Ben Stiller stars in this offbeat family film about Larry Daley, a divorced guy trying to make it "big." He jumps from job to job trying to hit the "big one" and be successful. When his son expresses his concern of changing careers so often and moving, Larry decides to settle down and take a night shift guard position at the Museum of Natural History. Much to Larry's surprise there is magical artifact that brings all the different ancient things to life at night. Struggling with this new responsibility, we see Stiller fumbling around and trying to communicate to these living artifacts like prehistoric cavemen, prehistoric T-Rex, etc. There are some comedic elements that could bring some giggles but the story is a little flat and a bit lacking in character development.
The revelation of the film is the visual effects as it parades throughout the hollow story. The film is a finalist in the Visual Effects category at this year's Academy Awards but the spectacle isn't as eye-catching as previous winners, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings, or What Dreams May Come. Compared to other contenders like Superman Returns or X Men: The Last Stand, this film doesn't measure.
The film is a light-hearted children's film that is worth a pop in the DVD player but nothing else. It got to its target audience.
Grade: **/****
The revelation of the film is the visual effects as it parades throughout the hollow story. The film is a finalist in the Visual Effects category at this year's Academy Awards but the spectacle isn't as eye-catching as previous winners, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings, or What Dreams May Come. Compared to other contenders like Superman Returns or X Men: The Last Stand, this film doesn't measure.
The film is a light-hearted children's film that is worth a pop in the DVD player but nothing else. It got to its target audience.
Grade: **/****