Night At The Museum- Thoughts
August 16th 2007 04:53
Night at the Museum
Review
You pretty much know what to expect with a Ben Stiller vehicle. High art, his movies are not. But they are usually amusing, so one out of two ain’t bad. In the past, he’s been responsible for such mirthful comedies as Zoolander and Meet the Parents.
Night At The Museum is precisely the sort of film I would have been attracted to as a kid. Full of colour, adventure, humour, and above all, history. As a wee lad, I was fascinated by historical eras before my own. In particular, the Roman epoch, and the Egyptian pharoahs. Both are catered for here.
The plot is no great shakes. But let’s be honest, who watches popcorn entertainment like NATM for the storyline? You want to see skeletal dinosaurs wreaking havoc, and Genghis Khan cutting a swathe through the museum lobby! Anyway, I digress. Basically this is the story of an unemployed, but loveable loser (Stiller) who applies for a night watchman’s job at the New York Museum of Natural History to impress his son, after being told by his ex-wife to get his act together. Before commencing the position, he is warned of the dangers inherent in it by the retiring trio of night watchmen, played by Hollywood veteran actors Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cobb, and Mickey Rooney. It is a true pleasure to see these screen legends in action on the big screen again. Former 1930’s child star Rooney, in particular, is fantastically cast as the grumpy old cynic.
A brief, but standout, performance is given by The Office star Ricky Gervais as the museum curator. His appearances are only fleeting in the narrative, but he always leaves an impression on the viewer with his manic, eccentric brand of British humour.
Comic legend Robin Williams plays former US president Theodore Roosevelt (or rather, a waxwork mannequin of said leader) extremely well. His performance is another high point of this movie.
The special effects are, as you’d expect, very nice indeed. The Lilliputian sized Roman army being one of my personal favourites. One might argue with the decision to cast I’m Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan as a Roman general. His performance, though awesome and funny, is a little anachronistic. Would Roman legionnaires really speak English, and with a British accent? Same problem with Owen Wilson as the 1800s cowboy. He uses language not commonly found in 19th century cattle rustler frontier towns. But who watches these movies for historical accuracy, anyway?
I enjoyed it very much, overall. It might not be Kurosawa, but its bloody great entertainment. It’s like a combination of The Indian In the Cupboard and Jumanji.
Available now on DVD
Review
You pretty much know what to expect with a Ben Stiller vehicle. High art, his movies are not. But they are usually amusing, so one out of two ain’t bad. In the past, he’s been responsible for such mirthful comedies as Zoolander and Meet the Parents.
Night At The Museum is precisely the sort of film I would have been attracted to as a kid. Full of colour, adventure, humour, and above all, history. As a wee lad, I was fascinated by historical eras before my own. In particular, the Roman epoch, and the Egyptian pharoahs. Both are catered for here.
The plot is no great shakes. But let’s be honest, who watches popcorn entertainment like NATM for the storyline? You want to see skeletal dinosaurs wreaking havoc, and Genghis Khan cutting a swathe through the museum lobby! Anyway, I digress. Basically this is the story of an unemployed, but loveable loser (Stiller) who applies for a night watchman’s job at the New York Museum of Natural History to impress his son, after being told by his ex-wife to get his act together. Before commencing the position, he is warned of the dangers inherent in it by the retiring trio of night watchmen, played by Hollywood veteran actors Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cobb, and Mickey Rooney. It is a true pleasure to see these screen legends in action on the big screen again. Former 1930’s child star Rooney, in particular, is fantastically cast as the grumpy old cynic.
A brief, but standout, performance is given by The Office star Ricky Gervais as the museum curator. His appearances are only fleeting in the narrative, but he always leaves an impression on the viewer with his manic, eccentric brand of British humour.
Comic legend Robin Williams plays former US president Theodore Roosevelt (or rather, a waxwork mannequin of said leader) extremely well. His performance is another high point of this movie.
The special effects are, as you’d expect, very nice indeed. The Lilliputian sized Roman army being one of my personal favourites. One might argue with the decision to cast I’m Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan as a Roman general. His performance, though awesome and funny, is a little anachronistic. Would Roman legionnaires really speak English, and with a British accent? Same problem with Owen Wilson as the 1800s cowboy. He uses language not commonly found in 19th century cattle rustler frontier towns. But who watches these movies for historical accuracy, anyway?
I enjoyed it very much, overall. It might not be Kurosawa, but its bloody great entertainment. It’s like a combination of The Indian In the Cupboard and Jumanji.
Available now on DVD
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