Fridae

It’s the sequel to one of the biggest blockbusters of 2006. And on the surface, it has everything. Big stars? Check. Well-loved historical figures? Check. State-of-the-art special effects? Check. Spectacular set pieces? Check.

Good gags? Uh… Great jokes? Well, um... you see…

Ben Stiller, the museum night guard in the first movie, has since given up that job to become an inventor and CEO of a company that creates gadgets. Despite his newfound success, he misses spending his nights at the Museum of Natural History where the statues come to life at night.

So when he learns that the statues are about to be shipped off to vaults of the Smithsonian Museum where they’ll be hidden from the world, Ben springs into action. Battling the evil Egyptian king Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) who wants to unleash his undead army upon the world, he teams up with famous aviator Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) to save his friends…

Like the first film, Night at the Museum 2 is packed with cheesy gags and half-baked jokes that ruin a good story idea. The script, though decently structured, throws one clunker of a joke after another. You could muster up a few chuckles every 10 minutes or so, but genuine belly laughs are hard to come by. Groans and blank stares may be common reactions.

Night at the Museum 2 is directed by Shawn Levy, who’s behind Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther. If those movies made you laugh, then by all means, go for this one.