Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Sequels are often considered to be pale impersonations of their predecessors, using a proven formula to cook up the same meal with less effort (but probably more money). Of course, many sequels of late have been fantastic extensions of their personal franchise, such as this year's Star Trek reboot and last summer's brilliantly brooding Batman tale The Dark Knight, which holds the distinction of elevating both a franchise and the entire subgenre of superhero cinema.

But the powerful success (both creative and financial) of those sequels is only somewhat surprising given that those movies had something to work with, an exciting frame upon which to build. What is significantly more surprising is a sequel that manages to be quite good in spite of its lazy, lifeless ancestor. Such is the case with the lengthily titled Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, which amazingly transcends the stupidity of the first movie in order to emerge as a fun and playful kids flick.

The 2006 original featured Ben Stiller as hapless hero Larry, a night guard at the Museum of Natural History who becomes unwittingly involved in an adventure when all of the museum's wax figures come to life after sundown. Based on a children's book by Milan Trenc, the premise had cutesy potential that hinted at an enjoyable effects-driven extravaganza. But director Shawn Levy missed the point and used the suddenly revived historical figures as basic background distractions. A few uninteresting villains were shoehorned into the story and Ben Stiller did his usual shtick amidst a plot that involved his fears of inadequacy as a parent. The drama and the action felt equally forced.

But this shiny new sequel rights the wrongs of the first movie by putting fun at the top of the to-do list and adding a collection of engaging new characters. Levy (who has made more than his fair share of bad movies already) seems to have grown as a filmmaker to the point that the pace crackles and the cast is refreshingly robust. Stiller is back doing the same thing he always does, but the solid supporting players help him slip back into the role with more ease than I was expecting.

This time around, Larry is a wealthy businessman whose busy corporate lifestyle has clouded his ability to engage in old-fashioned fun. He's an uptight guy with no passion for life or love. But when he learns that his wax buddies at the museum are being carted off to spend the rest of their lives in storage, Larry steps in to help them out. This sophomore adventure takes him and his friends to the sprawling series of museums that comprise the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Upon his arrival, Larry comes face-to-face with the newly reborn evil pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria, clearly relishing the opportunity to act silly and mean while sporting a goofy accent), who plans to raise an army of the dead to take over the world. His evil plan may be the oldest one in the book, but Azaria alone provides more enjoyable humour than was present in the entirety of the first Night at the Museum movie. He has enough menace to convince children that he means business and enough zeal to please audiences of all ages.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is a colossal improvement upon the first attempt at this effects-driven concept, but it still suffers from an onslaught of bad jokes and flat-lining cameos (comedian Ricky Gervais briefly appears in two scenes that offer awkward silence in place of laughs). Stiller plays it safe as always and composer Alan Silvestri serves up a generic musical score that is a series of false notes. The location of the Smithsonian affords Levy and screenwriters Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon the opportunity to make some unexpected pop culture references (at one point, Kahmunrah claims Archie Bunker's famous chair as his throne), but the storytellers still have no problem with dumbing down some of the jokes (a slap-fest between Stiller and two Capuchin monkeys goes nowhere).

But for all its ups and downs, this Night at the Museum contains one very special secret weapon: a snappy, confident, altogether incredible performance by Amy Adams, whose commanding portrayal of Amelia Earhart is the best and boldest treasure the movie has to offer. Adams is handed razor-sharp dialogue and she runs with the role from the moment she appears on screen. She brings a much-needed female attitude (and gently encouraging message about the empowerment of women) to a mostly male cast and never once drops the energy and enthusiasm that makes her performance such a treat to behold. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is a good-natured kids movie with an emphasis on playful spirit and it reaches the finish line in relatively victorious fashion because this trip to the Museum sells its story with as much excitement as the concept suggests. Especially thanks to Azaria and Adams, Levy finally gets it right the second time around.