Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
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A former museum guard must travel to Washington, D.C. to rescue his friends and the museum's exhibits from a villainous pharaoh.
The story
Two years after the events of the first film, Larry Daley has left his job as night guard at the Museum of Natural History to start a company selling his own inventions. When he learns that most exhibits are being moved to the Smithsonian Institution archives in Washington, D.C., and replaced with holographic displays, he receives a panicked call from his friends. They are being held by a villainous pharaoh named Kahmunrah who plans to use a magical tablet to open the Gate of the Underworld. Larry must travel to the capital and pose as a night guard to infiltrate the archives and rescue the exhibits.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After leaving his job at the Museum of Natural History, Larry Daley learns that the museum's exhibits are being moved to the Smithsonian Institution. He receives a frantic call from Jedediah, a miniature cowboy, explaining that the artifacts are under attack by the villainous pharaoh Kahmunrah, who seeks to use the Tablet of Ahkmenrah to open the Gate of the Underworld. Larry travels to Washington, D.C., and infiltrates the archives, where he finds his friends trapped. He is joined by Amelia Earhart, a wax figure who becomes his ally. The duo faces off against Kahmunrah's forces, including historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Ivan the Terrible. After a series of adventures across various Smithsonian locations, including the National Air and Space Museum, Larry and Amelia must stop Kahmunrah from opening the gate. In a final confrontation, Larry uses his flashlight to duel Kahmunrah while Amelia reopens the gate to banish him. After the battle, Amelia returns to the Smithsonian, and Larry eventually makes a donation to the Natural History Museum, where he eventually meets a woman named Tess who resembles Amelia.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Shawn Levy
- Writers
- Robert Ben Garant · writer; Thomas Lennon · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ben Stiller · Larry Daley; Amy Adams · Amelia Earhart; Hank Azaria · Kahmunrah; Robin Williams · Theodore Roosevelt; Owen Wilson · Jedediah; Steve Coogan · Octavius; Christopher Guest · Ivan the Terrible; Alain Chabat · Napoleon Bonaparte
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- friendship; heroism
- Tone and mood
- slapstick
- Premise and plot tags
- sequel; museum; fantasy
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box-office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 43% · scale: percentage · review count: 168; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.1 · scale: /10; Metacritic · score: 42 · scale: out of 100 · review count: 31
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in Vancouver and Montreal.; The film's score was composed by Alan Silvestri.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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