Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)

Movie: 3
Picture/Sound: 4.5/4
Extras: 4

Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast as Larry Daley, a former night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, where the exhibits come to life after dark. But now Larry's nocturnal friends are being retired to the archives of the Smithsonian Institution, luring him back for a hilarious, all-out battle against museum misfits who plan to take over the Smithsonian...and the world.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first Night at the Museum but this one was pretty funny. The film is lighthearted and fun for the family and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The premise isn’t much different from the first film only this time we find the riot happening in the world’s largest museum; the Smithsonian. If you liked the first one, this is a no brainer.

The Blu-ray release features a solid presentation on both fronts with plenty of rich detail in the transfer and a pretty engrossing 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There are plenty of great surround effects and deep bass can be pretty intense at times. The image has a great sense of dimension to it and the transfer is clean as a whistle.

We’re seeing more and more studios do the 3-disc sets for their family films and this is no exception. Not only do you get a pristine Blu-ray release but also the DVD of the film and a digital copy for portable devices. There are LOTS of extras including behind the scenes footage, gag stuff, deleted scenes and feature commentaries. The interactive side has some quiz games for the kids.

Fox delivers a solid package for this family treat with lots of great extras and a nearly perfect presentation. If you loved the first film, add this to the library!

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