Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

File this one under “Sequels Nobody Clamored For.” Shawn Levy, director of the first Night at the Museum, is back at the helm, with Ben Stiller returning as single dad Larry Daley, now no longer a security guard for New York's Museum of Natural History but a successful businessman. Still, when Larry learns that a) the whole collection of artifacts and historical figures (which spring to life after the sun goes down) is being shipped to the Smithsonian, and b) the ancient Egyptian tablet that imbues the exhibits with life has fallen into the hands of a ruthless Pharaoh (Hank Azaria, doing his best Boris Karloff imitation) bent on world domination, he c) springs into action. Battle of the Smithsonian recycles most of the gags from the original film, but differs in two important respects. First, Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt only appears in brief scenes bookending the narrative. Second, Stiller gets a perky female foil in cute-as-a-button Amy Adams, who plays Depression-era aviatrix Amelia Earhart, looking quite fetching in jodhpurs and knee-high leather boots. Most of the other supporting players are back—including Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, miniature cowboy and Roman centurion, respectively—but with less to do than before. A lame sequel, this is a very optional purchase. [Note: Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (the first with director Shawn Levy; the second with writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon), deleted scenes (27 min.), a gag reel (8 min.), a “Curators of Comedy” behind-the-scenes featurette (28 min.), a “Directing 201” featurette with Levy (20 min.), the production featurettes “Show Me the Monkey” (18 min.) and “Secret Doors and Scientists: Behind the Scenes of the American Museum of Natural History” (16 min.), the Fox Movie Channel “Making a Scene” featurette (10 min.), “Historical Confessions: Famous Last Words” interviews with the characters (7 min.), a “Museum Magic: Entering the World of the Photograph” scene featurette (6 min.), the Fox Movie Channel “World Premiere” segment (6 min.), a “Phinding Pharaoh” voice segment with costar Hank Azaria (5 min.), a “Cavemen Conversations: Survival of the Wittiest” gag segment (4 min.), the Jonas Brothers in “Cherub Bootcamp” training featurette (4 min.), a bonus “Gangster Levy” scene with the director (2 min.), a “Museum Scavenger Hunt” game, and trailers. Also included are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: an impressive Blu-ray package for a disappointing film.] (E. Hulse)