Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

I didn’t used to be a fan of Ben Stiller, but he has grown on me over the years, showing a versatility and undeniable skill in his acting that I’ve come to appreciate.  The Night at the Museum movies are some of my favorites and this third installment is an immensely satisfying adventure, an outstanding last hurrah with much loved characters.  It also sorrowfully marks the final on-screen performances of both Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams, who both died before the movie was released.  There is a beautiful dedication during the end credits (which are well worth watching) to the two giants of cinema that I felt was both touching and wistful.  [Perhaps my feelings regarding the passing of Robin Williams have colored my thoughts about this movie, thus giving it a higher rating than I would have otherwise, but even if so, things happening in the real world have always impacted how we feel about movies and therefore I feel the five stars are justified.]

Something has gone wrong with the mysterious Egyptian tablet that magically brings the museum to life when the sun goes down.  Night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) gets grudging approval from Museum Director Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) to take the ailing tablet and Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek in a much better role than his deluded hacker on Mr. Robot) to the British Museum in London in order to consult with Ahk’s parents, Pharaoh Merenkahre and Queen Shepseheret (Sir Ben Kingsley and Anjali Jay).  Naturally a few of the others stow away in order to come along, including Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher), Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck), Dexter the monkey, and miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Roman legionnaire Octavius (Steve Coogan).  At the British museum, they meet Larry’s counterpart, night guard Tilly (Rebel Wilson), and exhibit come to life Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens), the latter of which insists on joining the “quest”.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed already, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is absolutely bursting at the seams with an incredible array of fine actors, which also includes the great Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Rachael Harris , Hugh Jackman, Alice Eve and Matt Frewer.  Hugh Jackman is hilarious in a cameo as himself, Sir Ben Kingsley is always superb and Rebel Wilson is so good at the type of comedy that has you half-laughing and half-cringing.  The whole movie has beat perfect comedic timing, a rarity in films these days; it had me actually tearing up in places and howling with laughter in others.  Thoroughly enjoyable, lighthearted but also poignant and deceptively philosophical, I felt the whole thing was just perfect.  I’ve been to the British Museum more times than I can count, and it was such a pleasure to see familiar exhibits and galleries come to life.  Ben Stiller has completely won me over and his additional performance as Neanderthal Laaa was just icing on the cake.  A marvelous adventure for the whole family and my first impulse upon finishing the movie was to immediately watch it again, a sure sign it well-deserves its shining five star rating.  – BETHANY

For more on this fabulously fun film, frequent the Internet Movie Database

A prologue in 1930s Egypt, about the expedition that found the mystical tablet.

Something has gone very wrong at the museum.  (Ben Stiller and Robin Williams)

The grand opening of the new planetarium, complete with lots of “special effects”.

Rachael Harris and Dexter.

What is the matter with you guys?!

  Ben Stiller as Laaa.  Is that a hint of Blue Steel I see?

Larry and Ahk infiltrate the British Museum.  (Ben Stiller and Rami Malek)

‘I wonder why all the locals are running away?’  Steve Coogan‘s Octavius and Owen Wilson‘s Jedediah fall into an exhibit of Pompeii … that has come to life.

Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek) and his parents (Sir Ben Kingsley and Anjali Jay), who just might hold the key to fixing the tablet.

Dancing statues in the British Museum’s Far East wing.

                               Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot.

Nope, nothing to see here.  Just your standard passengers on London’s public transportation.

Alice Eve and Hugh Jackman in their sensational cameos.

The lion statues from Lord Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square come alive.

A promotional shot giving a nod to a sequence in the movie involving the art of M.C. Escher.  (click to see a much larger version)

Museum Director Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) and night guard Tilly (Rebel Wilson).

It’s tough to say goodbye.

 

I couldn’t decide which of these previews was better, so I solved the problem by simply including them both.

 

Photos courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 21 Laps Entertainment, 1492 Pictures and TSG Entertainment (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

 

The Road to El Dorado

People tend to expect certain things from animated movies and when the film departs from them, it can either be wildly successful, like the Shrek movies, or absolutely bomb. Although this movie had a lot of things going for it, it was most certainly a dud with audiences. Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh voice Tulio and Miguel, a couple of con artists who wind up in the New World seeking the legendary city of El Dorado. It’s marvelous to see (well, technically hear) the two riffing off one another and Branagh, normally a serious Shakespearean actor, excels at comedy.

While the plot was interesting for adults, I think parents were put off by the pseudo-profanity (Holy ship!!!), actual nudity and implied sexual activity, not to mention the themes of human sacrifice and dark magic. The Spanish conquest of Central and South America isn’t exactly lighthearted material and there was even a Jaws moment that had me jumping out of my adult skin. There’s also the fact that the main characters are charlatans trying to defraud an entire culture out of a boatload of gold. The music and songs were excellent but while I can forgive the host of glaring historical inaccuracies in favor of telling a good story, this just didn’t have the spark of creativity and the softly sardonic but heartfelt vibe of other Dreamworks animated movies. My favorite bit is the song ‘El Dorado’ sung at the very beginning of the film. If only the rest of the movie had lived up to the impressive opener based on Mayan and Aztec art, this might rate more than a tepid two stars. – BETHANY

For more on The Road to El Dorado, swing by the Internet Movie Database

From the rather spectacular opening sequence.

If you’d like to watch just the opener, you will have seen the best part of the movie:

Kenneth Branagh as Miguel and Kevin Kline as Tulio doing their literal song and dance routine in Spain.

The old ‘hide in barrels’ cliché.

Following the map.  (The provenance of the map is never explained – if El Dorado is such a secret and no Europeans have ever been there before, how is there a map in the first place?  Because the plot needed it, that’s why.)

More following of the map.  A very cool visual!

OK then.

The fabled city of gold, which is extremely well done.

Welcome to El Dorado, great and powerful gods!  Chief Tannabok (Edward James Olmos) presents a whole lot of gold, which they evidently store on platters.

It’s good to be a god.

Rosie Perez as Chel, a strangely street-wise handmaiden.  No, she doesn’t look like trouble at all and geez, that’s a seriously skimpy outfit!

I’ll bet that’s incredibly uncomfortable.

Another convenient item necessary for the plot.

                                             Gee, I wonder if high priest Tzekel-Kan is a good guy or a bad guy?

                                      For a G rated movie, this shot certainly implies that something very adult has just happened between these two.

 

 

Photos courtesy of DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks SKG and Stardust Pictures (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)