspirator and love interest, and General Custer (Bill Hader) leading the battle for the Smithsonian. The stakes are higher in this sequel, where even the paintings on the Smithsonian walls come to life at night. Stiller is his capable deadpan self as the now-successful Larry who finds purpose again while helping his friends, and Adams is spot-on as feisty, adventure-seeking Earhart, complete with period lingo. Azaria is a scene-stealer as Kahmunrah, who is menacing despite his lisp. Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Robin Williams, and Ricky Gervais also reprise their roles in this sequel, which is the first film to be shot at the Smithsonian. [More]

Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria

Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Christopher Guest, Alain Chabat, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader, Jon Bernthal

Director: Shawn Levy

Director: Shawn Levy
Screenwriter: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon
Producer: Shawn Levy, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
Composer: Alan Silvestri
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Release:

Dec 1, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Widescreen - 2.35

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French, Spanish
  • Subtitles - Spanish
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
splat

Rob Humanick

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".

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 01 2009 10:08 AM

Projection Booth

splat
2/5

Jules Brenner

No stone is left unturned.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 30 2009 10:25 AM

Cinema Signals

splat
2/4

Sonny Bunch

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 30 2009 10:58 AM

Washington Times

splat
C+

Mark Pfeiffer

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 29 2009 09:57 AM

Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

tomato
3/5

Jim Lane

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2009 10:12 AM

Sacramento News & Review

splat
2/4

John Beifuss

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.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Jun., 12 2009 07:21 AM

Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

splat
3/5

Dan Lybarger

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 07 2009 10:52 PM

eFilmCritic.com

splat
2/5

Bob Grimm

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 07 2009 01:10 AM

Tucson Weekly

splat
2/5

Boo Allen

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 01 2009 01:39 PM

Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

splat

David Denby

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 01 2009 12:51 PM

New Yorker

splat
2.5/4

James Kendrick

an amusing concept that still holds some charm now, although it also lends itself to bombastic overkill, which sequels are naturally inclined toward anyway

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 01 2009 07:14 AM

Q Network Film Desk

tomato
3/4

Daniel M. Kimmel

Best of all are Azaria, a brilliant comic character actor... and Adams as the feisty Earhart, thrilled to be off on a new adventure.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 01 2009 02:13 AM

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

tomato
4/5

Karina Montgomery

Smithsonian wants to be frothy, but it can't help having a little more heart and soul than you'd expect or even require. Give it a chance, it's a fun show.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 31 2009 08:17 PM

Cinerina

splat
1/4

Linda Cook

Unfunny, unnecessary and with unlimited box office potential, 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian' is all show and no go.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | May., 30 2009 11:04 PM

Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

tomato
3.0/4.0

Kevin A. Ranson

... more of the same while being slightly different and raising the stakes. It's a formulaic sequel, but it works every bit as well as the original did.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 30 2009 05:12 PM

MovieCrypt.com

splat

Betty Jo Tucker

With the exception of Amy Adams' performance and some excellent special effects, this sequel fails to live up to the first 'Night at the Museum' romp.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 30 2009 05:27 AM

ReelTalk Movie Reviews

tomato
8/10

Chris Bumbray

Wow, count this as one film that completely took me by surprise!

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 29 2009 02:40 PM

JoBlo's Movie Emporium

splat
2/5

Adam Tobias

I know not every person is going to agree with me on this one, but I'm going to say it anyway: Azaria's lisping Kahmunrah is one of the most annoying and unfunny characters that has ever appeared on a movie screen.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 29 2009 11:04 AM

Watertown Daily Times

splat
1/5

Jeffrey Lyles

One exhibit that should be closed for the summer.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 29 2009 07:37 AM

Gazette (MD)

tomato
2.5/4

Greg Maki

... A pleasant enough way to pass 100 minutes on an uneventful weekend afternoon.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 29 2009 06:12 AM

Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

 
 
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