Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)

5/10

Starring

Ben Stiller

Robin Williams

Owen Wilson

Steve Coogan

Dan Stevens

Ben Kingsley

Directed by Shawn Levy

I wasn’t expecting much from this movie. The first part delivered all the excitement you’d want from a night guard’s adventures at a museum that comes to life when the moon is out. I enjoyed seeing the oldies—Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs, who played Cecil, Gus, and Reginald, respectively—as the bad guys in the first Night at the Museum. The fun mostly came from the energy and stamina Dick Van Dyke displayed as the ringleader of the antagonists in the first movie.

For me, if you want to enjoy this movie series, just watch the first part. Part three wasn’t it for me—I was bored after 20 minutes. That said, seeing Dick Van Dyke, at 88 years old, move and dance when all three oldies were at the retirement home was an enjoyable sight. The whole cast was called back to reprise their roles, from Owen Wilson to Robin Williams, though both Williams (who died by suicide) and Rooney (who passed naturally) died before the movie was released.

In this installment, the tablet of Ahkmenrah—which brings the museum to life every night—is becoming corrosive and losing its power. This causes the museum characters to misbehave and start turning into wax, even at night. Larry (Ben Stiller) decides to investigate the tablet’s origin and discovers that Cecil was the young boy who found it years ago. He meets up with Cecil and the other two retired guards at the retirement home, and Cecil suggests that Larry visit Ahkmenrah’s parents at the British Museum for answers. A new adventure begins as they try to get the tablet outside under the moonlight to restore its power. The only obstacle in their way is Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens), who believes the tablet is the Holy Grail and steals it, hoping to use it to win the heart of his beloved Guinevere.

Once again, the CGI in this movie was exceptional, but like the second part, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb felt unnecessary. The idea that every successful movie should automatically become a trilogy needs to be shelved—it’s getting boring.

My take on this movie? Even though I’m a huge fan of Ben Stiller, the late Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, and Owen Wilson, they weren’t enough to give this movie a reason to own the DVD collection.

Paddington (2014)

Paddington (2014)

7/10

Starring

Hugh Bonneville

Sally Hawkins

Julie Walters

Jim Broadbent

Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington

Directed by Paul King

Regardless of the lackluster performance of the children in the movie, the film was spectacular. The adult actors were on point and delivered the fun needed to make you love this movie from beginning to end. The comedy was warm-hearted and innocent—I couldn’t help but wish I could sit back and ask the controller to roll the movie again.

It is not all the time you get to watch a movie that just sits well with you. It is not the best movie in the world, but it sits well.

When I was younger and reading the picture book, I don’t recall much being said about Paddington’s backstory or origins. The decision by the screenwriters to give Paddington more depth was a great addition. The movie is based on Paddington Bear by Michael Bond. Paddington is a friendly bear from deepest, darkest Peru, who wears an old hat and carries a battered suitcase. He’s polite and well-mannered, but when he’s cross with you, he gives you a hard stare. He was adopted by the Browns, who named him Paddington after the train station where he was found.

The thing about Paddington is that trouble always seems to find him, and this movie is no exception. Paddington goes home with the Browns, only to be hunted by Millicent Clyde, who wants to kill and stuff him for display. Paddington isn’t doing so well with the Browns either, struggling to fit into a lifestyle filled with gadgets, baths, and toothbrushes.

Watching this movie made me reminisce about my younger days with Paddington. I had the book and watched the cartoon series, and I was never tired of the bear who loved marmalade. Because of Paddington, I tried marmalade, but I never grew to love it as much as he did.

The loose ends in Paddington are pretty glaring, though you might miss them if you’re too caught up in the performances and the wonderful CGI:

• Paddington’s aunt left him to fend for himself—or, to put it more bluntly, abandoned him.
• She went away without saying where she was going, yet Paddington kept sending her letters.

The writers will need to tie up these loose ends if they make a sequel, which I’m sure they’re considering, thanks to the financial success of this movie. Paddington Bear is waiting for you to buy a ticket or DVD and see him stand out as he becomes a beloved member of the Browns family.