There's Another Night At The Museum Coming Out And Here's The First Miserable Trailer For It

I have a soft spot in my heart for the first two Night At The Museum movies. They're just clever and fun endeavors that contain some great actors (Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson) yukking it up as recognizable characters from history. I actually thought 20th Century Fox was letting the franchise go after the second movie in 2009, which I thought a nice gesture on their part. Unfortunately, the franchise is back, and boy howdy does it look bad. Check out the trailer below and prepare for a rant of mammoth proportions.

Oh wow, does this look bad. First of all, does this movie look super cheap to anyone else? Those scenes set in Ancient Egypt namely look like something some TV movie would churn out. Also, what;s with the lack of big name actors in this one? Sure, Ben Kingsley is in here (I'm sure, as usual, he'll put in great work. Seriously, that dude couldn't sleepwalk through a role if he tried!), but there's nothing as inventive as getting Amy Adams to play Amelia Earhart or Bill Hader as Colonel Custard.  I mean, is Lancelot the best this movie can do in terms of fun characters come to life?? Though, kudos where kudos are due, he did get the one laugh of the trailer he noted how he doesn't know what the phrase "President of The United States" means.

Still, at worst this movie liked like an only mildly offensive cashgrab until the end, when a monkey urinated on Owen Wilson. Bathroom humor of nay kind usually doesn't work for me, but this one is just bizarre since it bears a striking resemblance to another big gag from another 20th Century Fox film released at Christmas time, Gullivers Travels. The gag in question involves Jack Black urinating on a fire to help out his minuscule pals. So the joke can add laziness to its long list of offenses.

I was really hoping Ben Stiller would do some more interesting films after the wonderful Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but if this trailer is any indication, that ain't happening. Night At The Museum: Secret of The Tomb arrives December 19th.