The third time is the charm for the Night at the Museum franchise: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is first good movie in the lot.
The previous chapters lacked soul, laughs and a true sense of adventure. This installment allows Ben Stiller to clown around a little more and drop some better jokes. Having him play a second character—a Neanderthal man—is an inspired touch.
This time out, Larry (Stiller) discovers that the ancient tablet that gives the museum attractions the ability to come alive is deteriorating. He ultimately treks to London to solve the problem, visiting a museum where Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens) comes to life.
Stevens is a nice addition; he’s consistently funny and wicked as the crazed knight. His subplot leads to him running onstage during a musical production of Camelot, which provides a pretty hilarious cameo that I won’t give away.
All of the usual characters are back, including Robin Williams, in one of his last roles, as Teddy Roosevelt. Mickey Rooney’s final appearance is also here; he has one twisted scene. Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan get a bunch of laughs as the cowboy and the Roman soldier, while the peeing monkey steals a bunch of scenes.
Stiller, director Shawn Levy and the cast finally get it right, and bring the series to what I hope is its conclusion. I never expected to laugh during a Night at the Museum movie—but I found myself giggling often during this one.
Special Features: A director’s commentary, a bunch of featurettes and some deleted and extended scenes make this a pretty packed disc.