Night At The Museum 2 Blu-ray Review

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM:BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN (Blu-Ray)20th Century Fox Home Entertainment2009/PG/105 minsNow Available – List Price $39.98Hollywood sometimes doesn't get that just because a film made a ton of money it doesn't mean everyone thought it was good.  Nor does it mean they should make a sequel, but that's just what we're getting with 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian'.  If your kid nags you to see this, don't get upset.  I didn't care for the first film and though calling this follow-up and improvement isn't saying much, it's not the worst time you can spend at the movies.  I miss the days when Ben Stiller took chances and put himself out on a limb with unconventional material.  He seems to be going through the motions now and though 'Tropic Thunder' was a big hit and had some enjoyable aspects, it felt very commercial to me.  Not as commercial as this sequel though which takes Stiller's night guard Larry Daley from New York's Museum of Natural History, to the Grand Poobah of museums in the United States: The Smithsonian.Only Larry is not longer a night guard, having made a successful go at marketing insanely ridiculous products like the glow-in-the-dark flashlight.  He's become a king of infomercials (even starring in one with George Foreman) and his new company "Daley Designs" is a smash success.  The gears of what barely resemble a story get turning when Larry discovers that several of his magically reanimated friends will be relocated to the Smithsonian in favor of state-of-the-art exhibits.  Sadly the mystical tablet of Ahkmerah will not be relocating with them, effectively ending their reanimated lives after dark.  Rather than acting like a responsible single father and businessman, Larry almost literally turns into James Bond as he infiltrates the Smithsonian archives when he gets a frantic call from miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) that the gang is under attack.  One of the monkeys stole the tablet in New York and when they arrived at the Smithsonian in D.C., it's star attraction Kahmurah (Hank Azaria) was brought back to life to rule the world.Larry arrives just into to see Kahmurah capture his friends and gain possession of the tablet so that he may call the rest of his army from the underworld.  Azaria is the only actor who appears to be having fun here, almost making the movie his own as a Pharaoh who sounds like Jeremy Irons meets Stewey Griffin.  Stiller's response to Azaria's eccentric yet effective delivery is just his typical deadpan face which got tired several movies ago.  The only other bright spot that manages to keep the situations from feeling mundane is Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart.  Adams is not only easy on the eyes in a tight aviator's outfit, but full of the lingo and jargon from her era like "We've been Jimmy Jacked!"  If you know just how attractive Adams is you'll be thinking of something completely different when she says that.  Together with Stiller, they try to recruit as much help as they can to stop Azaria including Bill Hader's General George Custer and the animated statue at the Lincoln Memorial (with Azaria also providing the voice).  There's an attempt at an attraction between Stiller and Adams which is kinda funny since he realizes nothing can happen with her being made of wax and all.This sequel doesn't really feel like it has any real story, just a lame excuse to put Stiller back in the same situation again and having him run around a national institution like it was a toy store.  There are a number of animated characters from history that provide a few giggles such as a gigantic balloon dog and a group of talking Einstein bobble heads, but none of them are really memorable.  Wilson's compadre Steve Coogan as miniature sized Roman General Octavias, gets to play a larger role as he attempts to recruit an army but ends up riding a squirrel (which to him equals the size of an elephant).  Robin Williams elevates the material slightly and makes Stiller look like an amateur in his return as Teddy Roosevelt, but even he is barely given enough screen time since they leave him back in New York.  These films are no doubt made for kids, but if you're a parent it's a short experience that's rather painless.Video: Unlike the first film, 'Battle of the Smithsonian' was shot in anamorphic widescreen, giving the sequel room for impressive shot compositions and a wider scope.