Ben Stiller Movie:

		List Price: $39.99		Label: 20th Century Fox Salesrank: 24 Released: December 1, 2009
		Our Price: $16.00
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
History is larger than life—and twice as funny—in this monumental comedy sequel that’s “better than the original” (At the Movies)! Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast (including Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria and Robin Williams) as Larry Daley, a former night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, where the exhibits come to life after dark. But now Larry’s nocturnal friends are being retired to the archives of the Smithsonian Institution, luring him back for a hilarious, all-out battle against museum misfits who plan to take over the Smithsonian...and the world!

Description of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Three-Disc Edition + Digital Copy + DVD) [Blu-ray]:
Ben Stiller wrestles with extinct beasts, historical figures, and meddling monkeys in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the sequel to the popular 2006 special-effects extravaganza. This time, the ancient Egyptian tablet (the one that brings all the exhibits at New York's Museum of Natural History to life at night) is being shipped off to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.--which, as the movie diligently tells us, is the largest museum in the world. Naturally, former museum guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) heads down to rescue it (and, by extension, keep his magical museum friends alive). He ends up fighting with a nasty pharaoh who talks like Boris Karloff (Hank Azaria, The Simpsons) and falling in love with Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams, Enchanted). All the old gang are along for the ride, including Dexter the monkey; much face-slapping and special effects ensue. There aren't many surprises, but Battle of the Smithsonian is cheerful enough to entertain everyone who enjoyed the first movie. Extras include commentaries by the director and the writers, the usual self-congratulatory making-of featurette, deleted scenes that are actually as good as the rest of the movie, an alternate ending, and an entirely pointless second disc about Crystal, the capuchin monkey who plays Dexter (the monkey disc has less than a half-hour of material, including two mediocre games). The great supporting cast from the first movie returns, including Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Click for larger image)

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Three-Disc Edition + Digital Copy + DVD) [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Just as Much Fun as the Original
2009-12-03 - Things have started going very well for Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) since we last checked in with him. His inventions have started to take off. He's the head of a company and hawks his own products on late night TV infomercials. In fact, he's just days away from signing a deal with Wal-Mart.

But he isn't as happy as he used to be. One night, he decides to visit his old friends at the Museum of Natural History, only to discover that they are about to be shipped to deep storage at the Smithsonian. When he gets a late night cry for help from Jedediah (a credited Owen Wilson), he heads to DC to help.

It seems the gold tablet that brought the exhibits to life has other powers. The ancient Egyptian ruler Kah Mun Ra (Hank Azaria) knows this and wants to use it to take over the world. He teams up with Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon (Alan Chabat), and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) to get the tablet and unleash the undead. Only Larry can stop him, with the help of friends old and new including Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams). Can he do it?

While I enjoyed the first one when I first watched it, I will admit it had to grow on me. Not so with this one. I loved it right out of the gate. The comedy is great, with so many little moments that made me laugh I suspect I will be watching it several times before I catch all the jokes.

The plot is something completely new as well. I couldn't help comparing it at times to The Mummy, even though this movie never forgets it is a family comedy. Many of our friends from the first movie are reduced to smaller roles, but that helps keep the story fresh and entertaining on this go around.

That's not to say anyone is missing. The main original cast all come back and does fine with the parts they have. The new cast perfectly fits into the franchise as well, making this feel like a brand new adventure with friends.

Of course, the special effects are everywhere. They manage to not take over the story but help tell it. And I believed everything I saw.

So gather the entire family together for a great night of action and laughs

Blu ray
2009-12-02 - Picked up my Blu ray version today at Best Buy. I was not impressed with the blu ray video quality not one of the best transfer done. It's still a good deal since you get the DVD version and DC version along with the Blu ray so I really can't complain to much. I just don't understand why alot of these new movies coming out are such poor blu ray versions.

Boring and more of the same!
2009-11-29 - I too, saw this film at the Smithsonian's IMAX theater last June. I thought it would be an ideal place to see a movie like this.
The first movie was cute but this one was so boring, I had trouble staying awake.
Good for the kids but forget it if you are an adult. The plot was terrible and the characters were not much better.

Save your money on this one!

just a really fun movie
2009-11-26 - i don't know what everyone was expecting that rated this movie so low, but i thoroughly enjoyed the first movie and this one. was it the greatest movie ever written? no. but, if you want to just have fun for a couple of hours, this is it! my daughters (teenagers) and i couldn't wait to go see this at the theatre - and i rarely go to a theatre. it was well worth it. we had a great time and maybe even more laughs than the first one. we can't wait for this to come out on video and i have mine pre-ordered! just a fun family movie!

Fun at the Smithsonian
2009-11-22 - I had the unique pleasure of watching this movie in the Smithsonian's IMAX theater. Perhaps it was the surroundings, but I found myself enjoying the movie quite a bit. It's got a great mix of action, romance, and comedy for both kids and adults. It's the type of movie that I hope Hollywood makes more of - decent movies that the whole family can enjoy without any sexual undertones.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian builds upon the last movie, Night at the Museum, but adds a host of new characters, from a power-driven Egyptian pharaoh to General Custer. The acting was pretty good all around, particularly Amy Adams' Amelia Earhart, who really came off as the stereotype 1920s female heroine. I've never been crazy about Ben Stiller, but he's pretty good here and his presence doesn't drown out the rest of the cast.

Overall, this is more a kid's movie than an adult comedy, but adults will probably enjoy watching it with their kids.

P.S. - I loved the cameo with Oscar the Grouch and Darth Vader!