Night At The Museum
Ben Stiller/Carla Gugino/Dick Van Dyke/108 minutes
The title and tagline – everything comes to life – pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the movie.
Oh, there’s a cursory story of a father fighting to earn his son’s respect and affection, but it’s merely tacked on as an excuse for the real star of the film – the special effects.
Stiller stars as the museum night guard who has to make sure nothing gets into, or out of, the building. Easier said than done when he has to deal with tyrannosaurus rex (or Rexy), marauding huns, and Lilliputian armies.
The DVD includes a director’s commentary in which Shawn Levy actually tells you where he pilfered the opening credits (Panic Room) and various shots from (Kramer Vs Kramer among others). At least he’s honest.
He also admitted that Stiller’s “unwavering perfectionism... can sometimes be hard”.
The blooper reel captures comedian Ricky Gervais’ (Britain’s The Office) notorious inability to get through a scene without cracking up.
There is also a simple game which involves the assembly of Rexy’s bones. Which confirms the suspicion that the movie is really pitched at little kids.
(ST)