Film Review: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Rated PG (mild violence and some scary scenes). 98 minutes. Directed by Shawn Levy. Screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman.

Verdict: The third instalment of this popular series is a very special experience.

Since its debut in 2006, Levy’s Night at the Museum series has enjoyed a rare kind of popularity. Based on its rock solid family-friendly entertainment values and some wonderfully inventive special effects, enjoying a Night at the Museum movie became something like catching up with old friends. This third, and apparently final, instalment is almost no different.

Its sobering point of difference is that it marks the final onscreen performances of the genius Robin Williams and Hollywood veteran Mickey Rooney, both of whom passed away last year. Rooney’s role in this film (as one of the museum’s pensioned-off security guards), unlike his presence in the first one, is small. But for lovers of Hollywood film history, seeing Rooney (whose career began with a short film made in 1926) working the camera with his trademark mischievousness one last time, is a brief but precious gift.

Watching Williams work for what would be the last time, is an entirely different proposition – and one that marks this film with a kind of melancholy that, strangely, suits it perfectly. Guion and Handelman have obviously been briefed to wrap it up, and Ben Stiller’s Larry is on a mission to ensure that the Golden Tablet does not continue to disintegrate to the point where the magical coming to life of the museum’s exhibits is gone forever.

Levy, who has directed all three movies, ensures that it runs like clockwork, and the return of the regular cast members (including Ricky Gervais, Owen Wilson’s miniature cowboy and Steve Coogan’s miniature Roman soldier) ensures a sense of respect the ensemble have for the power of this always entertaining, magically realistic fantasy.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film Review: Happy Feet Two

Happy Feet Two. Rated G (very mild sense of threat). 103 minutes. Directed by George Miller. Screenplay by George Miller, Gary Eck, Warren Coleman and Paul Livingston.

When Happy Feet (2006) won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2007, it came as no surprise to anyone who had seen it. The story of Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) the little tap-dancing, misfit penguin was a captivating visual and musical treat. Without his ‘heartsong’ (the unique song that penguins sing to attract a mate), Mumble’s adult life within the penguin colony would be one of loneliness and despair. This simple and effective storyline powered an immensely engaging film about difference – even managing to incorporate a powerful environmental theme without turning audiences off. And the final scene of Happy Feet is the birth of Mumble and Gloria’s (voiced by the late Brittany Murphy) baby Erik – who is the undisputed the star of Happy Feet Two.

Voiced by Ava Acres, Erik is the epitome of cute – and while Erik’s travails are similar but less compelling than Mumble’s were in the first movie, they are the sequel’s pulse. Matt Damon and Brad Pitt voice the Laurel and Hardy-esque pair of Krill – Bill and Will – while Robin Williams returns as the scene-stealing Ramon and Alecia Beth Moore (better known as Pink) takes over the role of Gloria in fine voice, with her “Bridge of Light” the absolute musical highlight.

When an ecological calamity isolates the emperor penguin colony from their food source and leaves their baby penguins exposed to the feared seabird predators (the skuas) – the plot to free them becomes protracted and, ultimately, tired and tiring. The sequences involving Bill and Will (while stunning in 3D) serve primarily as distractions from the main game, and with only a couple of exceptions, the film deliberately steers well away from involving drama. The story of Sven (Hank Azaria) – which takes up a good third of the film – feels desperately over-worked, while the subplot involving Bryan the Elephant Seal (Richard Carter) and his children is beautifully done.

Ultimately, Happy Feet Two still dazzles with its singular visual finesse, even if the overall result is one of a heavy-handed, unevenness that makes it a shadow of its predecessor and a good deal less memorable.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.