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Overall I was disappointed with Night at the Museum, and unlike other films such as Shrek or The Incredibles, the film doesn't necessarily work on both levels, there are a number of sub-plots throughout the film that crosses and twists with each other that are deliberately kept simple, ... Read review
Get ready for a story so epic it could only unfold in the corridors of the world's largest ... more
museum - the Smithsonian Institution. Museum guard-turned entrepreneur Larry Daly discovers that his favorite exhibits, and some of his best friends, from New York's Natural History Museum are being shipped off to the archives at the Smithsonian. Larry gets a distress call from the miniature cowboy, Jedediah, reporting that Egyptian ruler Kahmunrah and a trio of heinous henchmen - namely Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon and Al Capone - are plotting to take over the museum, then the world. Speeding to the nation's capitol, Larry is clearly in over his head. But with some impressive new pals, including the irrepressible Amelia Earhart, along with familiar friends Teddy Roosevelt and Octavius, Larry will stop at nothing to restore the Smithsonian before dawn.
Since Night at the Museum takes place at a museum of natural history, you might have ... more
expected its soundtrack to reflect a bit more varied influences. Of the handful of exceptions, "The Iron Horse" has flashes reminiscent of Western music, while "Caveman on Fire" strives to evoke golden-age cartoon mayhem--though like most tracks, it ends before anything can really develop. Indeed, the bulk of the soundtrack is made up of short cues (most lasting around a minute), and they would need more zip than they have to make an impact at that length. Alan Silvestri is no Danny Elfman, (who can usually be counted on to inject a few surprising elements into the most mainstream of scores). Here, the Hollywood Studio Symphony huffs and puffs, but little levity transpires. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast including Robin Williams in this hilarious blockbuster ... more
hit. When Larry Daley (Stiller) is hired as a museum night watchman he soon discovers that all the exhibits come to life after the sun sets.Suddenly, Larry finds himself face-to-face with a frisky T. Rex skeleton, tiny armies of Romans and cowboys and a mischievous monkey who taunts him to the breaking point. But he may just figure out a way to control the chaos and become a hero in his son's eyes. Boasting jaw dropping special effects and laugh-out-loud moments, Night At The Museum is your ticket to nonstop fun!
Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast, including Robin Williams, in this hilarious ... more
blockbuster hit. When Larry Daley (Stiller) is hired as a museum's night watchman, he soon discovers that all the exhibits come to life after the sun sets.Experience the adventure like never before with this spectacular 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION.
Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast including Robin Williams in this hilarious blockbuster ... more
hit. When Larry Daley (Stiller) is hired as museum night watchman he soon discovers that all the exhibits come to life after the sun sets. Suddenly, Larry finds himself face-to-face with a frisky T. Rex skeleton, tiny armies of Romans and Cowboys and a mischievous monkey who taunts him to breaking point. But he may just figure out a way to control the chaos and become a hero in his son's eyes. Boasting jaw dropping special effects and laugh-out-loud moments, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM is your ticket to nonstop fun!
Advantages: Great CGI Disadvantages: Last third drags!
...has been recruited as a night watchman in the Museum of Natural History in New York. The current holders of the positions are three men who are on the verge of retirement and have been replaced by the younger Stiller who has no idea what is in store. On his first night he encounters all the exhibits in the whole Museum coming alive and this causes all kinds of problems for him as he attempts to pacify a T-Rex, stop the Huns from hunting him down ... ...Overall I was disappointed with Night at the Museum, and unlike other films such as Shrek or The Incredibles, the film doesn't necessarily work on both levels, there are a number of sub-plots throughout the film that crosses and twists with each other that are deliberately kept simple, and however the main plot is Stiller as Daley coming to grips with working the night shift with everything happening from there onwards. The film also tends to run ... more
Another Ben Stiller production makes its way to the screen and this is something that I thought that I could avoid easily, however it seems with the sequel being released this weekend the franchise as it now stands has gone into the obligatory advertising overdrive.
Stiller plays divorcee and general "man with a few problems" Larry Daley, a man whose son Nick doesn't want to be around him. Daley has been recruited as a night watchman in the Museum of Natural History in New York. The current holders of the positions are three men who are on the verge of retirement and have been replaced by the younger Stiller who has no idea what is in store. On his first night he encounters all the exhibits in the whole Museum coming alive and this causes all kinds of problems for him as he attempts to pacify a T-Rex, stop the Huns from hunting him down and becomes a negotiator between the Romans and Cowboys, oh as well as deal with a mischievous Monkey that can hold his own ground in an argument as well as being an expert lifter of keys!
With Ben Stiller in the lead role it can be either hit or miss, in this case the film revolves around him, but yet everything that happens is something he is also involved in. So you get to the stage where he is on screen throughout the film in nearly every scene. I liked the way he played the character of Daley who is at the trough rather than a peak of his personal life and also see him overcome this negativity. This is Stiller very much toned down when compared to ther films he has appeared in such as Dodgeball. To be honest it is nice to see Stiller acting as a normal human being rather than the egotistic characters he has played in the past.
Stiller has managed to recruit all his friends from his acting circles as well, also along for the ride are Owen Wilson in an uncredited role as Jedidiah the leader of the Cowboys and Steve Coogan as the Roman leader called Octavius. Don't have a problem with Coogan, but Wilson just plays the same as every other film his been in and just tends to just merge with the background where as Coogan tends to play along and takes the part quite seriously and does stand out in the role he plays.
Casting of the Guards who will be retiring in the story was a real coup; we have the legendary Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs. Due to their parts in the story they have quite a bit of screen time to themselves and always act as a trio. This in turn allows for a fair bit of snappy dialogue that is usually aimed at Stiller. Refreshing to see these three united on screen as they do play a vital part in the story. Although thankfully Van Dyke doesnt do any dancing in this film at all. For me it was Robin Williams who plays President Teddy Roosevelt that was the star of the show. The manner in which he addresses people and the screen presence he has just nabs the better performance in the film. Through his character we also discover that the displays have feelings for each other as well as the instinct to survive and evolve. This was an aspect I found not only original but also refreshing to see, as I had expected this aspect of the film to be kind of two dimensional with each actor silo'd to their respoective areas of the building, yet they all roam around quite freely.
As with this story, the female characters require to have a strong role and here it is no exception. Firstly we have Mizuo Peck playing the Indian tracker Sacajawea. Secondly Anna Meara who plays Debbie, she is the tour guide and historian at the Museum which Stiller attempts to impress. Both women have strong characters and they do come into play as the story unfolds.
Oh yeah, Ricky Gervais is also appears and to be honest I think he has been totally miscast as the role of the Curator of the Museum. Ironically for a man who I believe in real life can come across as pompous and up his own backside, he seems to just take a shortcut as he is simply playing the role as David Brent in a bow tie to the extent that his accent changes throughout when talking. Wasted opportunity as the man isn't even funny!
I also found that the laugh out loud moments were again towards the beginning when the discovery is being made about what happens at night. One thing I thought was very clever was the intentional blurring of the rulebook that Daley was given. He went through the rules on a one by one basis based on what was happening around him. This blurring that obscured everything but the rule that was being focussed on at the time cleverly meant that nothing was spoiled.
It has to be said that the outstanding thing about this film is the special effects, and whilst some aspects are people in authentic costumes such as the Huns or the Cavemen, some aren't and had to be digitally created. The main one being the T-Rex who Daley encounters on his walk around the Museum, the dinosaur takes on a the characteristics of a puppy and the way this is bought to the screen is not only funny but also clever, something like this was used as a gag in George of the Jungle and it works well here as well. This also ties in with the first rule in the rulebook.
I was impressed with the detail that went into the animation of the Romans and Cowboys. In the story these are figures that are an inch high yet these manage to overcome Daley quite easily. Also included in these are the Mayans who use blow darts to attack Daley. These were well done as this is a straight transfer of Gulliver's Tales into the story.
Overall I was disappointed with Night at the Museum, and unlike other films such as Shrek or The Incredibles, the film doesn't necessarily work on both levels, there are a number of sub-plots throughout the film that crosses and twists with each other that are deliberately kept simple, and however the main plot is Stiller as Daley coming to grips with working the night shift with everything happening from there onwards. The film also tends to run out of steam by the last third as the script in my mind was heavier towards the beginning than it was at the end and I felt that the last third was bolted on rather than allowing the film to evolve and flow better. It's a shame as this is what really held the film back from being a great film rather than just entertaining.
I found throughout that things had been borrowed from other films, the most obvious being Cocoon, as well as I said earlier George of the Jungle. Although there was originality in the story of a Museum coming to life at night, it is the contents that were letting the overall product down. The whole thing is eclipsed by the expansive use of CGI and the initial story is completely forgotten by the end of the film, therefore you do tend to think as to what is going on and why you are watching this.
As I said earlier with the film not necessarily working on both levels the appeal will be mainly to the kids more than the adults watching this as frankly there isn't much for the adults to take in as the adults can just sit here and perceive the film from a different angle, while the kids will love it for what they are seeing on screen. But then after all this is a family film that the family can watch together knowing there wont be any extreme violence or swearing and as a family film it works.
Advantages: great fun for all the family, Disadvantages: may be a tiny bit scary in places for very young children.
...gets a job as a night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, the museum is facing financial difficulties and so is getting rid of the three elderly night watchmen Cecil, Gus and Reginald (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs) and replacing them with just one new man…..Larry! Larry's first night is a night of shock and surprises as many things go on in the museum which would astound anyone! This gives a whole new meaning to "bringing history ... ...all came to life every night and wreaked havoc….it was the three night watchmen's jobs to make sure that they were all back in place by morning again. Larry soon finds out his job is to guard the exhibits and make sure no one gets in….and more importantly no-one gets out! I don't want to give anymore of the story away, as I feel that you really should see this one for yourself and anything else I might tell you will only be spoil it for you.
I will ...
missy0303 27.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night At The Museum (2006)
Advantages: Plenty of comedians... Disadvantages: ... very few laughs.
...subplot involving the three previous night men. Never mind that the reason for ‘why’ the security guards are retiring was never answered, nor why, if said men were retiring, the three men still found time to come back to the museum and ‘help’ Larry out. Further still, although it was entertaining to watch Larry play catch with the bones of the T-Rex, after about the third consecutive night, it was pretty boring as the same things happened every night. ... ...only ever tired to kill him (not once did the untamed beasts attack any of the other inhabitants locked in the room with them), get his keys back from the pesky monkey, and engage in psycho babble with Teddy Roosevelt (Williams). There was a side story involving Roosevelt’s secret crush with Pocahontas that particularly interesting, yet, like many other issues, led absolutely nowhere and had no real resolve. Somewhere around the middle of the film ...
Coyote98 12.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night At The Museum (2006)
Advantages: Good graphics, an okay cast. Great musical score behind it all. Disadvantages: Too much going on - back story, sub plots that just aren't needed
Night at the Museum
This movie opened in the UK on Boxing Day, and with nothing better to do with my time, I wandered to the local cinema. It turned out I arrived 10minutes before their first showing for this movie, remembered the trailers for it and decided to give it a go.
Plot
The Museum of Natural History is losing money. In one of it cut backs, a decision has been made to replace three old, tired Night Watchmen with one new one, and it seems ... ...sets out on his first night in the museum.
After a few hours of playing the fool using the loud speakers system in the museum, he starts to get down to some work - 'watching' the museum. Nothing seems out of place, except for that the t-rex stand in the foyer is empty. Curious, Larry wanders around more of the museum, and sees that everything is now alive. He comes under attack from diorama sized Romans (lead by Steve Coogan) and cowboys (Owen Wilson ...
liz1102 03.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night At The Museum (2006)
Advantages: Great Effects, Stellar Cast! Disadvantages: Relies on effects rather than storyline
Synopsis
Night at the Museum stars Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Dick Van Dyke. Ben Stiller plays an unreliable father who takes on the post of night watchman in the museum, only for all the displays to magically spring to life and cause chaos in the museum… but only at night!
So is it any good?
The plot line and the cast list were enough to make me want to see this movie, and I did enjoy it, particularly the scenes where all the creatures come ... ...and leaves you wanting more. Night at the Museum is enjoyable and entertaining but it's instantly forgettable. I felt that it relied more on the impact of the special effects and the big name actors it employed rather than an exceptional storyline.
Like so many mainstream movies that are around nowadays, this is fairly predictable fluff. However, I do commend it for the imaginative and original premise of museum creatures coming to life.
Who is ...
drowningstar 03.04.2007 (17.04.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night At The Museum (2006)
Advantages: Enjoyable Romp, funny and good special effects Disadvantages: None that I can think of
Considering a lot of the films lately are Comic book licences, romances or disaster movies, it was really nice to find something which is truely original.
Larry (played by Ben Stiller), is an out-of-work entrepreneur, who is now divorced with his visitation rights to his son in jeopardy. Giving him one last chance, his ex-wife insists he must find a job and provide some stability for his son. Having little but wild ambitions, the job centre offers ... ...of Natural History.
Knowing what is at stake, Larry accepts the role, and attends the museum to get a feel for the place. Here he meets the current Nightwatchmen, Cecil, Gus, and Reginald (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs), who, in a cost-saving exercise are soon to be replaced by Larry. It was nice to see three veteran entertainers in a movie again, and they haven't lost any of their sparkle.
On his first night, Cecil, Gus and Reginald ...
Danneey 01.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night At The Museum (2006)
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Advantages: Watching Dick Van Dyke dancing off the junk in his trunk Disadvantages: None for me
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Night of the Museum is a 2006 film that was adapted from the 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc of the same name.
When I saw the line up Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson and even old timers Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney, I just knew that this was a film I wanted to watch.
Night at the Museum opens with sad sack Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) about to need to relocate. Larry is a divorced father trying to settle down and find his place in society. He has been drifting for years, much to the concern of his now ex-wife, Erica, and disappointed son, Nick.
Larry has managed to get a job at the Museum of Natural History, where he will become the new night guard.
Cecil, Gus and Reginald (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs) are ...
Advantages: Great family fun Disadvantages: Plot a little chessy
I saw Night at the Museum when it was first released on DVD and along with the rest of my family really, really enjoyed it. It was something new and different and a real pleasure to watch. So when my brother got the DVD for Christmas we were all quite happy to sit down and watch it again and I must say that the film was just as enjoyable the second time around.
Night at the Museum was released in 2006 and directed by Shawn Levy. It stars Ben Stiller in the lead role as Larry Daley. Larry lives in New York and spends his time bouncing on and off the unemployment list. His son Nick is rather disappointed off him and Larry fears that he may loose him. His fear leads him to take a job as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History, taking over from three old security guards. Settling down for is first night on the job Larry puts up ...
When Night at the Museum first came out back in 2006 I couldn't wait to see it. I was studding History at Intermediate (seems like such a big step down from Higher now...) and for some bizarre reason I loved it. Everything historical I was passionate about. And although I am not too crazed about the five periods of History I was getting this year, and the exam I have to sit on the 2nd June (!), I actually am still very passionate about anything 'in the past'! So for that reason and the fact that the first film was so unbelievably brilliant, I got incredibly excited when I heard Night at the Museum 2 was to be released!
It was the beginning of this year when I first heard about the film, and the long wait until May the 20th when it was finally released seemed to go on forever! It didn't exactly help that this was smack bang in ...
