Product Details

• Actors: Amy Adams, Ben Stiller
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: December 1, 2009
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002GJTYIW
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Ben Stiller wrestles with extinct beasts, historical figures, and meddling monkeys in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the sequel to the popular 2006 special-effects extravaganza. This time, the ancient Egyptian tablet (the one that brings all the exhibits at New York's Museum of Natural History to life at night) is being shipped off to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.--which, as the movie diligently tells us, is the largest museum in the world. Naturally, former museum guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) heads down to rescue it (and, by extension, keep his magical museum friends alive). He ends up fighting with a nasty pharaoh who talks like Boris Karloff (Hank Azaria, The Simpsons) and falling in love with Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams, Enchanted). All the old gang are along for the ride, including Dexter the monkey; much face-slapping and special effects ensue. There aren't many surprises, but Battle of the Smithsonian is cheerful enough to entertain everyone who enjoyed the first movie. Extras include commentaries by the director and the writers, the usual self-congratulatory making-of featurette, deleted scenes that are actually as good as the rest of the movie, an alternate ending, and an entirely pointless second disc about Crystal, the capuchin monkey who plays Dexter (the monkey disc has less than a half-hour of material, including two mediocre games). The great supporting cast from the first movie returns, including Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Click for larger image)

Product Description

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 the archives of the Smithsonian Institution, luring him back for a hilarious, all-out battle against museum misfits who plan to take over the Smithsonian...and the world!

• Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital / Spanish & French: Dolby Surround
• Language: Dubbed & Subtitled: English, French & Spanish
• Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 2.35:1

• Forced Trailers: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Percy Jackson, Aliens in the Attic, Flicka 2, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Avatar
• Commentary by Director Shawn Levy
• Commentary by Writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon
• The Curators of Comedy: Behind the Scenes of Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
• 5 Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Shawn Levy
• Alternate Ending
• Gag Reel
• Phinding Pharoah
• The Jonas Brothers in Cherub Bootcamp
• Trailer Farm: Family Catalog Trailer, Space Chimps 2, Glee, Aliens in the Attic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even Better than the First!, August 16, 2009

By	Charles Evans "Call me Kevin" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

My wife and I enjoyed the original "Night at the Museum" we expected to the sequel to be typical of seconds... not quite as good. However, "Battle of the Smithsonian" bucks this trend - and in our opinion it is significantly better than the original. The plot is a bit silly - our favorite night-watchman had made it big as inventor of useless products. His new position as CEO means that he is no longer working at the museum. The museum has also undergone a few changes - namely most of the exhibits are being shipped into storage. The storage is below the Smithsonian... and that is where the action begins!

"Battle of the Museum" blends, action, humor and a numerous celebrity cameos into a fun-filled flick. The story introduces us to some Egyptian pharaoh (can't remember which one), Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, Amelia Earhart , Abe Licoln, and miniature Einstein bobbleheads! The star of the story is the incredibly imaginative action sequences... the jumping in-and-out pictures, the banter of Abe Lincoln.... all of it light-hearted and very entertaining.

As far as the acting - Ben Stiller was .... Ben Stiller - you either love him or you hate him. We really did enjoy Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart - she seems to have nailed the accent, look and walk - plus she was very funny!

Final Verdict - Recommended for everyone (This is a very kid friendly movie) but it highly recommended for everyone who enjoyed the original.

5 Stars

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and amusing, but doesn't feel as fresh as the first one, December 1, 2009

By	Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is no longer an out-of-work loser who needs to step up to the plate. This time around he's a highly successful CEO and workaholic who needs to slow down and focus on what really matters. That means he's got to accept that his true calling is not to invent new and mostly useless gadgets (like a glowing flashlight and a super-sized doggie bone) but to be an ordinary night guard in a far from ordinary museum.

One thing that was even more evident in this film was that the basic strategy in bringing to life the various historical characters was to create someone who was recognizably similar to the original but somehow insecure or silly. A giant Abe Lincoln was easily the best looking new character in terms of special effects, but his mannerisms and personality were just silly and shallow; unlike with most of the major characters of the original the writers seemed to be making very little effort to draw upon some "historical essence" in the outline of the new folks. Hank Azaria nearly managed to add something with his odd but interesting turn as an incompetent evil Egyptian with a British accent and a lisp, but the real exception and the one element that felt truly fresh in this film was, of course, Amy Adams' characterization of Amelia Earhart. She brought a vitality and spontaneity to the role that was convincing and engaging, and she easily stole every scene she was in. The only unconvincing aspect of her performance was the fault of the writers: her strange romantic attraction for Ben Stiller's character, who only accomplished anything through luck (and a very small amount of pluck) and a cartoonish conviction that he could always manage things because none of it really mattered and things would all turn out right in the end. Her interest in Larry Daley is even more peculiar when it turns out her passion was really just the writer's vehicle for teaching him a valuable life's lesson (something about "seizing the day" and doing whatever makes you happy no matter what it will all amount to in the end).

All the old characters are back, but there's a host of new ones drawn from the Smithsonian, where his old friends are shipped and he is called upon to save the day. As far as I can tell, all of the old characters, including Stiller, are "slumming" this time around. Rather than giving original and interesting performances, they seem like they are just trying to do enough to make it apparent they are the same folks the audience has come to love from last time. Owen Wilson, especially, looks like he hardly cares what's happening. The first film's chemistry between his cowboy and Steve Coogan's centurion has all but disappeared and for the most part Wilson seems resigned just to bury his head in the sand and wait until the movie's over. Sure there are a few new characters and situations, but most of them just seem bigger, not really better. The best moments this time around, and the ones my children enjoyed most, were basically variations on the best moments in the first film: this time Stiller is in a slap-fest with TWO rare monkeys!

If you like silly cartoons - and who doesn't every now and then? - this one's not bad and not boring and holds a few minor surprises. Very young children won't be able to tell the difference between this and a truly original blockbuster summer family entertainment film. Well worth watching if you've got nothing better to do for a couple of hours.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great movie for the kids, and one parents can enjoy too!, December 3, 2009

By	Bill Garrison (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Night at the Museum 2: Battle at the Smithsonian is the blockbuster sequel to the original Ben Stiller movie where all the exhibits in the musuem come to life. This time, Stiller (Larry Daley) is getting rich selling dumb products like a glow in the dark flashlight on infomercials. But he has a void inside. He really misses the museaum and all its exhibits that come to life. Daley is shocked to learn that many of the exhibits are being shipped to the Smithsonian archives. There's a bigger problem. The artifact that makes the exhibits come to life is going as well.

This movie is really all about the action in the Smithsonian and the fun when the new exhibits come to life. Hank Azaria is great as an ancient pharoh that wants Daley to figure out a secret code that will unleash the power of the dead soldiers...wait, I didn't quite understand the plot. Let's just say sides form between the good (General Custer, Amelia Earhart, Abe Lincoln, Albert Einstien) and the bad (Ivan the Terrible, Napolean, Al Capone) and a battle ensues.

Some of the good include the paintings that come to life and what happens when the tablet is brought to the air and space building. There is pure pandemonium as everything comes to life. For the bad, well, this movie is just mindless fun. The son is wasted and so is Ricky Gervais. Also, the moral at the end isn't needed in a movie like this.

This is a great summer movie for the family. Adults can enjoy it and be thankful they won't have to shield their kids' eyes or ears for any bad parts.