Night At The Museum (Two-Disc Special Edition) [2006] [DVD]

I only saw this film recently and straight away I was bowled over by its many qualities. Ben Stiller, playing frustrated inventor Larry Daley, is really on form as the central character and father to Nicky. It seems that everything in life is against Larry Daley as the film starts with a parking ticket and missing his son's school event. I must admit that the introductory section of the film does drag a little, but the fun really kicks off when Larry goes to the museum about a job, which he desperately needs. Little does Larry know what happens at night within the walls of the museum.You will find a lot of stars in this film, some neatly tucked away with minor roles, but they still shine. Robin Williams is great playing a waxwork version of President Teddy Roosevelt. Whereas most films with genius Robin Williams in them seem over the top and sickly sweet, in Night At The Museum Robin Williams plays things just right making his role a superb cameo.The CGI is first class and brings everything to life perfectly. Watch out for the T-Rex and the neat twist to it's character, the dioramas with the little people all at war with everything and the Egyptian area full of mystery and magic. Everyone's favourite character though is Dexter, a cheeky monkey, who often steals the show, much to Larry's annoyance - "There's a storm coming!" One of my favourite scenes of the film involves monkey slapping.The picture on the Blu-ray version is 1080p. On a large LCD television it really looks stunning with vibrant colours and a nice sharp image. One thing I was disappointed about are the limited special features. These days I would expect more than just a trailer and commentary. Maybe they are saving it for the Blu-ray special edition??So, if you want a perfect evening's entertainment look no further. This is great fun for all the family.

There are not many films which my children love and which also have enough in them to keep adults amused that we can watch them as a family without boring Mum and Dad. This is one of them.Loosely based on the book by Milan Trenc, this film tells the story of kind-hearted but unsuccessful inventor Larry Daley (played by Ben Stiller.) Larry's ex-wife is concerned that Larry's lack of success is having a negative effect on their son Nick (Jake Cherry). Desperate to get some stability in his life so that his son can be proud of him, Larry gets the one job available - as night security guard at the city museum.The staff at the museum are a very mixed bunch. The director is the boss from hell, played by Ricky Gervais, portraying possibly an even worse person to work for than his character from "The office," David Brent. The friendly and helpful receptionist, Rebecca, played by Carla Gugino, is a much more pleasant person to have as a colleague. And the team of three elderly security guards from whom Larry is to take over just seem very strange. They are played respectively by Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs. I hadn't seen Dick van Dyke or Mickey Rooney in any film made in the past thirty years and didn't realise they were still working - I have now been told van Dyke is a regular on daytime TV in shows like "Doctors". Anyway, all three of them, and Dick van Dyke in particular, prove that their sense of fun and comic talent is very much alive.A few minutes after everyone else has left the building, leaving Larry alone on his first night at the museum, he finds to his horror that the skeleton of a T-Rex comes alive and chases him. Within a few minutes, all the museum exhibits have likewise come to life - from tiny diorama figures of Incas, Roman legions, and wild west cowboys, through lions, monkeys and woolly mammoths to the mummy of an egyptian pharoah and the giant statues which guard him. Larry needs the help of the statue of President Teddy Rosevelt (Robin Williams) to settle everything down. But that is only the start of his adventures.As you would expect from a film with such a big name cast, there is some really good acting: apart from Stiller, Gervais, van Dyke, and Williams, there are excellent performances from Steeve Coogan as Octavius, the leader of the legion of tiny roman soldiers, and Owen Wilson in an uncredited performance as "Jedidiah," the leader of the tiny cowboys.There are also some very funny lines: my favourite was when Larry exclaims in surprise to the Pharoah "You speak English!" and gets the reply, in a perfect public school English accent, "I went to Cambridge University" (e.g, he was displayed there ...)Another was when Larry asks Rebecca about Sacajawea, the indian scout for Lewis and Clark,"Was she deaf? She seems a bit unresponsive."Rebecca replies "That's because she's a statue."Not everyone will like this film, but if you want something to keep small children amused which also contains a wealth of subtle detail to entertain the adults, I can strongly recommend "A night at the museum." Having rented the film to try it out I will certainly be buying it.

I only saw this film recently and straight away I was bowled over by its many qualities. Ben Stiller, playing frustrated inventor Larry Daley, is really on form as the central character and father to Nicky. It seems that everything in life is against Larry Daley as the film starts with a parking ticket and missing his son's school event. I must admit that the introductory section of the film does drag a little, but the fun really kicks off when Larry goes to the museum about a job, which he desperately needs. Little does Larry know what happens at night within the walls of the museum.You will find a lot of stars in this film, some neatly tucked away with minor roles, but they still shine. Robin Williams is great playing a waxwork version of President Teddy Roosevelt. Whereas most films with genius Robin Williams in them seem over the top and sickly sweet, in Night At The Museum Robin Williams plays things just right making his role a superb cameo.The CGI is first class and brings everything to life perfectly. Watch out for the T-Rex and the neat twist to it's character, the dioramas with the little people all at war with everything and the Egyptian area full of mystery and magic. Everyone's favourite character though is Dexter, a cheeky monkey, who often steals the show, much to Larry's annoyance - "There's a storm coming!" One of my favourite scenes of the film involves monkey slapping.So, if you want a perfect evening's entertainment look no further. This is great fun for all the family.

Old and classic plot, but interesting. It is difficult to choose a least-like character here, I like them all.Nice that there are many settings that's museum-related instead of history-related, and making this story different from all those time-travelling stories.

Watched with my Dad who has memory/dementia/cognitive issue so I choose with care - Closed captions and no unnecessary sex always a plus! Unnecessary violence good too - Good viewing to keep all ages entertained.