Wherein I go into some of the several reviews for either of the two NATM movies currently in existence, with the restriction that they are posted somewhere on Blogspot, as this is the Blogger/Blogspot commentary series. Having clarified that, let's begin.
Opinions on Blogger run the gamut: we have takes from average Joes and Janes, movie reviewers, and even a tourist or two, but for the case of the Night at the Museum movies, a large portion of reviews I've been able to find and decided to cover without going on too long are, not shockingly, from movie reviewers. Another note: given the complete success of the second movie over the first, a lot of people are reviewing that one instead of NATM 1. However, The Voice of Silence: review of film (see the review here) has gone the extra mile. The author opens with a detailed cast and crew list and a string of quotes (for a quiz for yourself, see if you can guess which character said which (somewhat paraphrased) line from the film) before going into the review, styled like a passage of action in the script of an over-the-top action film. A synopsis takes up about 80-90% of the space, with the rest of it being the author's take on the film. However, here's also what he does with the latter half of his post: he describes the list of special features on the DVD and summarizes some useful information to be learned from some of the features, such as the commentary tracks and behind the scenes featurettes. If you want a quick overview not only of BOTS but what goes into the making of it, but you don't want to sit through hours of commentary, check that link out.
If, however, your cup of tea is detailed but not a lot of emphasis, you may instead want to read this Blogger's take at At the Back. The author has a lot to say on the first Night at the Museum film but describes it as a busy, chaotic mess (which has to be the first time I've heard that about a film which, in my opinion, seems to take its sweet time meandering through the setup of the actual plot). He speaks in praise of the subplots (the friendship developing between Octavius and Jedediah, and the romance between Sacajawea and Teddy) but disparagingly of the "underdeveloped" central characters, some of the (admittedly numerous) plot holes (one man guarding an entire museum, for example), and considers the central premise, that exhibits come to life, "ridiculous" (please note that this may be in a light-hearted fashion, as it is later on used, but it may not, which was how I first took it). He did, however, predict a trilogy out of the matter, and lo and behold, at this point he was right. Good on you, good sir! ...or...ma'am.
We also have this tourist's take, when she actually visited the American Museum of Natural History and found that, not surprisingly, the interior looks nothing like depicted in the film. The Moai does feature, as does Rexy (albeit on the fourth floor), but the real thing also houses a herd of elephants, a pair of shrunken heads (imagine those come to life), and, at one point, a gift store selling food-shaped Christmas ornaments. Somebody please let me know if that's still there, because I'm stuck in the middle of Podunk, WY, without cash and can't ascertain for myself! Please?
We have this Short and Sweet of Night at the Museum 2, essentially a short snippet listing several things, ranging from "what caught my attention" and "why I finished it" to items relating to "what I liked about it." For those with the attention spans of goldfish or in the mood for a digest-digest-digest, check it out.
And then there's the Pop Culture Junkie, who gave his take on Night at the Museum here (and apparently didn't watch the sequel, as there is no review of it to be found anywhere on his blog). The Pop Culture Junkie seems really bothered by the plot holes, one of which stuck out to me: how did the Neanderthals ditch the people videoing their antics on camera phones to later post on YouTube? This isn't even explained in the sequel, PCJ, and I never noticed before, so thank you for pointing that out, and I'll file it away until I come up with a headcanon which satisfies me on the matter. I would like to point out in turn, however, that maybe this is one of those movies where Fridge Logic sets in. To define, according to TVTropes.org: Fridge Logic is that thing where after the movie/show is over and you can start thinking about what you've suspended your disbelief for, you begin to wonder, hey, how did that make sense? Some people are very, very good at stowing such things away and coming up with headcanons to explain them and still make sense of the movie at the same time. So maybe it turns some people into near vegetables, but maybe it serves the same good of developing critical thinking skills which it seems to profess in your view. I'll leave you to chew on that, and you may message me or comment below if you have anything to say.
And we'll finish with an average Jane and her take on Battle of the Smithsonian. She titles her blog Writer @ Home, so I assume movie reviewing is a pastime for her, rather than a career or anything to become an internet star at. She enjoyed BOTS "despite the fact that a few of the jokes fell flat and the entire plot was completely unrealistic", and even throws in the personal touch that she likes her movies to give her something to think about (good on you, good ma'am). So she regards BOTS as one of those movies where it's perfectly okay to shut your brain off for a while and enjoy the ride, whereas PCJ would find it...comatose-inducing.
In any event, tune in for a surprise fifth episode in the Blogger Commentary saga! That's tomorrow night.
Next on "For the Love of Night at the Museum": Something I just discovered was a thing: "Night at the Museum 3 Trailer".
Countdown: 289 Days to NATM 3.
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