'Night At The Museum 2' - A guided tour down memory lane

By Joginder Tuteja, Film: 'Night At The Museum 2'; Cast: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams; Director: Shawn Levy; Rating: **1/2

"Night At The Museum 2" packs in quite a lot. No, not from the script or pace perspective, but in terms of characters and especially their historical relevance. Whether it is real life or reel references, the film has a lot going on, making you feel you could explore a lot if you watched it again.

But does it actually have ingredients enticing enough to make you return? No.

So while the likes of "Harry Potter", "Spiderman" and many more have been churning out sequels at regular intervals, courtesy a 'greed factor' associated with them that makes audiences ask for more, the same can't really be said about "Night At The Museum 2". The film takes some time to get on its feet and though it starts reasonably okay, the thrills don't quite keep up the pace.

Throughout, it remains just above average. There isn't much drama for grown-ups, and only intermittent fun for kids. The writers were right in keeping the plot simple, but the sequences don't really come with any 'lock your eyes on the screen' value.

This means that even as Ben Stiller returns to the museum and tries to rescue his friends, there isn't much humour or emotion that makes you pray for his victory.

The good part though is the introduction of new characters -- Hank Azaria as an evil Pharaoh Kahmunrah perks up the screen every time he appears. His interaction with Ben especially raises laughter at almost every instance, mainly due to his vocabulary and dialogue delivery.

Also interesting are the portions featuring Alain Chabat as Napoleon Bonaparte, but the parts featuring General George Armstrong Custer (Bill Hader) are a big bore. Introduction of Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) sounds good on paper, but hardly adds to the plot. However, Albert Einstein bobble-heads are cute and would be loved by kids.

The most adorable of them all though are the three Cupids who light up the scene every time they appear.

The actor who does get a meaty part for herself is Amy Adams who enacts the role of Amelia Earhart who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Ultimately the film turns out to be more of a guided tour of various characters from history.

--IANS