Night at the Museum

 Released Year: 2006

Directed by Shawn Levy

Casted by:

Ben Stiller as Larry Daley

Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt

Carla Gugino as Rebecca Hutman

Dick Van Dyke as Cecil Fredericks

Mickey Rooney as Gus

Bill Cobbs as Reginald

Jake Cherry as Nicky Daley

Patrick Gallagher as Attila the Hun

Rami Malek as Ahkmenrah

Owen Wilson as Jedediah

Steve Coogan as Octavius

Mizuo Peck as Sacagawea

 Story: 

Larry Daley is divorced, unable to keep a stable job, and has failed at many business ventures. His ex-wife believes that he is a bad example to their ten-year-old son Nick, and Larry fears that Nick respects his future stepfather, bond trader Don, more than him.

Cecil, an elderly night security guard about to retire from the American Museum of Natural History, hires Larry despite his unpromising résumé. The museum plans to replace Cecil and two colleagues Gus and Reginald with one guard. They advise Larry to leave some of the lights on and warn him not to let anything "in...or out".

Once night comes, Larry discovers that the exhibits come to life, including a living Tyrannosaurus skeleton nicknamed "Rexy" who behaves like a dog; a mischievous capuchin monkey named Dexter, which always steals Larry's keys; rival miniature civilizations led by Old West cowboy Jedediah and Roman general Octavius; limb-ripping Attila the Hun; an Easter Island Moai obsessed with "gum-gum"; and a wax model of Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt explains that since an Egyptian artifact—the Golden Tablet of Pharaoh Akhmenrah—came to the museum in 1952, all of the exhibits come to life each night. If the exhibits are outside of the museum during sunrise, however, they turn to dust. Roosevelt helps Larry by restoring order, and he decides to remain as a guard.

On Cecil's advice, Larry studies history to prepare himself better. He also learns from a museum docent Rebecca Hutman, who is writing a dissertation on Sacagawea but does not feel she knows enough about her subject.

The next night, Larry uses what he has learned to better control the exhibits, however, things go wrong and four Neanderthals set fire to a display, among other things. One of the Neanderthal turns to dust when he leaves the museum at dawn. The next morning, museum director Dr. McPhee almost fires Larry after what happened to the Neanderthal exhibit. He offers Rebecca a meeting with Sacagawea, but she believes that he is mocking her and the museum.

Larry brings Nick to the museum to show him the exhibits, but none of them are alive. They find Cecil, Gus, and Reginald stealing the tablet and other valuable objects. Like the exhibits, the guards receive enhanced vitality from the artifact; wishing to retain their health and fund their retirements, the three plan to frame Larry for the thefts, and disabled the tablet to stop the exhibits from interfering. Nick reactivates the artifact, but Cecil locks him and his father in the Egyptian room and flees with the tablet.

Larry releases the Akhmenrah's mummy from his sarcophagus. The pharaoh speaks English from many years as an exhibit at Cambridge, and helps Larry and Nick escape. The three find the other exhibits fighting; Larry confronts Attila, realizing his behavior came from being hurt a long time ago, and convinces them to work together. Although some of the exhibits capture Gus and Reginald without difficulty, Cecil escapes by stagecoach with Larry, Nick, Akmenrah, Jed, Octavius, Rexy, and Atilla the Hun in pursuit in Central Park, where they stop him and regain the tablet. Jed and Octavius are presumably killed when their remote-controlled Hummer crashes, but they somehow survive. Rebecca sees the exhibits return to the museum before sunrise and realizes that Larry was telling the truth; he introduces her to Sacagawea.

Dr. McPhee fires Larry after seeing news reports of the strange events around the museum—such as cave paintings in the museum's subway station, dinosaur footprints in Central Park, and cavemen sightings. He rehires him after he sees that these events raised attendance. Larry, Nick, and the exhibits celebrate.

During the credits, it was shown that Cecil, Gus, and Reginald weren't turned over to the authorities and are now working as janitors at the museum.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment: 

The first movie is always the best among all series of movie which proves it right again in this Night At the Museum series. It is based on the children book of the same name by Milan Trenc. Not only the idea is wild and excited, its never being film with this topic and everyone loves it very much. Ben Stiller never fails to make us laugh and yes one again he did it :)