[Film] Why are you slapping the monkey? (Night at the Museum (DVD))

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Night at the Museum (DVD)
Date:	23/08/07 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good feel good family film, A lot of good, comedy actors

Disadvantages: A little bit cliched

When Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) needs a job his last resort is to become the night security guard at the Museum of Natural History. His son (Jake Cherry) thinks he is a total loser but Larry is determined to prove him wrong. During his first night in the museum thinks take a strange turn and due to an ancient curse all the exhibits become alive. He struggles to deal with the events of the evening but decides to keep trying. Till one night he takes his son to work and the old Museum security guards break in and start stealing artefacts. It’s now up to Larry to turn the chaos of the previous nights into an attempt to foil the robbers and get the exhibits working together.

I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised by Night at the Museum. I hadn’t really expected much from it and with Ben Stiller in the lead role it put me off slightly. It was a pleasant surprise that having watched it last night I actually found myself liking it. It’s a good family comedy, which relies on a lot of obvious types of humour but would provide entertainment for both adults and kids alike. Although the exhibits coming to life might be a little shocking at first, I can imagine that it’d be fascinating for younger kids.

This movie is the first time I’ve come across director Shawn Levy, despite his previous work on The Pink Panther and Cheaper By The Dozen. His style seems to suit this type of film and while I wasn’t sure I’d find it that funny it seems to work well. The camera angles flow smoothly and the special effects look amazing. In fact the exhibits coming to life look incredible convincing and really help to make the movie. The amount of detail and design that went into making it work is impressive and really worth watching the movie for alone.

It’s not only about direction with this type of movie though, it’s also about the script as well and this film also works on this front. The combination of Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon seems to work well to create a very funny and constantly moving script. There is no point where you feel the movie has got bogged down or that something should have been left out. In fact at 108 minutes long it’s just about the right length and holds your interest throughout. Of course the fact the duo have worked together on a number of other projects will also have helped to ensure this film contained the right ingredients.

If I were to be honest the main reason I wasn’t sure about this movie before I watched it would have been Ben Stiller. I still can’t make up my mind if I actually find him funny or not. In this part however he is perfect for the role. The sort of obvious comedy and the mannerisms of the lead character seem to suit Stiller’s persona. While he is impressive in the lead role I did think the relationship between his character and his son, played by Jake Cherry, seemed to be awfully awkward. Cherry’s part was a little see through and seemed to be purely there to create a family feel good moment at the end. Of course this is nothing new in these types of movies, but I felt his character could have had more about him.

The rest of the cast seems to be made up of a mixture of incredibly well known actors. I was especially impressed by Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs as the old security team. They fitted into the mood of the film very well and slotted into the roles with ease. With Robin Williams appearing as Teddy Roosevelt, Steve Coogan as Octavius and Owen Wilson as Jedediah the cast is packed full of comedy talent and it works incredibly well. The other performance that really stood out for me was Ricky Gervais as the museum curator. His performance was very fitting and again added some very comical moments.

Overall while this is a film I had a lot of reservations about before I watched it I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cast are superb and with so many big names in the comedy world you can’t fail but to laugh watching this film. It is an excellent choice for a family afternoon in and I think it appeals well to parents as well as children. It has the typical family feel good moment and while that could have been done better it fits the requirements well. If you get the chance I would recommend sitting down and watching this, it’s a nice, easy watching way to spend an evening.

Amazon: £11.99
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Summary: A good alround family film