Notte al museo - Il segreto del faraone

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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I remember back in February 2007. I was 10 years old then. Our teachers at school said we were going to the library. It turned out they took us to the cinema. It was one of those surprises that you can't believe was real. We saw the first Night at the Museum. I remember liking the concept very much. I have always found museums fascinating, especially the ones of Natural history. So, the film always appealed to me. I saw it twice.

Then in May 2009 a sequel comes out. I remember having a fun time. When I left the cinema I was thinking: "What will happen in part 3?". Well, 5 years go by. And, a third film is ready to hit cinemas. I had to wait until February to see it though.

I finally got around to doing so today. It was kind of an empty cinema. Kind of a different feeling compared to how packed it was last week when I saw American Sniper. Anyway. I enjoyed the film. It was a good idea to make story about what would happen if the magic ran out. At the end though I felt really sentimental and a bit sad. The credits came up and everyone rushed out. I wondered if the kids today would feel the way I felt watching it. I remembered all the fun times I've had with my friends at school. It was really nice seeing all the character again in their full glory. The last film that made me feel this way was The World's End. But, this one left me thinking more.

I had completed a journey. It started out with all my friends and school in the cinema together. And, it ended with me alone. The movie at it's core was about moving on and saying goodbye to the past. But, it doesn't mean the past will disappear. You'll always be able to visit it again. You sit there watching the credits roll by and looking for a new journey to start. There will always be things to look forward to.

as Robin Williams would have said: Smile, my boy. It's sunrise

I'm glad I saw all these films.

Really enjoyed the first 'Night at the Museum'. Was less taken with the second, though that was more a mixed feelings sort film rather than a bad one. While not particularly well received, there was interest as to how the third 'Night at the Museum' film would fare and how the trilogy would end. Also the cast are too good to resist.

'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb' to me didn't turn out to be terrible. Not great, or particularly good, but it is watchable enough and like the second film in being a mixed feelings sort of film. Where does it fare compared to the previous two films? It is for me the weakest of the three and indicative that the series had run its course. It does have enough to warrant a one-time watch, with the special effects and the cast being the best assets.

The special effects are all round terrific, elaborate without being overblown and it was clear a lot of effort went into them. The museum setting provides a good atmosphere and all the different historical and such settings and attention to detail are attractive and again a lot of effort went into them. The score is rousing and there are amusing moments as well as thrilling ones.

Ben Stiller makes the most out of his material and works hard to make it work. Dan Stevens is a quite exuberant addition as Lancelot, Ricky Gervais is fun and it was interesting seeing Rami Malek and Ben Kingsley together (Malek doesn't quite out-act Kingsley but more than holds his own). Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney (in his final film) make nice small appearances, but other than Stevens the best performance comes from Robin Williams in a performance that's funny and somewhat moving. The monkey is also a scene stealer and just about avoids falling into distaste and the digs and references are quite nice.

However, the dialogue tends to be forced and too many of the jokes suffer from fatigue. Larry was written with much more enthusiasm before, he is not particularly interesting here, despite some well-intentioned if cloying father-son development, and he is made to act like too much of an idiot in other places. Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan try too hard and have been much funnier and better used elsewhere, while Rebel Wilson is just irritating. The direction is not as assured.

It's the story that comes off worst. It is very tired and predictable, and that is evident in lacklustre pacing and too many been there done that elements, including conflict that is too obvious too early. There is a sense of trying to do too much, hence why things feel muddled, and the characters are too many, some not always relevant. Structurally it feels cobbled together, while the final third is incredibly rushed and over-the-top and culminates in an ending where the sentimentality is too hard to stomach.

Concluding, watchable but also rather lacking. 5/10 Bethany Cox

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.