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Gire: Effects trump intelligence in 'Night at the Museum'

"Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" bears all the telltale signs of a feckless children's fantasy put together by filmmakers who've squandered a terrific opportunity to construct a comedy capable of promoting history, learning and research.

Instead of crafting a meaningful family comedy with some low level of educational integrity, Shawn Levy and his cohorts merely string together a series of sensational, kiddie-pleasing visuals: animated dinosaur skeletons, a urinating monkey, a giant multiheaded snake, a raging volcanic eruption and comically rampaging cave men.

An icky virus attacks the Tablet of Akmenrah, the ancient Egyptian relic that brings nocturnal life to the exhibits at New York's American Museum of Natural History.

The green moldy stuff slowly turns off the magic, causing animated figures Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson), Roman general Octavius (Steve Coogan), Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher) and others to go even more nuts than usual. Soon, they will become de-animated. Permanently.

Museum night watchman Larry Daley (reprised by Ben Stiller) thinks that he can stop the curse by going to London's British Museum, home of Merenkahre (Ben Kingsley) and Shepseheret (Anjali Jay), parents to Larry's pal Akmenrah (Rami Malek) who hasn't seen Mom and Dad for a few thousand years.

So, Larry hops a jet to London with his now-teenage son Nick (Skyler Gisondo, replacing Jake Cherry), who's considering bypassing college for a career as a DJ in electronic dance music.

Larry, who didn't go to college (as evidenced in 2006's "Night at the Museum" when Larry didn't know Columbus from Galileo), lays down the law and tells Nick that education must be the most important part of his life - right before Larry apparently yanks Nick out of school to accompany him to London.

Upon arrival at the British Museum, Larry seems surprised that all of his favorite New York exhibits have followed him in crates. With the gang together again, Larry picks up assistance from Dan Stevens' egomaniac Sir Lancelot, and dodges being picked up by Rebel Wilson's sexually available security guard, an oddly salacious character in an otherwise salubrious family comedy - urinating monkeys not withstanding.

Stiller gets an opportunity to expand his range by also playing Laaa, a Neanderthal who imagines Larry to be his dad-da. The concept seems workable, but screenwriters David Guion, Michael Handelman and Mark Friedman don't exploit this premise to its full comic potential beyond a limp reference to a classic Monty Python prison guard routine.

The filmmakers do, however, bump up their game by devising two inspired bits.

The best is a chase scene set inside M.C. Escher's perspective-defying lithograph "Relativity" where Larry and Lance run up and down stairs to nowhere and the rules of physics hold no sway. (This was topped by a similar scene, played for scares in "Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child").

Then, Lancelot attempts to find his way back home by crashing a West End musical production of "Camelot" - only to be confused that King Arthur is now played by a singing Hugh Jackman, or "Huge Ackman" as the knight pronounces it.

Hollywood veterans Dick Van Dyke and the late Mickey Rooney pop in for virtual cameo appearances.

Then, at a crucial point in the story, the museum exhibits slowly return to lifeless wax, and someone says, "They're gone!" followed by a quick shot of Robin Williams.

It's an unexpected and bittersweet reminder that "Secret of the Tomb" marks the last movie the late brilliant comic will ever make.

Laaa (Ben Stiller) makes time with a sexually starved British security guard (Rebel Wilson) in “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.”

“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb”

★ ★

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Ben Kingsley, Rebel Wilson, Dan Stevens, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Dick Van Dyke, Skyler Gisondo, Mickey Rooney

Directed by: Shawn Levy

Other: A 20th Century Fox release. Rated PG. 90 minutes

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