Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)

Directed by Shawn Levy (Big Fat Liar)
Written by David Guion and Michael Handelman (Dinner for Schmucks)
Starring:
Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder)
Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting)
Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris)
Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect)
Rami Malek (Night at the Museum)
Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey)
Steve Coogan (Hamlet 2)
Ricky Gervais (Stardust)
Ben Kingsley (Hugo)

If modest entertainment is your thing, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb will modestly entertain the crap out of you. This light-hearted, muchkin friendly romp is up to par with the previous entries in this impromptu froth bucket of a franchise and has a Rottentomatoes score that is slightly higher. (Both previous entries clocked in at 44% while SOTT sits smugly at 49%.) It really feels like these three movies just kinda happened and nobody knows why. Shawn Levy probably walks in during important executive meetings at the studio, cotton candy sticking out of his mouth, and gets the execs to agree like a kid asking their parent for the largest pack of candy in a grocery store while the parent talks to the clerk about returning their incorrectly flavored ice cream. What's that? You wanted butter pecan? BAM three Night at the Museum flicks.

Going against the threequel is how thoroughly disappointing the titular secret is. I mean, it is intensely disappointing. Like thinking someone had a hideous Tim Duncan style tattoo on their back when in fact they just have a deep affinity for black tank tops. Or like finding out that Bruce Willis wasn't dead the whole time. (Imagine if that had actually been how Sixth Sense ended. So disappointing, yeah but, also more in line with the Shyamalan of today.) The entire plot of Secret of the Tomb could literally have been solved in five minutes and the central problem could have accidentally been fixed at any time. The teenager is obnoxious and unbearable. The villain is hardly enjoyable yet still Dan Stevens so no fault there. Missing was the love interest set up in the previous film but Amy Adams probably was extremely busy making a ton of stuff as usual. The film is, in all its lumpiness and Stillerisms just as good as the rest of the franchise.

Going for it is the action. The fight scenes are kinetic and creative while maintaining that PG air. There's one scene in a painting that is particularly flashy. The casting is also as terrific as ever. All Star, even, and they all deliver. Robin Williams is excellent, as is Rebel Wilson.

The film also earns respect by making some solid call backs to the first two films. It's nothing comprehensive but there is enough sentimentality to deserve a nod of approval. A slight tip o' the cap to days of yore.

Bottom Line: It'll appeal to the National Treasure crowd. It just so happens that I belong to that crowd.

7 out of 10