Starring Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke, Carla Gugino, Mickey Rooney, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Bill Cobbs
Written By: Thomas Lennon, Ben Garant
Directed By: Shawn Levy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Night at the Museum was the surprise hit of the winter but I wasn’t surprised. As soon as I saw the trailer for the film, I knew audiences would love it. One, it has Ben Stiller in it and plus it just looked like a funny and cool adventure film. I think the film holds up well, and families will definitely enjoy this if you haven’t seen this already.

The film is about Larry Daley, a guy who comes up with all these far fetched ideas but in the end, they go nowhere. He can’t hold a job and can barely pay for his rent. He needs to get a job as soon as possible or his ex-wife won’t let him see his son anymore. So Larry ends up getting a security job at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. The three old security guards are getting phased out by Larry, but give him some helpful hints as what he’s in for. They know something more that what they are telling Larry but he soon finds out why they are so mum. Larry soon discovers that everything in the museum turns to life after dark. He interacts with people like Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, an Egyptian Prince, miniature Cowboys and Roman Soldiers and then fierce animals & creatures like a T-Rex skeleton, lions and an annoying monkey. Larry’s task every night is to make sure nothing gets in or out of the Museum or they will vaporize into dust if exposed to the sun. Larry gets his son into the act to impress him and show he isn’t crazy or a pathetic loser. They end up bonding together to fight someone who wants the magical Egyptian book that is the reason why everything is coming to life after dark.

I really wanted to see the movie in theaters but just couldn’t get myself there. So this was the first time I saw Night at the Museum. While I think the movie had some funny parts, I think it could have been a lot better & funnier. Even though this movie was based off a children’s book, I still think they went a little tame & lame with some jokes. Not sure what they should have done differently but just think I could have laughed a lot more than I did. I think the loudest I laughed was when the Caveman got on the news and we’re lighting fire on top of the roof. I just found that the funniest part for some reason. The monkey stuff was funny at first, but then it got old very quickly. The movie’s premise had a lot of potential and i’m surprised no one thought of this a lot sooner. I mean, there has been some movies or TV shows like this like the TV show Today’s Special (80’s show for you youngster out there) and Mannequin. This time, it’s a whole museum so I think that was very cool idea. I wonder what they would do for a sequel? Night at the Disney World? Nah, that wouldn’t work since Fox released this movie. But that would be an interesting premise though! To continue, I thought Ben Stiller did a good job in the film, and there was a lot of funny cameos from Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan and Owen Wilson. I wish there was more of Ricky Gervais because he was funny in the time that he was used in. As far as the Special Effects is concerned, I actually thought it could have been better in some areas. I thought the T-Rex looked good and all the miniature guys, but there was some other things like the coach chase scene that looked pretty bad. I think some of the guys from Lord of the Rings worked on this so I would have expected a little bit better.

Depending on what DVD version you get, you can watch a bunch of extras with the 2-disc special edition or just get the bare bones DVD with some commentary. The Special Edition DVD comes with a bunch of stuff like commentary, deleted/extended scenes, a bunch of featurettes, gag reel, Comedy Central special on the movie and lots more! I liked watching the deleted scenes but I can see why they were cut. A lot of the scenes were before Larry worked in the museum, and it pretty much reinforces the fact that he was a big-time loser. I thought the blooper reel was okay, and I liked the special effects featurette as well. There’s a small featurette about the director and how wacky and stupid looking he is off camera. It’s a funny montage because the director goes to great lengths at getting a shot and directing his actors.

Night at the Museum is a fun, enjoyable movie to watch on the weekend. I think the premise is great but in the end, it falls a little bit short. But with that said, I still think it’s worth watching.

Features:
Commentary by Director Shawn Levy
Commentary by Writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon
Featurettes: Bringing the Museum to Life, Directing 101, Monkey Business, Building the Museum, Historical Threads: The Costumes of Night At The Museum, Making Night At The Museum
Deleted and Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director Shawn Levy
Blooper Reel
Comedy Central’s Reel Comedy: Night At The Museum
The Director’s Vision Comes Alive – Storyboard-to-Screen Comparison
Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making a Scene
Fox Movie Channel Presents: Life After Film School
Reunite with Rexy DVD-Rom Game

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 CC
ENGLISH: DTS 5.1 CC
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround

Video:
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:
English, Spanish

Favorite Scenes: I just liked all the scenes in the museum. Nothing really in particular.
Rating: PG
Running Time: 110 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: