Museums. Educational yes, informative yes, but not something youre likely to hear described as a laugh riot. In Night at the Museum 2, Ben Stiller reprises his role as security guard Larry and discovers the exhibits which came alive in the first movie are being moved to the far larger Smithsonian in Washington.

As the magical tablet that animates the models has gone with them, a whole new host of characters inevitably comes to life. Kah Mun Rah (effortlessly played by Hank Azaria doing his best Boris Karloff impression) is a resurrected Egyptian Pharaoh bent on opening a door to the underworld to unleash his minions upon the earth. Acting as his sidekicks are Napoleon (Alain Chabat), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest) and Al Capone (John Bernthal).

Helping Larry in his quest to stop him are Emilia Earhart (the beautiful Amy Adams, donning the most bum-flossingly tight trousers youll see this year), cowboy miniature Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Roman miniature Octavius (Steve Coogan).

Amy Adams looks stunning as Earhart but is unfortunately the most annoying character of 2009 so far. She punctuates every sentence with a protracted 1930s jiminy jillickers phrasing and strides around with her chest sticking out like the worlds proudest pigeon; she isnt even amusing when you first meet her. By the end of 90 minutes, youll want to scrub your brain.

The whole movie looks great but comprises one lazy historical caricature after the next. Hey look its Napoleon – ha-ha, hes short, and French. Surely that joke wore thin just after Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure in 1989 – 20 years on, youd expect something a little better.

There are plenty of cameos. Ricky Gervais shows up for about a nanosecond to reprise his role as a grumpy curator. Its not funny and its toe-curlingly embarrassing to see him in a role like this.
There are one or two funny moments; Rodins Thinker turns out to be more of a dumb jock than the intellectual type and there are some imaginative uses of the pictures in the art gallery but these bits of hilarity are few and far between.

The film is chock full of questionable plot points as well. Why are Napoleon, Al Capone and Ivan the Terrible following Kah Mun Rah anyway? Hes about as scary as a damp dishcloth. At least Al Capones got a Tommy gun. And at one point, Ben Stiller takes a good five minutes out of a raging battle scene to get slapped by two monkeys. No, Im not making this up.

Its fast-paced, slickly animated tosh. There doesnt seem to be any point to the movie at all. Theres a line about happiness being doing what you love with people that you love but thats clearly rubbish because Larry abandons his son at the beginning of the movie to go and hang out with some reanimated waxworks. Apparently a miniature Owen Wilson is more important than his own family.

About a third of the way in, Jonah Hill pops up and exclaims, Did you run out of rubbish jokes from the rubbish joke shop you obviously shop at? Stiller could have replied, Yes right there and then and saved us the trouble of the following hour. Still, I think we should start a petition for Night at the Museum 3: The Icelandic Phallological Museum. Id pay good money to watch Ben Stiller be chased around for an hour and a half by a reanimated whales penis.

Released: 20 May 2009