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Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

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Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (Facebook)
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (Facebook)
Whats it about:

Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled night at the museum ever, as Larry spans the globe, uniting favourite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it’s gone forever!

What we thought:

The Night at the Museum franchise has never appealed to me. Everything in it from the first film felt forced; like no one acting in it really wants to be in it, and the comedic gags is so basic. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, appeared to be no exception, and although it still hasn’t vindicated the existence of the series for me, I did have more of a laugh then I normally did.

Cue the Indiana Jones knockoff, the Night at the Museum 3 backtracks to the discovery of the magical tablet and Ahkmenrah and his family. Fast-forward to the present, and the museum exhibits are acting a little funny and their security guard(ian) realises the magic is running out. Oh no.

They travel to the British Museum to find out from Ahkmenrah’s father how to fix the tablet, and in the process wake up the museum’s inhabitants for the first time. Inanimate objects becoming animate for the first time is a confusing time for everyone involved, especially the over-the-top Lancelot who tries to give Ben Stiller’s on-screen son advice on dealing with his dad.

I have to admit I did unfortunately laugh at many scenes, and although still as silly, they seemed to have gone for a more subdued comedic effect than previous films.

Although it still seems like no one wants to be in it, except maybe for Downton Abbey poster boy Dan Stevens (Lancelot), who really did seem to revel in his role. Stiller seems to have calmed down in his comedic shenanigans, opting for more dead-pan jokes than goofiness.

Another great part was the best cameo scene from an actor, playing himself, to ever hit through that fourth wall, but I’ll leave that as a welcome surprise in case your kids drag you to this over the summer holidays.

Although I am a bit peeved at the universe that one of Robin Williams’ (my favourite actor/idol of all time) last films is playing a museum version of Teddy Roosevelt, his farewell speech to Stiller’s character just hit me right in the feels. Thanks to the film it is clear that I am still grieving the only Hollywood star that ever felt like family to me. Damn you Night at the Museum.

Although I would love to give it two stars, it did not end up being as terrible as anticipated, especially for a third film, but it still repeats the same story hacks from the previous films, although one cannot fault Rebel Wilson in anything she does. She just makes everything better.
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