Date watched: May 22nd, 2009
Where? Cathay @ E!hub Downtown East
Movie-buds: Finah, Nina, Ogy, Wayne & Syahmi

If you are into laughter from start till the end, this movie is exactly what you need. An elixir that will shake away all those misery you might have and just, well, LAUGH! I caught the prequel on the day I watched NATM 2; on the net of course! Haha! Honestly, I think I am the only one who has not watched the prequel. Halfway through the prequel, I was laughing out loud and I am convinced that I will have a hell lot of fun watching NATM 2 in the theaters.


Just in case any of you have not caught the prequel, here is a description of what the movie is all about. It is all about the tablet of Ahkmenrah bringing exhibits in a museum to life! Yes, that pretty much sums up the entire movie. Nope, I am not lying. Haha! And the same thing continues in NATM 2.

STORY LINE
Larry Daley (played by Ben Stiller), a successful inventor is now the head of Daley Devices, a company that he founded. So one fine day, he kinda missed being a night guard at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and decided to drop by. He then soon learned that the museum he used to work at is shutting down for renovations and upgrades - one of which was installing interactive holograms all over the museum. In order to make way for the new upgrades, the old ones (which he befriended when it comes to life) will be put away and stored in the Federal Archives at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. In a pursuit of making the what's-left exhibits like Theodore Roosevelt (played by Robin Williams) come back to life again (because the tablet is being brought to the Smithsonian), Larry heads over to Washington DC to bring back his friend-by-night, statue-by-day friends home, and also to prevent the stored exhibits at the Smithsonian from coming to life.

Short story short, (only because I do want this to sound draggy), with all the obstacles he faced in trying to save Jedidiah Smith (played by Owen Wilson) from the wrath of Kahmunrah (played by Hank Azaria), Larry managed to bring NMNH's exhibits back to where they belong.


Throughout the entire movie, it taught me more about the US history. Not in depth but it gave me impressions of the characters that were present in the movie. For example, learning that Amelia Earhart (played by Amy Adams) was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. This American sweetheart all of a sudden falls in love with Larry. From the proud accomplished pilot, Larry's charm toned Amelia down and she soon turns herself into this loving young woman.

As the movie brought itself from scene to scene, how interesting a particular exhibit is being portrayed fascinated me. Just when I thought it is a pleasant surprise to see a piece of art comes to life, another piece of art tops it off!


The many characters that was in the movie was just as awesome! Jedediah and Octavius (played by Steve Coogan) being the cute little pair that became best friends after a feud in the prequel of this movie. General George Armstrong Custer (played by Bill Hader) overcoming his fear of greeting failure again; with the help of Larry.

But out of all the characters that were in the movie, my personal favourite would be Kahmunrah (played by Hank Azaria). Without him in the movie would be like having fried rice without the seasonings - plain and just not satisfying. He was the only character that managed to make me laugh out loud from the moment he appeared in the movie till he got banished to the underworld via this large Egyptian gate.

Of course the other characters too made me laugh. Like Napoleon Bonaparte (played by Alain Chabat), one of the three followers of Kahmunrah. I remember reading that Napoleon was gay and that he had only one testicle (not sure how credible that reference was). I was hoping that he would get mocked at and hence, stir more laughter. I waited and waited but it never came. BUT his height got mocked though, and his reaction was classic and hilarious.

To pick a favourite scene in this movie, I would pick the scene where Larry met the Smithsonian security guard, Brandon (pronounced as Brundun and so he claimed). Played by Jonah Hill, and if you remember he appeared in the movie 'Superbad'. Brandon Brundun is this sharp yet firm and at the same time dumb security guard. The character he portrayed is just way too cute (referring to his character).


I would love to go on but this review is getting longer. But no worries, I have typed most of my review on this movie down. And finally, for this fun-filled blockbuster that managed to earn gross revenue of over US$210 million, I would rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I was not expecting anything more than to watch something that is unrealistic. Seeing things that were not clicking to each other, I forgive. Maybe the main objective of this movie is to let everyone loosen his or her ties and just laugh. Well, it was sure entertaining! I recommend this movie for those who are in for a good laugh.

Gonna watch more movies in the next couple of days and hope that I can get the review done one or two days after watching it, not like a week later. Haha!

Cheers!