Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Night at Museum: Secret of the Tomb – When the magic tablet which brings his museum exhibit friends to life begins to fail, Larry finds out that the solution is in the British Museum in London. With time running out and several of the British exhibits causing more than a few problems, can the magic be restored before its too late and Larry’s friends lose their spark of life?

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) – Director: Shawn Levy

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43433029

Rating: PG

Running Length: 98 mins

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Skyler Gisondo

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy

REVIEW: ‘NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB’

The ‘Night at the Museum’ movies never cease to entertain and, even though it is somewhat of a one trick pony, Larry and the exhibits continue their fun antics to the delight of families everywhere. The third movie (and probably the last) focuses on the now fluctuating magic of the tablet that enables the museum exhibits to come to life each night. While the commitment to the comedy never wains, ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’ manages its lightly touched gravitas well.

Ben Stiller carries the movie well as Larry and having his son to impress while trying to protect his friends gives him a chance to show his range, which comes across as natural. It is a shame that so much time is devoted to Larry’s caveman look-a-like Laaa (also played by Stiller) – who is so heavily made up that he actually doesn’t look much like the security guard – his ‘bits’ go on for too long and are never particularly funny. Robin Williams has a powerful presence as Roosevelt as usual and the sweet friendship between Octavius (Steve Coogan) and Jedediah (Owen Wilson) makes for a lovely distraction from the main events. An unexpected and brilliantly comic cameo by Hugh Jackman rounds off the proceedings perfectly.

Taking the plot away from the American Museum of Natural History means that only a handful of the major characters spend much time in front of the camera and, as it could be the final movie this lack of well-known characters does a disservice to them and the warmth the audience feels for them. However, ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’ does what it does best – entertain the masses!

CONTENT: IS ‘NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Larry and his exhibit friends put on a show at a grand opening where all the guests believe what they are seeing is special effects. As the magic tablet begin to fail, the exhibits revert to their original personalities, having no memory of Larry. Theodore aims is rifle at Larry and the capuchin monkey, Dexter, threatens a woman with a small, sharp stick. She screams in fear but is saved before any harm comes to her. After a short while, the exhibits regain their memories and are mortified by their actions.

After the above, Larry angrily asks Atilla the Hun ‘What were you doing with that dolphin? It’s one of the most peaceful animals on Earth and you’re just hacking into it like The Cove’, he accompanies this with stabbing gestures. The Cove is a documentary which focuses on dolphin hunting practices.

There are a couple of occasions where a caveman electrocutes himself. In one scene, he plays with a defibrillator, putting it against his head and juddering as the electricity shoots through him. He is reprimanded by Larry but suffers no ill effects. Later, he jams metal into a microwave and is again electrocuted. He also tries to eat polystyrene packaging which looks similar popcorn. Again he is told not to do this but he is undeterred and continues to enjoy putting large handfuls into his mouth. As he is unharmed by the incidents and they are dealt with in a comedic way, they could be imitable for some children.

When Larry and the group arrive at the British Museum, there are around 10 minutes that are a bit scary. They walk through an area with numerous Greek statues which are all missing at least one limb which move in a slow and creepy fashion. Some of the group comment on how uncomfortable they feel but they are reassured it is because the statues have only just woken up and haven’t gotten used to it yet. After this, they come across a huge dinosaur which becomes aggressive and chases them through the museum.

A large snake demon wakes up and attacks the group; it has several heads all of which snap at different characters. There are close-ups of its fangs as it tries to bite. This scene is intense and lasts for a couple of minutes.

At various times throughout the movie, the museum characters begin to either go back to their historical characteristics or turn back into inanimate exhibits. One scene near the end sees almost all of these characters ‘die’. Ahkmenrah begins to re-mummify, his skin decays and his eyes turn cloudy. This scene is touching but events change so that these characters are restored.

Larry is forced to say goodbye to his friends at the museum which is extremely touching. He is deflated and resigned throughout all of this and his sadness, as well as his reasons for it, could affect children (and adults!)

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB’ FOR KIDS?

Highly enjoyable and full of laughs, ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’ is just what you’re looking for. We recommend this movie as appropriate for kids aged 6 and over.

• Violence: 2/5
• Emotional Distress: 3/5
• Fear Factor: 1/5
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 1/5
• Dialogue: 1/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of friendship, protecting those you care about, strained family relationships, ambition, parental expectation and accepting a difficult situation.

Words by Laura Record