Dum dum still has gum gum

It's a rare feat for a film sequel to live up to the lofty standards set by a spectacular original, but Night at the Museum 2 should satisfy fans of its predecessor as well as anyone who enjoys history and/or light-hearted adventure.

Battle of the Smithsonian picks up a couple years from where the original Night at the Museum left off. Hoping to keep up with technological trends, the board of New York's Museum of Natural History has decided to replace most of the antiquated exhibits with interactive holographs. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), who has moved on from his night guard job to start his own gadget company, is called in to rescue the figures from deep storage at the National Archives (under the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.).

Although many of the original characters reprise their roles, a majority of them are minor characters, with the exception of Daley and diorama miniatures Jed (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan). Because the Tablet of Ahkmenrah's transfer to D.C. awakens the Smithsonian's inhabitants, however, we meet plenty of interesting new folks.

Apparently, Ahkmenrah's wicked brother Kahmunrah (played masterfully by the hilarious Hank Azaria) wants control of the magical tablet in order to free his army from the underworld. He takes Jed, Octavius, the cavemen, Attila and several of his Huns, and Sacajawea captive and recruits Napoleon, Ivan the Terrible and Al Capone (who, along with his gangsters, appears in black and white throughout the film) to help him carry out his evil plan. (In a particularly amusing moment, he rejects the aid of Oscar the Grouch and Darth Vader.)

Joining Daley in his fight for the good side are Amy Adams' adorable Amelia Earhart and the bumbling General George Armstrong Custer (SNL's Bill Hader). He also gets a hand from the Tuskegee Airmen and a HUGE Abe Lincoln (who is voiced by Azaria, as is the apparently Brooklyn native Thinker statue).

The tremendous array of activity that having the tablet at the massive, sprawling Smithsonian allows sets the sequel apart from the original. Battle of the Smithsonian's writers took advantage of every possibility, even bringing 2D art to life (Daley and Earhart jump into the 1940s in one scene through a portal created by the famous "Kiss at Times Square" photo). A trio of cupids from a fountain at the Smithsonian's entrance provide numerous comic moments with their contemporary music serenades, and the array of art-inspired critters and creatures that wander through the background may surprise and amuse you. The portal to the underworld even creates a Mummy-esque special effects moment.

Secondary to the main plot is how Daley feels about his new station in life. Unlike in the original, when he was a deadbeat aiming to turn his life around by taking the museum night guard position, Daley has achieved tremendous success as an inventor and corporate CEO. Although he resides in swank new Manhattan digs and has a pending deal with a major retailer in the offing, he's not entirely happy because he doesn't truly love the job that has come to consume his life. The rescue adventure and conversations with various characters help him to realize that.

Battle of the Smithsonian also has a slightly romantic element, as Earhart pursues Daley. It winds up being far more comic than sappy, which is perfect for this film.

Although we don't have as many animals in the Museum sequel as in the original, a few do play prominent roles. An octopus freed from storage during the early scenes reappears several times throughout the film, and Dexter the mischievous capuchin monkey meets his match in space monkey Able.

When discussing a film that features Ricky Gervais (star of the original BBC version of The Office and producer of the US version) as curator of the Museum of Natural History, it's worth noting that several NBC Office actors have cameos: Ed Helms (Andy Bernard) as Daley's assistant, Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor) as a Smithsonian docent, and Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin) as a Tuskegee Airman.

Overall, I found Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian to be a more than adequate sequel, providing just as much action, adventure and comic fun as the original but with enough added twists to keep it fresh. I give it 4 stars (out of five).

[BTW, as prolific a film reviewer as I was on my old blog, I find it really hard to believe that this is only my second film review on Scarlett's Web 2.0. Jason tells me we've been to the cinema eight times this year, but apparently, I haven't considered anything else I've seen either good or bad enough to spend time reviewing. Knowing how much you all value my opinion ;-), I'll try to do better in the future.]