I haven't seen Night at the Museum for many years, but I remembered it fondly. Overall, I think it holds up to those memories. The overall plot is, of course, ridiculous, but it's a kids movie involving magical Egyptian artefacts, so it's fairly easy to look past and just get lost in the fun. The cast, on the other hand, is a whole different kind of ridiculous. Every single role seems to involve someone famous, so much so that the side characters alone would comfortably pack out a movie theatre, with the likes of Paul Rudd, Ricky Gervais, and Rami Malek making minor appearances whilst the main cast includes Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Dick van Dyke!

There are some elements of the humour that fall a bit flat, but overall it did elicit plenty of chuckles. I think you could also argue that some elements of the film feel a little unnecessary, such as the romance with the tour guide/researcher, but they're small niggles. A larger issue could definitely be taken with the lack of nuance in the portrayal of many historical figures, alongside the often ignorant stereotyping on display. I'd find it fair to counter with an argument of "these aren't the actual historical figures, but sculptures of them that have taken on their character via the information in the museum", which would lead to them effectively being popular stereotypes of themselves. In particular, I wish that the Neanderthals weren't simply men trying to be apes (a depiction that is more racist than scientific) but on the whole I think, again, you can look past these issues with a reminder that it's a kids movie.

That said, as a kids movie I'm not entirely sure what the point is, but the concept is entertaining and any film that gives us a T-Rex skeleton wagging its tail can skip the obvious morality play in my book 😁 The main "human" characters are all interesting enough to keep you caring, the action sequences are well done, and it constantly keeps you guessing as to who might show up next, all of which make for an enjoyable ride with some clever ideas and surprisingly solid execution.