Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Three-Disc Edition) – Blu-ray Review

By Dana Rae Dec 4, 2009, 13:15 GMT

History is larger than life - and twice as funny - in this monumental comedy sequel that\'s "better than the original" (At the Movies)! Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast (including Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria and Robin Williams) as Larry Daley, a former night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, where the exhibits come to life after dark. But now Larry\'s nocturnal friends are being retired to ...more

The second installment of the wildly successful (and big money-maker!) Night at the Museum is open for business. Battle of the Smithsonian, or Night at the Museum 2, comes to Blu-ray packed with special features, laughs and fun for the whole family.

Kids will rejoice (mine did, they loved it), but adults might be a bit tetchy at this second release in the franchise (and I am sure it will be one). Some eye-rolling might ensue, but it is a great movie for family movie night, so hang in there dad and mom, it does entertain. And it educates – well in an CGI heavy kind of way. 

Ben Stiller reprises his role as Larry Daley, but a successful Larry Daley who has cornered the infomercial market with his inventions. He has become CEO of his own company and has quite the swagger in the business world (limo included).

He gets a call from the past: his former boss from his days as a night security guard calls him, and tells him that the museum has fallen on hard times. Of course he must save it, or rather, he must save the exhibits that are being shipped away, and the tablet that brings them to life.

Supported by a weighty star-studded cast that includes Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Amy Adams, to name but a few, Battle of the Smithsonian is an entertainment delight to children and there is a benefit here.

History comes to life in this movie, we know that from the first one. We see Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher), Napoleon (Alain Chabat), Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), to name a few of the many characters through out history. 

As I was watching this I thought ‘Children are learning!’, and that is just too cool. I know the first film did this, but the second takes it to another level. The art comes alive. Suddenly children are inundated with works of art.

Even photographs come alive, such as the famous WWII photograph of the sailor kissing the nurse.   All of this takes place in the Smithsonian, whereas before, they were in a history museum, so I thought that upped the ante for this one.

The special effects are amazing, and on Blu-ray, the paintings are spectacular. It is truly a movie made for the technology of Blu-ray. When they end up in the WWII photograph -well, I will let you see for yourself. 

Another reason to enjoy this movie is the barrage of special features that come with it. Three discs are included, one being the DVD (a great addition to parents who have both Blu-ray player and DVD), one being the high definition edition on Blu-ray loaded with special features such as a gag reel, 12 deleted scenes, a behind the scenes with Ben Stiller, to name just a few. The third disc includes a digital copy of the movie for portable media players.

This is a really good buy for a family with children. It makes a really good movie for family movie night. The special features make it even more entertaining. Well worth the money. Highly recommended. 

Visit the DVD database for more information.