Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson
97 mins; Class PG;
KRS Film Releasing

I suppose your enjoyment levels of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, depends on your enjoyment of the first two films in the franchise.

Although I admit I have not seen these, the feeling I get is that this third instalment is simply a re-tread of what has gone before. Exhibits in a museum come to life; shenanigans ensue.

Mildly amusing though it may be, fans may well feel a sense of déjà vu as the story unfolds.

Ben Stiller is back as Larry Daley, former night guard and now director of night-time activities at the New York’s Natural History Museum.

When the museum’s exhibits, which come to life at night, start to behave oddly at a posh event, Larry discovers that the ancient Egyptian tablet which provides the magic that gives life to the exhibits has started to decay.

Boasts some eye-catching effects

Friends – and his son Nick – in tow, Larry takes the tablet to the British Museum hoping to restore the tablet’s power. The return of popular characters from the first two films include Robin Williams’s Teddy Roosevelt, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, as the miniature figures of Jedediah; and Ricky Gervais as the museum’s director.

However, the ensemble of comedic talent do not translate into the script, which does not go beyond the one-note premise.

On a sombre note, small though his contribution may be, Williams’s role is a little reminder of the extraordinary talent we lost this summer. It is actually the new additions to the mix that bring much of the laughs. Australian funny woman Rebel Wilson brings her trademark humour to a small but effective role as the British Museum’s night guard Tilly.

Yet, the biggest surprise is Dan Stevens, who continues to build an impressive post-Downton Abbey career. He gets to display his remarkable comedy chops here as Sir Lancelot, brought to imposing, broadsword-swishing life by the tablet. Long golden locks emphasising his ridiculous blue eyes; buffed up to a tee thanks to his heavy armour, Stevens is downright funny as the brash and brave knigh. His storyline is rendered even funnier with a scene-stealing cameo by an Australian actor.

As with its predecessors, the film boasts some eye-catching effects, not only in the various non-human creatures brought to life but in the various visuals, the best a scene in which Larry, Teddy and Lancelot fight over the tablet in a lithograph that is brought to life.

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