Night At The Museum Singapore
Yvone Samiento
Many of us have heard about this unique event, but few have actually experienced the full thing from start to finish, so we asked the museum if we could be invited to the party and take in the whole thing with fresh eyes.
Was a full night necessary? Would I be woken up by snoring strangers or would I oversleep and find myself surrounded by school children? Just how much access would we be given? Would tour guides actually stay up all night for us?
About 285 people signed up for the lock-in that night. Almost all of them had champagne in hand as they waited for the program to start. A cellist played classical tunes between displays of glowing sea life as a friend and I snagged two cots by the tiger shark diorama in the back corner of the large room. Most of the cots were already taken by then, so we ended up laying our things down next to possibly the most terrifying ocean life scene: a giant squid going tentacle-to-flipper with a sperm whale.
I watched from the back close to the exit in case things went awry, but of course, Simmons was on the case and carefully put the snake back into its cooler. The museum told me he had also brought out a horned owl, a golden eagle and an alligator or crocodile.
1am. It seemed like a good place to stop for the night. We had learned a lot, been given an in-depth tour, seen some pretty cool stuff, eaten a few cookies from the snack bar and lounge, but the late night tour tempted the night owls of us looking to scoop up more natural history into our gullets. From about 1:30 to 2:30am, we fed off the words of a tour guide in a pith helmet, who took us around to his favorite exhibits.
2:30am. Having already heard much of the information he was telling us, my friend and I decided to head up to the fourth floor to see the titanosaur and other dinos we had missed by staying downstairs. While the VIP treatment on the other floors was fantastic, being totally alone in the dark with old, massive skeletons was the Night at the Museum experience I had hoped for (minus the moment of pure terror when a mouse skittered across the floor.) These great symbols of what came before us were ours alone to behold for that moment.
Despite feeling as ancient as the bones in the next room that morning, I decided that spending about 12 hours (some of that with strangers in pajamas) indulging my inner child at this sleepover was well worth it because it gave me priceless time to dig deeper than ever before.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, also called Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb is a 2014 American fantasy comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by David Guion and Michael Handelman. It is the third (and final live-action) installment in the Night at the Museum film series, a sequel to Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), and the final installment of the original trilogy. The film stars Ben Stiller in the lead role, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Dan Stevens, Rami Malek, Rebel Wilson, and Ben Kingsley.[3] In the film, security guard Larry Daley must travel to London to return the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, an Egyptian artifact which causes the exhibits to come to life, before the magic disappears.
Principal photography of Secret of the Tomb took place from January to May 2014 in London, England and British Columbia, Canada. The film premiered on December 11, 2014, at New York City's Ziegfeld Theater and was released in the United States on December 19, 2014. Secret of the Tomb grossed over $363 million at the box office, becoming the lowest-grossing film in the series, and like its predecessors, received mixed reviews. The film is dedicated to Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney who both died before the film's release.
In 1938, a team of archaeologists is searching for the tomb of pharaoh Ahkmenrah in Egypt. Among the group is young Cecil "C.J." Fredericks, who discovers the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. As the team packs up the artifacts due to an incoming sandstorm, the locals warn them about removing the tablet from the tomb, saying "the end will come."
76 years later in New York City, five years after the events of the second film, Larry Daley remains the night guard of the Museum of Natural History. He and the other exhibits are hosting an event to help re-open the Hayden Planetarium. As Larry makes sure everything is ready, the other exhibits inform him that the museum commissioned a new Neanderthal model resembling Larry. The new Neanderthal calls himself Laaa and considers Larry his father. Later, Ahkmenrah shows Larry that the tablet has a mysterious corrosion. As the corrosion spreads, the exhibits act abnormally and cause massive chaos at the planetarium. After calming the situation, Larry, frustrated, returns home to find his teenage son Nick throwing a party.
To discover what is happening to the tablet, Larry reunites with now-retired Cecil, a member of the expedition who discovered the tomb. Cecil remembers "the end will come" prophecy and realizes it refers to the tablet's magic ending and the exhibits becoming lifeless. Cecil says Ahkmenrah's parents, Merenkahre and Shepseheret, may be able to restore the tablet's power, but that they are in the British Museum. Larry convinces museum curator Dr. McPhee, who was fired due to the planetarium incident, to let him ship Ahkmenrah to London to restore the tablet, although McPhee believes the magic is just clever special effects. Larry and Nick travel to the U.K. and go to the British Museum, bypassing the night guard Tilly. Larry discovers that some of the American exhibits have stowed away with Ahkmenrah: Theodore Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Attila the Hun, miniatures Jedediah and Octavius, Dexter the capuchin monkey, and Laaa. As Larry and the others search the museum, the tablet brings the British exhibits to life.
The group is joined by a wax figure of Sir Lancelot, who helps fight off aggressive museum exhibits like a Triceratops skeleton and a Xiangliu statue. The tablet's corrosion worsens, and the American exhibits begin experiencing side-effects such as stiffening limbs and memory reversion. The group finds Ahkmenrah's parents. They learn the tablet's power can be regenerated by moonlight, since it is empowered through the magic of Khonsu. Lancelot steals the tablet, mistaking it for the Holy Grail, and prepares to leave for Camelot. Tilly locks Larry and Laaa in the employee break room, but Attila helps them escape. Laaa remains behind to distract Tilly; they become attracted to each other.
Lancelot crashes the musical Camelot starring Hugh Jackman and Alice Eve and is stunned to realize that unlike the other exhibits, Lancelot and Camelot are not real. Larry and the others chase Lancelot to the theatre's roof, where the corrosion almost consumes the entire tablet, turning the exhibits back into their lifeless forms. The group tells Lancelot that although Camelot never existed, he can have a life. Lancelot gives the tablet back, allowing Larry to straighten the pieces as the moonlight restores the tablet's power and the exhibits. As the American exhibits prepare to return home, they decide that Ahkmenrah and his tablet should stay at the British Museum with his parents, even though this means the New York exhibits will no longer come to life. Larry is upset, but they all inform him that they are at peace with their unanimous decision. Ahkmenrah thanks Larry for reuniting him with his family, and the exhibits go home. Back in New York, Larry spends some final moments with his friends and says goodbye to them before the sun rises, and then he leaves the museum for the last time.
Three years later, Larry now works as a school teacher after the museum rehired McPhee. Tilly brings a traveling exhibit to New York in a collaboration with the museum. In McPhee's office, Tilly hands the tablet to McPhee, showing him its power and allowing the exhibits to awaken again as they throw a huge party. From across the street, Larry quietly observes the celebration and smiles.
On January 21, 2010, co-writer Thomas Lennon said to Access Hollywood, "I think it's a really outstanding idea to do Night at the Museum 3, in fact. I wonder if someone's not even already working on a script for that. I cannot confirm that for a fact, but I cannot deny it for a fact either... It might be in the works."[8] In an October 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stiller confirmed the sequel; however, he said that it was only in the "ideas stage".[9] In February 2013 it was announced that the film, directed by Shawn Levy, would be released on December 25, 2014.[10] On September 10, 2013, it was announced that shooting would start in February 2014.[11]
On November 8, 2013, actor Dan Stevens was cast as Lancelot.[6] On November 15, 2013, it was announced that Skyler Gisondo would be replacing Jake Cherry in the role of Nicky Daley.[5] On December 18, 2013, it was announced that Stiller, Robin Williams, and Ricky Gervais would be returning for the sequel.[12] On January 9, 2014, it was announced that Rebel Wilson would play a security guard in the British Museum.[4] On January 14, 2014, the film's release date was moved up from December 25, 2014, to December 19, 2014.[13] On January 23, 2014, it was announced Ben Kingsley would play an Egyptian Pharaoh at the British Museum.[14] Principal photography and production began on January 27, 2014.[15] On May 6, 2014, it was announced that the film would be titled Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.[16] In May 2014, principal photography ended.[17] Shooting took place outside the British Museum in London, England, as well as on a sound stage at the Vancouver Film Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia for scenes taking place inside the museum. This film marks the final performances of Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney and is dedicated to their memories.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 47% approval rating, based on 115 reviews, with an average score of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While not without its moments, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is a less-than-inspired sendoff for the trilogy."[40] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 47 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[41]