La Nuit au musée : Le Secret des pharaons

-Secret of the Tomb is the third and final installment of the Night At The Museum series, and this time the tablet's power is running out and the gang must go to the British Natural History Museum to try to find answers and save the gang! -For a film with some flaws that I noticed, it was honestly pretty fun! And that's what really matters in this, because it's for families, not Oscars.

-The story is rushed and doesn't make much sense or hold much weight in the film honestly.

-The pace is not bad. It doesn't waste time, but it does drag once or twice.

-The acting is meh. I feel like Ben Stiller didn't try that hard, along with some of the supporting cast. A few others however, Robin Williams and Lancelot, are great! -The characters are cheesy, but they are not meant to be super deep, serious people. It's a fun film guys.

-The effects range from questionable-to-good, but not Oscar worthy.

-The music is good, but really a repeat of the first film.

-I will say what makes it good and fun is that it feels more like the first film! It is adventurous and sometimes tearjerking, but still fun throughout.

-It is rated PG, so yeah.

-So although it has some major cheese and doesn't let up on a pointless story, Night At The Museum 3 is still fun and surprisingly heartwarming. I don't know if it is worth running out to see, but it is definitely worth getting in a $5 bin! I would give it a good 7/10.

In spite of the absence of a number in the title, this is the third (and last?) film in a franchise that I have thoroughly enjoyed for providing inventive entertainment (imagine a fight sequence inside a MC Escher drawing). Each movie has been based in a museum I know well and this time we are in my home city of London at the wonderful British Museum which means that the Elgin Marbles and other artifacts come alive. At the heart of the franchise is Ben Stiller, a comic actor with deceptively understated style, and this time he gets to plays two very contrasting roles, particularly funny when his characters interact.

If there are weaknesses in this outing, they are that perhaps too many of the original characters are involved (meaning that screen time is spread rather thinly between them), there could have been more original museum characters (the main one is Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot), and it would have been good to have more female roles (Australian Rebel Wilson as the BM security guard is effectively the only substantive one). And, of course, there is the sadness of seeing Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney in their last screen roles.

All that said, this is a worthy addition to a really fun franchise which has probably now run its course.

Another day, another sequel and this one is unfortunately another kids movie that shouldn't have seen the light of day. I'm not against sequels mind you, but in most kids series seldom is any sequel as good as the first installment. This is the case for this past weekend's release starring the ever wacky Ben Stiller and his posse of celebrities. Yes my friends we take another trip back to the museum, for another hopefully fun adventure amidst it's hallowed halls. So sit back and read a late review of another Night at the Museum, the Secret of the Tomb.

Likes: One thing I have always liked with this series is the selection of exhibits they choose to bring to life, and the integration of their personalities. This installment brings the magic early on, bringing back familiar faces like Teddy (Robin Williams), Jed (Owen Wilson), and Octavius (Steve Coogan) in all their comedic glory. Amidst a grand speech, cool CGI effects are put into effect to bring the constellations alive that shine in all their cool blue light before chaos arises. Once we get to the London museum, more exciting things come alive, in the form of another CGI fossil, a mythical snake demon made of metal, and the warrior with golden locks Lancelot (Dan Stevens). The effects are fluid, the designs beautiful, and when actually integrated into the movie, more on that later, you get the fun feeling you got in the first movie. Unfortunately most of these objects are background, aimlessly wandering around the scene while the big boys come out to play.

Outside of the special effects there are some fun pokes at human society's obsessions, especially at internet videos, pop culture, and of course ridiculous habits that celebrities have. Some of these jokes are well timed, often delivered in a manner that is quite funny. However, many of the jokes, as happens most of the time, lose their charm and the lack of any witty humor makes it pretty much just mindless rambling that kids will only enjoy. Oh sure it's cute, but Hollywood needs to learn that more isn't necessary funnier, in fact it's the opposite. However, audiences allow them to get away with it, so what is the use in complaining.

Now past funny, this Night at the Museum has another emotional side to it, helping to teach the moral lesson of moving on in the magical theatrical way. With the use of orchestrated symphony work, well angled camera shots, decent writing, and of course great acting, I'll admit I got that tingly feeling all over. No it's not gas, but those looking for a life lesson reminder will get it in this film, and a decent closing to the series… I think. As for acting, well Stiller gets the most screen time on this one. The verdict, it's alright… when he's not acting like a buffoon, and the man has some surprising agility and giant snake battle skills. Most of the time he is a bumbling idiot, but given enough time he can pull out some other feelings that we saw in Meet the Parents. As for Williams, may he rest in peace, the man gave one brilliant performance despite his character being diluted from its previous glory.

Dislikes: A lot in this category for this reviewer. It starts with the adventure, which in the third installment has been diluted to a rushed set of sequences, hastily edited together to get out in time for Christmas. A shame since the tale had promise of suspense, timing, and mystery that could have tied so many things together. Instead, the story lacked any depth, quickly revealing the secret without so much a trial, a challenge, or even an argument, it was just handed right to them and a rather lame story as well. In addition, a lot of the suspense was missing in this film, with only an irregular decay in the tablet's magic threatening our heroes. Speaking of which the cavalcade also lost their spunk, the strong willed character reduced to comedic boobs, some of which hardly utter a line, as Ben Stiller takes center stage. Such a shame indeed, but your kids will get a kick out of the simplistic journey, that is if they can sit in there seats… which some chose not to.

Instead the adventure was put aside for… comedy, or what passed for it in this movie. Yes there were a few zingers at first, but they quickly were lost to stupid rants of ridiculous arguing with his caveman doppleganger, stupid exchange of words with exhibits, and some rather awkward discussions with Rebel Wilson. Sure it happens once or twice I can handle it, but it just kept happening, even at the big, exciting climax, with the lame bad guy. Why can these films not realize the limits of tired jokes? I can't answer it either, but sadly it took away from the movie. Perhaps this comedy was the reason why the characters were also a shell of their former glory, and why they were pretty much background characters with the new exhibits. Even the normally cute dynamic between father and son was bad, Hollywood choosing to make the son another lame teenager like most movies do. Is it accurate? Probably, but in a movie with magical tablets you would think a little magic could spread to the humans as well.

I'm not going to lie, this movie failed me on many levels, and disappointed me for the grand conclusion. Still, it is a cute film that kids will handle, and still holds a little of the spark that got me into the series. Worth a trip to the theater? Not really, but if you wish to pay homage to a few of the stars I wouldn't blame you. My scores for this film are:

Adventure/Comedy/Family: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0

While viewing the film it is rather sad watching the final performance of Mickey Rooney who played Gus in the first film and robin Williams in one of his final film roles as Theodore Roosevelt who loons rather sad and not his usual energetic self but I think he manages to do a decent job in the role. In this installment, the tablet that keeps the exhibits alive at night is starting to lose its power and the only way to prevent the magic from disappearing is going to the British museum which would be able to restore the power of the tablet back to its glory, I will say while in some ways it closes one chapter being Larry daily but leaves the story to continue with another.

Night at the Museum was an original, hilarious, fantastical smash hit - but can Secret of the Tomb compensate for Battle of the Smithsonian's misstep? Night at the Museum can be everything an audience wants from a family film for the whole brood. Secret of the Tomb delivers adequately in the way a third film should, with heart, care and laughter.

Larry the night guard is still living the dream caring for the exhibits, and familiar characters, that come alive at night at the Museum of Natural History, thanks to the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. But magic is a fickle thing, and the Tablet is deteriorating, causing mayhem, havoc and danger to his pals at the museum. Motivated to save his friends, he ventures on a quest to discover more about the Tablet which brings him to the Museum of London as a last ditch effort to restore the Tablet and preserve his waxy, plastic and ancient companions.

With its third and final installment, director Shawn Levy returns to the magic that existed in the original Night at the Museum which ultimately captivated film-goers. As with many sequels, the third installment stays true to the premise of its predecessors and only slightly freshens up the premise with a couple of new characters and a swift change of location. Screenwriters David Guion and Michael Handelman smartly bring back beloved characters from the first film and don't muddy up the premise or story too much with over-complications.

Fans of the franchise will be pleasantly surprised by the heartfelt and sentimental Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. The thoughtfulness and homages to ancient history are present and the jokes have a wide enough range to make any age giggle. Rebel Wilson might be the one drawback for some viewers, as her distinctly loud character is weird and obnoxious and detracts from the sweet film.

Film watchers be warned, you might shed many tears by the end of this film, as this film critic did. The poignancy and relevancy of the film's final scenes are nearly too much as this film touches your soul and makes you nostalgic for the wonder that is Robin Williams.

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