Film: Night at the Museum Kahmunrah Rises Again

Cast: Joshua Bassett, Jamie Demetriou, Alice Isaaz, Gillian Jacobs, Joseph Kamal, Thomas Lennon, Zachary Levi, Akmal Saleh, Kieran Sequoia, Jack Whitehall, Bowen Yang, Steve Zahn

Director: Matt Danner

OTT: Disney+

Rating: 3 Moons

Based on the popular film franchise Night at the Museum headlined by Ben Stiller, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again is the first animated film in the series and the fourth installment overall. The animated feature takes the story forward about the mischief that takes place every night at the American Museum of Natural History when the sun goes down. Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again does not feature Stiller but does pack a punch and manages to entertain you till the very end. And yes, the titular antagonist Kahmunrah is back with his evil plan of world domination.

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Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises follows Nick Daley, the song of night guard Larry Daley, as he takes on the perilous job at the Museum of Natural History. Larry, who has moved on and taken up a job at the Tokyo museum, is unable to get a replacement for himself because the artifacts manage to scare every new recruit away. However, when the exhibits convince him to get his son Nick to replace him as the night guard, he eventually coaxes his reluctant teenage son to take on the job.  

Nick Daley’s (voiced by Joshua Bassett) summer gig as the as night watchman at the museum is a challenging job for a high school student, but he is following in his father’s (voiced by Zachary Levi) footsteps and is determined not to let him down. Luckily, he is familiar with the museum’s ancient tablet that brings everything to life when the sun goes down and is happy to see his old friends including Jedediah (Steve Zahn), Octavius (Jack Whitehall), Roosevelt (Thomas Lennon), Joan of Arc (Alice Isaaz) and Sacagawea (Kieran Sequoia), when he arrives.

However, he is unsure of himself and doubts whether he can rise to the occasion and save everyone when due to his negligence the maniacal Egyptian ruler Kahmunrah (voiced by Joseph Kamal) escapes with plans to unlock the Egyptian underworld and free its Army of Dead in order to rule the world. It is left to Nick to stop the tyrannical but demented overlord and save the museum and the world once and for all. In his quest to rule the world Kahmunrah raises the Egyptian god of Chaos, Seth (voiced by Akmal Saleh) to help him.

Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again is an entertaining watch and pretty funny with enough witty one-liners that will keep you hooked. The action never abates and there is never a dull moment in the film. Joshua Bassett, Zachary Levi, Joseph Kamal, Thomas Lennon, Alice Isaaz, Kieran Sequoia, Steve Zahn, Jack Whitehall and the others do an impressive job with their voiceovers. However, it is Akmal Saleh who brings the most laughs with his accent and wit in the chaotic world of the American Naural Museum.

Director Matt Danner brings a good-enough film that is fun to watch and should appeal to both adults and children alike. Ray DeLaurentis and William Schifrin’s screenplay could have been a little more gripping but all in all it is a good and breezy watch. Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again is streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

PeepingMoon.com gives Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again, 3 Moons.