Of all the sequels coming out this summer, none may be as pointless as "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," whose sole purpose seems to suck a few more dollars out of unsuspecting families desperate for a little entertainment.
That's the trap with films like the 2006 original. They're such a welcome surprise that studios can't resist the urge to leave well enough alone, especially when the sequel can only do more of the same.
Since the first movie, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller, "Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa") has left his job as a night security guard for the Museum of Natural History where the exhibits came to life at night and has become rich selling wacky household items such as a glow in the dark flashlight. On a chance visit back, he learns the exhibits are getting shipped to Washington, D.C.'s Smithsonian.
Larry's exhibit pals find life in their new surroundings a bit more challenging with the evil pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria, "The Simpsons") seeking a tablet that will allow him to seize control over the museum's occupants.
Larry teams with Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams, Oscar Best Supporting Actress nominee for "Doubt") and a plethora of other historical figures including Abraham Lincoln, Gen. Custer and Albert Einstein in hopes of stopping Kahmunrah before his new reign begins.
Adams once again proves that she is one of the best young actresses in Hollywood as she has so much more screen presence than anyone else and shows she could just as easily portray Earhart in a serious drama as she does in this alleged comedy.
Screenwriters Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon can't manage to find the humor that comes easily to them in their hilarious TV series "Reno 911!" Perhaps it's the PG restraints, but the "jokes" are often silly and had me constantly wondering how they thought this script was funny.
One of the film's rare amusing scenes is one already spoiled in the trailer when Kahmunrah meets some potential new recruits for his evil army %u2014 Darth Vader and Oscar the Grouch. It's harmless fun and you wish that Garant and Lennon could capture that sense of anything goes the rest of the film.
The constant flow of historical figures doesn't help either as young children %u2014 who I presume are the target audience %u2014 won't understand the importance of, say, the Tuskegee Airmen in their 30-second cameo.
I guess that's what the museum is for after all, right? But as for this sequel, this is one exhibit that should be closed for the summer.