Night at the Museum, is directed by Shawn Levy, written by Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon is based in the book by Milan Trenc and stars Ben Stiller. The inside of a Laffy Taffy wrapper made into a film, this flick is full of eye rolling almost humor.
This film is set in the New York Natural History Museum. Ben Stiller plays Ben Stiller .er Larry Daley, the new, unsuspecting security guard who can't seem to get his life together. He stumbles into the job when his ex-wife requires him to get his life together before he can see his son again. What he doesn't know when he takes the job is that all of the exhibits in the museum magically come to life when the sun goes down. Crazy characters spring up from all over the museum, wreaking havoc and being generally mischievous. Some of the exhibits are horrendously wicked and try to kill Larry. Other exhibits just try to kill each other. The old security guards give him a list of things to do but he disregards the list until it is nearly too late. Poor Larry loses his directions when the all too silly Dexter the Monkey steals them. Larry spends his first night running around trying not to be eaten, trampled, slaughtered or go insane. At the end of the night though they all return to their respective areas and assume their display positions.
I had serious suspension of disbelief issues with this movie but not with the magical museum itself. Larry is allowed to assume the role as the sole night security guard of one of the largest natural history museums in America with only one five minute interview with the head security guard, no background check, no experience and a horrible resume. Maybe I'm just being nit-picky but it makes me suspicious. Then Larry is left with no notice about the exhibits. How on earth could the old security guards keep this daily magical event a secret if they didn't train the new guy and tell him to keep his mouth shut? When Larry realizes he has to tell his son what is going on in the museum he brings him to work, with the killer exhibits. Good parenting? I think not. No wonder his ex-wife wants him to get his stuff together. The head muckity muck, played by Ricky Gervais, walks into the museum and realizes that one miniature of thousands is out of place. Huh? Doesn't this guy have nothing better to do?
Robyn Williams has a small role as Teddy Roosevelt and the catalyst of personal change for Larry. Even Robyn Williams can not save this movie. A magical museum, I can get my mind around that. It is a whimsical idea for a story. I have gone to a museum and imagined what it would have been like to be there. Much to my chagrin, I don't think there is anything whimsical about Ben Stiller or any of the other actors in this flick.
The movie is chalked full of unnecessary gags. A scene which had plot development value was completely destroyed when a puck hits Stiller in the face. Why? For a cheap laugh? They ruined the scene for nothing.
That is only funny if you are stoned, seven or never actually played hockey. Stiller would be a funny guy if he decided to make movies that were either slapstick or situational humor but not both.
The special effects in this movie are mostly believable. The T-rex is expertly done. Like so many of these movies, the best parts of the dinosaur scenes are in the trailers and feel old by the time you see them in the theater. The animation wasn't all good though. The miniatures, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, look like the Brownies did in "Willow."
I was impressed by the costume design. The range of different costumes necessary to fill out a natural history museum is vast. Renée April, the movie's costume designer, gives each of the costumes an authentic feel for their representative times but also for having been in a museum for an extended period of time.
The movie is obviously made with children in mind but some of the content is inappropriate for small children. A good children's movie has a balance to make it interesting for adults. The subplots are meant for adults but are uninteresting and underdeveloped to be interesting to anyone.
I spent more time rolling my eyes then giggling. I never got up to a full laugh. I felt like I spent an hour and a reading the back of a Laffy Taffy wrapper and got nothing soft and chewy to eat.
This film is set in the New York Natural History Museum. Ben Stiller plays Ben Stiller .er Larry Daley, the new, unsuspecting security guard who can't seem to get his life together. He stumbles into the job when his ex-wife requires him to get his life together before he can see his son again. What he doesn't know when he takes the job is that all of the exhibits in the museum magically come to life when the sun goes down. Crazy characters spring up from all over the museum, wreaking havoc and being generally mischievous. Some of the exhibits are horrendously wicked and try to kill Larry. Other exhibits just try to kill each other. The old security guards give him a list of things to do but he disregards the list until it is nearly too late. Poor Larry loses his directions when the all too silly Dexter the Monkey steals them. Larry spends his first night running around trying not to be eaten, trampled, slaughtered or go insane. At the end of the night though they all return to their respective areas and assume their display positions.
I had serious suspension of disbelief issues with this movie but not with the magical museum itself. Larry is allowed to assume the role as the sole night security guard of one of the largest natural history museums in America with only one five minute interview with the head security guard, no background check, no experience and a horrible resume. Maybe I'm just being nit-picky but it makes me suspicious. Then Larry is left with no notice about the exhibits. How on earth could the old security guards keep this daily magical event a secret if they didn't train the new guy and tell him to keep his mouth shut? When Larry realizes he has to tell his son what is going on in the museum he brings him to work, with the killer exhibits. Good parenting? I think not. No wonder his ex-wife wants him to get his stuff together. The head muckity muck, played by Ricky Gervais, walks into the museum and realizes that one miniature of thousands is out of place. Huh? Doesn't this guy have nothing better to do?
Robyn Williams has a small role as Teddy Roosevelt and the catalyst of personal change for Larry. Even Robyn Williams can not save this movie. A magical museum, I can get my mind around that. It is a whimsical idea for a story. I have gone to a museum and imagined what it would have been like to be there. Much to my chagrin, I don't think there is anything whimsical about Ben Stiller or any of the other actors in this flick.
The movie is chalked full of unnecessary gags. A scene which had plot development value was completely destroyed when a puck hits Stiller in the face. Why? For a cheap laugh? They ruined the scene for nothing.
That is only funny if you are stoned, seven or never actually played hockey. Stiller would be a funny guy if he decided to make movies that were either slapstick or situational humor but not both.
The special effects in this movie are mostly believable. The T-rex is expertly done. Like so many of these movies, the best parts of the dinosaur scenes are in the trailers and feel old by the time you see them in the theater. The animation wasn't all good though. The miniatures, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, look like the Brownies did in "Willow."
I was impressed by the costume design. The range of different costumes necessary to fill out a natural history museum is vast. Renée April, the movie's costume designer, gives each of the costumes an authentic feel for their representative times but also for having been in a museum for an extended period of time.
The movie is obviously made with children in mind but some of the content is inappropriate for small children. A good children's movie has a balance to make it interesting for adults. The subplots are meant for adults but are uninteresting and underdeveloped to be interesting to anyone.
I spent more time rolling my eyes then giggling. I never got up to a full laugh. I felt like I spent an hour and a reading the back of a Laffy Taffy wrapper and got nothing soft and chewy to eat.