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EDITOR'S PICK
'Night
At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb': Watch it for Robin Williams only
Rating:
** 1/2
With 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb' as the last Hollywood film to be
released in 2014, the year ends with a whimper.
The third film of the series, where the exhibits in a museum come alive during
the night, is touted to be a comedy. Unfortunately, it is actually an
uninspiring, dramatic, family pot-boiler where unlike its previous editions it
lacks the lustre of a wholesome entertainer.
The film begins after a long prologue set in the deserts of Egypt in 1938, where
an archaeologist who is searching for the tomb of Ahkmenrah, accidentally finds
it and is warned, 'If any one disturbs this tomb the end will come.' To which
the archaeologist replies, 'We are not making a mistake, we are making history.'
This sets expectations rolling and the narration shifts gear to the American
Museum of Natural History in New York where night watchman Larry Daley is all
geared up to put up a great sound and lights benefit show. But alas things don't
go as planned and he soon correlates the corroding of a mystical tablet which
was found in Ahkmenrah's tomb with the malfunctioning of the exhibits.
He learns that the solution to this lies with Pharaoh Merenkahre, who is an
exhibit at the British Museum in London. So he travels all the way there to
learn the secret of the tomb.
Layered with parenting issues, where Larry a single parent is worried about his
son Nick's college plans, this fantasy-based adventure tale is superficially
constructed and hence there is no depth to the narration.
Also with dialogues like, 'Let no man stand between you and your destiny', 'the
young boy needs to slay his dragons,' the dramatic junctures seem forced and
pretentious.
Similarly the gags are staid, half-hearted and at the most draw only a chuckle.
With most of the characters being exhibits at the museum, their character graphs
are bland and one dimensional with no scope for performance. Ben Stiller plays a
double role which is distinct and cleverly plotted. Stiller as Larry, the night
watchman and a single parent bringing up his son Nick, is jaded but he breathes
life into the amusing Neanderthal exhibit 'Laa.'
Dan Stevens shines as the delusional Lancelot who is in search of Guinevere.
Similarly, Rami Malek as Ahkmenrah, Steve Coogan and Owen Wilson as the
miniature versions of the Roman leader Octavius and the cowboy Jedediah along
with Rebel Wilson as Tilly, the night guard at the British Museum, have their
moments of glory.
This being the last meaningful role of Robin Williams as the exhibit Teddy
Roosevelt, there are a few touching moments. But it is his energetic voice as
Garuda that enthralls you for a split second. On the other hand, Ben Kingsley as
Pharoah Merenkahre is wasted.
With good lighting, excellent production values and computer generated images,
the film is visually appealing but overall Director Shawn Levy's lethargic
efforts ensure that the soothsayer's prediction, 'the end will come' rings true
in this series of 'Night at the Museum.'