(This review can also be found at http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2014/nightatthemuseum2014.html.)
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
stars
MPAA Rating: PG for mild
action, some rude humor and brief language.
Appropriate for: Ages 7+
Genre: Family Fantasy Action
Adventure Comedy
Length: 97 minutes
Year of Release: 2014
All seems well at the Museum of Natural History in New York. The place buzzes
with excitement as Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), the museum’s night guard, preps
for the grand opening of the planetarium exposition at the museum. Thanks to
the help of his friends—the wax figurines of Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams),
Sacagawea, and others that come to life at night because of the magical tablet
of Ahkmenrah—it looks like the evening is going to be a success. That is, until
every exhibit in the museum starts going nuts. The life-like constellations
from the new planetarium start attacking the visiting VIPs, Teddy Roosevelt
aims his gun at someone’s head, and all of the animals wreak havoc among the
banquet tables as the frightened visitors run from the building. A night with
so much promise ends in disaster. When it’s all over, Teddy and the other
exhibits have no memory of what they did.
As Larry soon discovers, the magical malfunction is linked to the
corrosion that has been slowly spreading over Ahkmenrah’s golden tablet. If
Larry and his friends don’t figure out how to stop the corrosion, pretty soon
the entire tablet will be useless, and its magic will end. No more magic, no
more living exhibits. Without the magic, Teddy, Sacagawea, Octavius, Jed and
the others will be silent and still forever. Not even Ahkmenrah himself,
however, knows the cause of the corrosion or how to repair the tablet. He does
know one person who would have the answers they are looking for, though: his
father, the pharaoh Merenkahre. But he just happens to be on display at the
British Museum in London. Undaunted by the distance and determined to save their
friends, Larry and his son Nick (Skylar Gisondo) take the tablet to England, bringing
the whole team with them, and set out to learn the secret of the tomb.
Despite its simplistic and somewhat cliché plot, Night at the Museum 3 is an exciting flick for the whole family,
filled with laughs, imagination, and kid-friendly adventures. While its biggest
attraction is the clean comedy, this film also touches on the important themes
of friendship, fatherhood, and loyalty. I especially appreciated the movie’s
depiction of the relationship between Larry and his son, Nick. Unlike most
on-screen parent-child relationships, Larry and Nick are shown communicating in
a mature and level-headed manner. Their conversations do not involve yelling,
slamming doors, and raised tempers but instead display an unprecedented level
of clear communication and mutual respect. In general, Larry seemed to follow
the command of Ephesians 6:4, which says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your
children.” He does this by treating his son as an adult and as an individual
rather than belittling him and his desires. Throughout the film, he also learns
to value the time he gets to spend with his son and to recognize what a
blessing Nick is in his life. In addition, Nick generally showed honor to his
father, conforming to God’s command in verses one through three.
Near the beginning of the movie, however, Nick disrespects his father
by throwing a dance party in their apartment while Larry is gone. Like any teen
party, the scene has its share of loud music and red Solo cups, but the camera
shows no underdressed girls, no couples making out, and no inappropriate
dancing, keeping the film PG. A few other PG moments involving dancing include a
scene in which Dick VanDyke’s character busts some moves in the nursing home
with a group of old ladies and a closing scene in which all the characters
break out their best moves. In this scene, one couple is shown slow dancing. While
discussing VanDyke’s character with Larry, an elderly employee at the museum
says that “Cecil Fredericks was the sexiest night guard we’ve ever had—present company
excluded.”
In some of the other more risqué moments of the film, a Neanderthal and
another character kiss, Ahkmenrah’s mother wears a low-cut dress, a few statues
of scantily-clad ancients make an appearance, and Larry affectionately kisses
the capuchin monkey. Although surprisingly minimal, toilet humor also makes an
appearance. A character is nearly hit in the crotch several times, Dexter the
monkey is shown peeing on two occasions, and a new character mentions that her
boyfriend thinks her hair-do looks like “golden pooh sitting on [her] shoulder.”
Compared to the previous two films, this third installment of the Night at the Museum franchise has much
less destruction and violence, although kids looking for a bit of action will
not be disappointed. We witness an armored knight dueling the live skeleton of a
triceratops and, later, three characters battling a “mythical snake demon” that
has come to life. Although the destruction is not nearly as debilitating as in Night at the Museum 2, this movie has
its share of out-of-control museum exhibits and broken glass. Defibrillators make
appearances throughout the film, and a couple characters (both good and bad)
are shown being electrocuted, although the good character doesn’t seem to
suffer much damage from the event. In addition, the miniature characters,
Octavius and Jed, find themselves in a number of perilous situations, one of
which involves lava and a miniature volcano.
The film also includes some scenes that, although they do not fit the
category of “violent,” certainly should be classified as “slightly disturbing.”
In one scene, a paranoid man aggressively grabs a young boy, prophesying that “the
end will come.” Later, a character eats packing peanuts and, in a different
scene, another character promises that “someday, we will drink dragon’s blood
together.” A boy is held captive with a knife blade at his throat, and an Egyptian
promises to bury another character with honors, assuring the character that he
will have all his organs removed and put in separate containers. In addition, a
wax character’s nose begins to melt, creating a comical (and somewhat gruesome)
effect, while another character’s face begins to deteriorate as a result of the
tablet’s gradual loss of power, resulting in a deathly and frightening sight.
Although I did not catch any misuses of the Lord’s name, “d***” is used
once and “h***” is used three times. One character exclaims, “where the devil,”
and several characters use the words “heck,” “dang,” and “gosh.” While the
Christian God is never explicitly mentioned, several characters discuss “gods”
in one scene. When Merenkahre asserts that he is descended from Rah and that
the Egyptian gods are the only true gods, Larry tells him that he tries to be
open-minded, mentioning his own Jewish heritage while also affirming that Attila
the Hun and Sacagawea both worship different gods as well. The whole concept of
the magical Egyptian tablet also brings up some spiritual topics. Although they
are not all in accordance with biblical Christianity, these references to
religion and spirituality can serve as perfect discussion starters for families
viewing this film.
Overall, I enjoyed Night at the
Museum 3. The humor was generally very tasteful, and I found the depictions
of friend and family relationships to be very refreshing. For some families, it
may not be worth seeing in theaters, but I definitely recommend renting it. You’ll
enjoy this final trip to the museum where history comes to life—literally.
