(I hate to break the solo vibe I have going on here, but I have a bet going with my dad on the ending to the film- an ending that I must spoil in order to proceed with the argument. He likes the ending, and I frankly think it should have cut out 5 minutes sooner. He's got a review of the ending up at writingwithscissors.blogspot.com in favor of the happy, subdued end. Take a look at them both, and cast your vote: would you prefer a gigantic party or a subtle, ambiguous number?)
Following the death of Robin Williams, is it really right to kick off the new year by taking a few pot shots at the last film he added his gift to? Not that there's anything wrong with Williams in this part.
Of course, the first few Night at the Museum films were charming, with Ben Stiller faced with a living museum full of historic legends and lighthearted stories. They weren't anything super special, but it's not like I can't appreciate the cute jokes and impressive ideas they brought to the table. Night At The Museum 2 even managed to get the Smithsonian involved, turning real statues and paintings into memorable characters and scenery. And such Night At The Museum 3 drags the British Museum into the mixture, and once again new characters and scenes follow.
The story of the final act is quite simple: Ben Stiller's character Larry, still the night guard of the magic museum, discovers that the magical tablet of Akmenrah that powers the entire museum's revival is losing it's power. Akmenrah himself, keeper of the tablet, informs Larry that the only people who understand how to fix the tablet are his parents, who are locked away in the British museum. Larry and Akmenrah set out to find them, and unintentionally bring along a team to assist them. This team consists of Teddy Roosevelt (Williams), Sacajawea, a tiny cowboy, a tiny Roman, a monkey, Attila the Hun, and a caveman who looks suspiciously like Stiller (upon investigating the credits, I discovered they were indeed both played by Ben Stiller) who has been affectionately named "La". And so the race is on to hunt through the newly awakened museum and recharge the tablet before it loses power...and takes the museum and it's living history along with it.
Overall, this isn't a bad film- I wouldn't call it classic or pure evil, but I would say it's harmless at the very least. Williams is fantastic as the most epic president of our time, the CGI can be cool at times, and the story plays out well, alebit a bit shifty at times. It's alright, bring the kids- and kudos for making me feel bad for a taxidermied monkey.
OVERALL RATING: 6/10
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Well, if you just came for the review, then you are free to go. But if you want to hear exactly what I thought of the ending, and precisely why NATM 3 needed to end a bit earlier.
I really hope I'm not giving the fact that the film ends in the same way as the last 2 did: with a big party in the museum, thanks to the power of the newly-reformed tablet. Yeah, it's predictable, but the real shining moment near the ending comes after the gang returns home from Britain. As the group agrees to leave the tablet with Ak and his family, safe under the protection of a statue of Lancelot, they are sure that the magic will drain out of them by sunrise. They say their sad farewells, Larry and the monkey share a kiss (Hey now, PG rating), Teddy and his girlfriend Sacajawea part, and Larry says goodbye to his friends forever, with the slight reassurance that they are happy giving up their lives for the greater good and continuing to teach the leaders of tomorrow.
So what makes me want to stop the film here? Well, yes, its not very happy for a kid's film, but kid's films can be used to address issues like death in a slightly friendly matter. It's a simple case of putting the advantages for others over the advantages for yourself. How interesting is it when a film requires a kid to think? It's all open to interpretation- how the characters feel, how Larry responds to the loss of his friends, and how the British museum's new cast will react to their sudden life (as Teddy Williams explains, it's confusing to suddenly come to life after 100 years). No matter what you think, depending on what you imagine happens, someone's not going to be happy, and the kids just have to deal with it. It shows that loss can be a part of life, and leaves everything open to interpretation, like a good ending should do. It makes you laugh a bit, it makes you cry, and most of all, it makes you think. Not bad for the same film that has a monkey peeing on midgets.
You can cast your vote- Frog Vs. Dad- in this poll. Vote for your favorite kind of ending and settle this debate once and for all!
(And don't forget- one of us is actually a film critic, and probably knows his way around a movie theater more than the other, while the other has been scientifically proven not to be able to thrive on less than 19 hours of sleep per day. I'm just sayin'.)
http://goo.gl/jasFdH
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