Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

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The magic that brings the museum experience to life is on the verge of fading, and it is up to Larry (Ben Stiller) to drag his collection of animated historic wax figures around the world (well, to Rebel Wilson in England) to reboot the mojo and see if everyone can enjoy this latest Night at the Museum franchise adventure from Shawn Levy. The spirit of Camelot gets dragged through the mud a bit (with a couple of ho-hum cameos thrown in for nothing) and Larry attempts to bond with his son, in what could have been far more meaningful, if explored in any depth. For those of you keeping score at home, the initial installment had more than its share of feel-good laughs, but by Part 2 (Battle of the Smithsonian), the ride was thoroughly forgettable, which means that Secret of the Tombs might actually be dangerous in a Memento kind of way — forcing audiences to tattoo reminders on their skin about basic survival skills. The only real pity here (or real danger for that matter) is that Secret of the Tomb will go down as one of the final screen appearances by the great Robin Williams, and I believe he deserved a more memorable walk off than this. (Opens wide Friday) (PG) Grade: D+