Almost two-and-a-half years after the release of the first movie, Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian made its theatrical debut on May 22nd, 2009. If you saw the first one, you were sure to have high expectations for the second. The first Night at the Museum was such a unique storyline with an unexpected plot twist and a slightly predictable but adorable ending. It’s the kind of movie you can watch again and again and not tire of; which the more than $150 million in DVD sales alone is evidence of.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian had a lot to live up to, especially since sequels have a bad reputation in general. While I still believe that the first movie was much better, the second one successfully kept the same humor and lively spirit of celebrating history. I was happy to see many of the same characters again, all played by the same actors (there’s nothing worse than a beloved character being swapped out to a new actor). There were plenty of aspects of the storyline that were outlandishly far-fetched, even once you’ve accepted the fact that everything in the museum comes to life at night. But if you remind yourself, “It’s just a movie, enjoy the good parts and overlook the silliness,” then you can enjoy it adequately, even as an adult. However, the storyline was clever and kept in line with the original plot of the first movie nicely while also producing a fresh idea. We didn’t want to see the same plot again and they did a good job of creating a new twist. And who doesn’t love the Smithsonian?

Kids love the first Night at the Museum, and certainly also love the second one. What a great way to get children motivated to learn more about history and interested in their museum field trips with school and family! Being that the makers of this movie clearly knew who their primary audience is, the kids, they amped up the slapstick humor and silly events. As an adult it can cause a few eye rolling moments, but kids love it. We shall grin and bear it or allow our inner child to be delightfully amused. Personally, I indulged and satisfied my inner child by enjoying every humorous bit. I was thrilled to see many of my favorite characters back in action. It was like meeting up with an old friend and being excited to hear of their new adventures. I will admit, Night at the Museum is one of my all-time favorite movies, so while part of me was expecting a major disappointment from the sequel, my love of the characters carried me through and I found myself having fun, even when the storyline consistency strayed a bit.

The best way to watch Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian is at the actual Smithsonian. They have two IMAX theaters currently showing the movie; one theater is located at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and the other theater is located at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The feature film showings are in the evening. You can even book tickets ahead of time.

My husband and I were fortunate enough to be in Virginia this June, so we took advantage of our logistical advantage, made a trip to Washington D.C., and watched Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian at the IMAX theater in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We spent a day touring the American History and Natural History museums of the Smithsonian while also enjoying a bit of the National Mall (not a shopping mall, it’s the location where the numerous historical monuments and government buildings reside). Afterwards we watched the movie, which made it more fun since we got to say to each other, “Look! We were just there!” when a familiar location came into view. It was also fun to recognize the artifacts within the movie that we got to see the real deal for ourselves that very day. However, the movie used replicas of these historic artifacts within their scenes. In fact, these replicas are on display in the Smithsonian Castle Building until September 30th, 2009.

Check out this video about the Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian premiere at the Smithsonian.