US comedy film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, the third and supposedly final installment in the Night at the Museum series, sets its characters on an entertainingly surreal journey across the pond to save the magic of a mysterious tablet from dying out.

At a nighttime fundraising event at the Museum of Natural History in New York, the museum's night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is showing off the magical effect of the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, an ancient Egyptian object that has the power to bring all museum exhibits to life at night.

The exhibits on show include wax figures of Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher), Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck), Jedediah (Owen Wilson), Octavius (Steve Coogan), Dexter the Capuchin Monkey, and Rexy the Tyrannosaurus skeleton.

When the tablet starts to corrode, all the exhibits start to act abnormally and wreak havoc during the event, causing guests to flee in fright.

Larry learns that if the corrosion continues, the exhibits will go back to lifelessness forever. In order to return things to normal, Larry travels to the British Museum with the tablet to consult its original owner Merenkahre (Ben Kingsley) about how to solve the mystery.

The magically awakened exhibits team up to join Larry's adventure to Britain. At the British Museum whose exhibits are also brought to life by the tablet, the gang is saved from an animated triceratops skeleton by the armored knight Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens). Larry locates Merenkahre to get the truth behind the tablet.

Lancelot steals the tablet as he believes it to be the Holy Grail, and then leaves to find his legendary love Guinevere. The gang tries to find Lancelot to retrieve the tablet.

Scenes from Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Photos: CFP

The storyline is admittedly preposterous, but one is likely to be drawn into the whirlwind of riotous glee thanks to plenty of chase scenes, lively romps and magical mayhem.

The CGI animation provides much entertainment. Sparkling constellations streaking across a dome add dreamlike fantasy at an opening gala; several bronze lions come alive to chase the beam of Larry's flashlight; Lancelot's wax nose melts into a drip after he gets too close to a flame; and thumb-sized Jedediah and Octavius get trapped in a scale model of Pompeii.

Familiar characters from the first two installments contribute to the fun. Jedediah and Octavius get themselves into hilarious situations, such as ending up lost in a ventilation duct or outrunning lava tides flowing from an erupting volcano in an interactive diorama before being saved by the mischievous Dexter, who pees to put out the fire.

The film is packed with funny asides and exchanges. Ben Stiller hits the right note with his humor that provides many belly laughs. Dan Stevens stretches his comic muscles as the pompous knight with acts of bravado. Another piece of comic relief is a cameo by Hugh Jackman playing a self-mocking version of himself in a theater production.

The film bids a bittersweet farewell to the great comedian Robin Williams, who passed away before the film's release. Williams' final performance as Roosevelt is effortlessly witty and charming.

On the negative side, the film does not go far from the already well-trod formula of the previous two, and somewhat wastes the new setting of the renowned British Museum and its potential to add new twists to the story.

However, if you come to the film with the right level of expectation, it has a reanimating magic like that of the life-giving tablet, which will make for a few happy hours filled with plentiful laughs, imagination and whimsical adventure.

A poster for the film

Everyone's a critic

Ruby

26, PR

"I'm pleasantly surprised at how the fun ride took my mind off the real world. It's exciting to see the museum's wax figures stepping out from behind their glass cases to exchange wisecracks on-screen. The story, action, laughs and entertainment were in full supply. It makes me want to see the first two installments."

Jessica

35, teacher

"I came to watch the film with my 5-year-old son who sat spellbound throughout the film and asked me if the magic was real. The film is a suspenseful and family-friendly thrill ride. Regrettably, I did not see the first two films, so it's a bit difficult to digest some of the plots in this one."

Jeff Zou

36, IT specialist

"There's nothing fresh in the sequel other than some corny jokes which do not save the film from looking dull and falling flat. It definitely doesn't surpass its previous installments, and there's not much here to justify the ticket price. I was bitterly disappointed."