Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

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.

You know, Night at the Museum is one of those films where it's not a huge movie, it's not a blockbuster, there's nothing wrong with it, it's just generally not talked about in the film fan world as I've seen it. It is however regarded as a nice family film to sit down and enjoy, so was the second instalment, and this one isn't any different.

We all know the premise; a special Egyptian tablet makes it possible for all the exhibits in the museum to come to life at night. What I'm glad about is that this third film is not a rehash of the previous two; it's predecessors had a similar theme of a main villain wanting the table,t which were different enough to enjoy but Secret of the Tomb does something completely different with it's plot and execution which is an awesome change I enjoyed a lot. Of course another thing we enjoy with these movies is the actual museum coming to life and they do some really cool stuff with that idea and it's awesome to see these historical figures interact with statues and even paintings!

They brought us some new characters too which included Lancelot who steals so many scenes and has some great lines, I love that character; also we get Ben Kingsley as King Merenkahre who surprisingly didn't actually have much screen time for a big-name actor. Rebel Wilson as a British security guard didn't quite grab me as the other characters did, she was the comedic relief in what was already a comedy so her presence wasn't really needed and could come off as annoying. In the end Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was a fun ride just like the first two, it has some awesome surprises I wasn't expecting and all round a good family film.

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.

-Secret of the Tomb is the third and final installment of the Night At The Museum series, and this time the tablet's power is running out and the gang must go to the British Natural History Museum to try to find answers and save the gang! -For a film with some flaws that I noticed, it was honestly pretty fun! And that's what really matters in this, because it's for families, not Oscars.

-The story is rushed and doesn't make much sense or hold much weight in the film honestly.

-The pace is not bad. It doesn't waste time, but it does drag once or twice.

-The acting is meh. I feel like Ben Stiller didn't try that hard, along with some of the supporting cast. A few others however, Robin Williams and Lancelot, are great! -The characters are cheesy, but they are not meant to be super deep, serious people. It's a fun film guys.

-The effects range from questionable-to-good, but not Oscar worthy.

-The music is good, but really a repeat of the first film.

-I will say what makes it good and fun is that it feels more like the first film! It is adventurous and sometimes tearjerking, but still fun throughout.

-It is rated PG, so yeah.

-So although it has some major cheese and doesn't let up on a pointless story, Night At The Museum 3 is still fun and surprisingly heartwarming. I don't know if it is worth running out to see, but it is definitely worth getting in a $5 bin! I would give it a good 7/10.