5/10

The Hobbit series isn’t the only trilogy completing this weekend, as Ben Stiller returns for more adventures inside New York’s Metropolitan Arts Museum. Night time security guard Larry (Stiller) is on a world wide journey for the secret of the tomb that brings to life the famous historical figures in his museum nightly. It becomes a race against time when the lives of his friends are on the line, as the magic of the tomb is beginning to run out. “Secret of the Tomb” isn’t without some memorable scenes (mainly in an ending that i will get to later), but it’s lackluster comedic timing feels phoned in from a cast who knows they should be doing better things. I have only seen the first film in the series, but i can feel between the two films that the loss of magic from the tomb feels more like a metaphor from a series that at times has trouble deciding what kind of film it wants to be in the third installment. My feeling is that this film felt more like a kids movie, and that is the crowd that will enjoy it. The toilet humor, annoying noises from pointlessly coo characters, and character tirades that seem to go off on their own script. With the ladder, i mostly refer to Owen Wilson as Jedidiah the Cowboy. Truth be told, i have never been a fan of Wilson’s work, but he is absolutely dreadful in this film. His over the top corny dialogue will make any parent chaperone add extra chores onto their child’s daily take for making them sit through it. His portrayal of a cowboy is over the top for Fievel Mousekowitz. Other than Wilson, there isn’t really anything too offensive with this film; just boredom. If you have seen the trailer, you not only have seen 90% of the movie, but you have gotten most of the bad parts out of the way. This leaves an ending that nearly brought me to tears. If there is one thing that this film does better than it’s trilogy opponent this weekend, it has an ending worthy of an emotional send off. Robin Williams stars as a wonderful Teddy Roosevelt portrayal in his final film role before his untimely passing. I realized while watching the goodbye between he and Larry that it has a lot more to do with his goodbye to his legions of fans who remember the gentle smile of a comedy giant. Williams unfortunatly splits a lot of time with a cast that feels too crowded at times, but he makes the most of the scenes he is given. This film would’ve left me with a high note if it stayed with this original ending, however there is a second ending that ruins any kind of emotional grip that Director Shawn Levy casts on the audience. It contradicts all of the ground work laid by beautiful goodbyes for humor that is neither funny nor meaningful. “Night at the Museum : Secret of the Tomb” isn’t anywhere near the kind of horrors that i have had to deal with this year. It’s charm is in it’s unity for a group of misfits that came together as a family. If Levy focused more on that element and