Noche en el museo

I saw it with a big group of friends (all in their early 20's) on opening night, and we all thought it was hilarious. It wasn't until a few days later that I heard reviews for it that were less than favorable. I thought the movie was funny and light-hearted. Yeah, some parts may not have seemed to make sense, but come on. It's a movie about exhibits in a museum coming to life - I don't think the creators were aiming for realism. I thought Ben Stiller did a great job, as did other supporting actors, especially the security guards. Everyone in the theater clapped when it was over, so they must have liked it too. I would definitely recommend it.

I think it's really annoying when I read reviews on here of a kids movie and someone tears it apart. Do these people expect to see Oscar award winning performances and production? As for this film, I thought it was really cute. It's perfect for a kid's imagination. I saw the movie at a pre-screening and every kid afterwards was smiling and excitedly talking about the movie. Sure there are some dumb jokes, etc., but overall the movie was great. It was especially cool to see Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney working together.

Take your kid to see this movie. Their imagination will go wild and they might even be curious to go to a history museum afterwards.

30 December 2006. This Jumanji (1995) like growing up tale for an adult male (Ben Stiller) taps into some nice special effects and family value themes that just don't seem to mesh completely. Ben sometimes ends up with his dumb, silly stereotyped character from earlier films. And the casting of criminal characters are a abit of a disappointing shock for older audience members, especially without warning or clues. The female protagonists in this movie are underdeveloped. With good intent, this fantasy world of a museum coming to life had a lot of excitement, cute scenes but it failed to deliver the potential as a classic family comedy fantasy. Ben Stiller's development as a character seemed to be uneven and inconsistent. And unlike Jumanji, it seemed to revolve around the exploits of one man, alone who had to grow up. There was some nice plausible explanations for the use of English language, yet even so it was unnecessarily inconsistent. Fun and entertaining, the movie doesn't reach the levels of its possibilities. Six out of Ten Stars.

What a cast! Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Dick VanDyke, Mickey Roney, Bill Cobbs...

I'm not a Stiller fan, but in this one he was really great, he steps out of his usual shtick to really anchor this movie. For once he doesn't seem to be trying too hard and avoids overdoing it.

This is one of Robin Williams' better modern roles, he's toned down but still quintessentially Williams. It was nice to see him in a role that he can both take seriously *and* have some fun with it.

Owen Wilson is still awesome, basically reprising his Shanghai Noon character, but with a cute, rather unexpected twist.

Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs are classic, they haven't lost a step. Rooney is still the little bantam rooster with the attitude! Van Dyke clearly anchors the trio. Cobbs wasn't given much to work with for his character, but his quality shines through. These veteran comedic actors bring a bit of class and legitimacy to the film.

The movie is well paced, jumping almost directly into the action, with plenty of laughs. From Rexie's puppy-dog antics to the war between Old West Cowboys and Roman Centurians, there is something around every corner.

The only stinker in this film is the kid. He's totally under-utilized for the storyline, they could have improved the storyline by either leaving the kid out of the movie entirely, or by giving him something to do. The pseudo-love-interest, too, should have either been played up or left out.

This is an entirely enjoyable family film. My 87 year old grandmother-in-law loved it, as did my 9 year old daughter and my teenage sons! Truly something for everyone.

True, it is overlong, some parts are a tad slow particularly the beginning, and it was let down by bad marketing, but on the whole Night At The Museum is a fun and entertaining family film. Some of it is very, very funny, not hilarious, just funny, and Ben Stiller gives a very good account of himself as Larry. The museum characters are very well designed, and it was when they came to life when the film let itself go. Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney are great fun in their roles, but my favourite has to be Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, in one of his more entertaining "recent" films. Plus the story is imaginative and fresh.

All in all, I've said this more than once already, a fun and entertaining film, flawed it is, but very enjoyable family viewing. 7/10 Bethany Cox