Review of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) by Russell G — 04 Feb 2016

Our favorite museum night watch, Larry and his dependable goofy historical friends notice something wrong when they come to life. The magic of Ahkmenrah tablet is fading, and it begins to grow a green corrosive film.

Larry rounds up his display wax friends and takes them to Britain on a traveling exhibition. Once again, we get a new museum of untamed creatures and historical and literary figures coming to life, and chaos ensues.

The British museum does not add up to much in terms of colorful companions short of its Lancelot character played by Dan Stevens. Luckily, it leans on familiar faces of Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Steven Coogan, and the monkey to carry it.

As an adventure, it is merely average even for a kid's movie, but the tangential gags and goofy side jokes save it. Despite a potent cast of big-name talents, only Ben Stiller has the chance to shine.

The British night attendant played by Rebel Wilson, in particular, could have been so much better. The first two movies underutilize a gifted cast as well. Like the characters in the movie, this series is losing its magic in some ways, but a jovial cast and short runtime keep in check.

If you enjoyed the first two, then this will prove adequate. In a way, it is sad to see Stiller closes the door on the series, or at least his participation in it. It is, however, the right thing to do, and he does so with dignity.