Directed by: Shawn Levy
A sure sign of a struggling sequel is when you have to repeat jokes from the first film to help the audience remember why they went to see the first. Night at the Museum 2 is purely a kids film. It's fast-paced, slapstick and flashy. I can only think that a child would gain the most from watching Battle at the Smithsonian. This would seem obvious, but the first Night At The Museum had such a broad appeal it didn't feel like a kids flic. The historical puns in both 1 and 2 would also seem to suggest that only adolescents and adults would possess the requisite knowledge to truly enjoy the humour of an animated mannequin Amelia Earheart talking about her "successful" last flight. But I guess that's why they put some extra computer work into this one to garner the attention of the 8-13 demographic. From an adult perspective, the jokes are tired and the plot was pretty thin (even for this franchise) so unless your choices of comedies to watch are The Hangover, Land of the Lost or Night at the Museum 2, I guess I would have to suggest Night at the Museum 2.
