Comedy double. Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Mickey Rooney and Dick Van Dyke star in Night at the Museum (2006). Larry Daley (Stiller) is a kind-hearted dreamer who always knew that he was destined for greatness, he just never quite knew how. None of his ideas or inventions have panned out, so with a heavy heart, he takes a regular job as a lowly graveyard-shift security guard at the Museum of Natural History in order to provide a more stable life for himself and his ten-year-old son. On his first night on the job, however, he finds that the guardianship of the museum is far from stable. At nightfall an Egyptian spell brings the artefacts and wax figures to life. With Attila the Hun charging to war through the hallways, the diorama miniatures embroiled in a deadly feud, and a two-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex nagging to play fetch, Larry turns to a wax replica of President Roosevelt (Williams) for a little advice on keeping things intact. The sequel, Night at the Museum 2: Escape From The Smithsmonian (2009), also boasts a star-studded cast including Stiller, Williams, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Bill Hader, Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan. Stiller reprises his role as Larry Daley, the hapless security guard who encounters living and breathing museum exhibits. This time round, the Museum of Natural History has been closed for renovations, and the museum pieces moved into federal storage at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where the collection includes artefacts associated with many of the great figures of American history including Theodore Roosevelt (Williams), Amelia Earhart (Adams), General Custer (Hader) and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Larry must infiltrate the museum's tight security to rescue Jedediah (Wilson) and Octavius (Coogan), who have been shipped there by mistake. Night at the Museum An irresistible concept meets computer-generated wonders in Night at the Museum, inspired by a 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc. Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley, an underachieving inventor waiting for his ship to come in while getting evicted from one apartment after another for lack of funds. Larry's son needs some stability, so the well-meaning ne'er-do-well takes a job as night watchman at New York City's Museum of Natural History. What the soon-to-retire guards (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs) don't tell him is that an ancient pharaoh's tablet in the museum causes everything on display to come to life at night. Thus, Larry meets representations of Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, fire-worshipping cavemen, and Roman Empire soldiers, and learns to cope with an excitable T-Rex and man-eating, ancient animals. The film might have left things at that, but an added story element gives Night at the Museum some extra urgency and excitement, especially for kids: Larry becomes responsible for keeping this nightly miracle going and preventing anything in the museum from dying due to exposure to sunrise. Computer effects, as well as wildly imaginative costumes and makeup, help make the film appeal to the 8-year-old in everyone. Director Shawn Levy ( The Pink Panther) works with a hugely talented cast, including Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Carla Gugino, and Steve Coogan. --Tom Keogh Night at the Museum 2 Ben Stiller wrestles with extinct beasts, historical figures, and meddling monkeys in Night at the Museum 2, the sequel to the popular 2006 special-effects extravaganza. This time, the ancient Egyptian tablet (the one that brings all the exhibits at New York's Museum of Natural History to life at night) is being shipped off to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.--which, as the movie diligently tells us, is the largest museum in the world. Naturally, former museum guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) heads down to rescue it (and, by extension, keep his magical museum friends alive). He ends up fighting with a nasty pharaoh who talks like Boris Karloff (Hank Azaria, The Simpsons) and falling in love with Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams, Enchanted). All the old gang are along for the ride, including Dexter the monkey; much face-slapping and special effects ensue. There aren't many surprises, but Battle of the Smithsonian is cheerful enough to entertain everyone who enjoyed the first movie. The great supporting cast from the first movie returns, including Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams. --Bret Fetzer