Greetings, my friends.

This is your top-of-the-line Man Undercover here with another thread.

Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb".

Here's the summary of this sequel:

Years after the events of the second film, Larry Daley and friends are aiming to re-open the museum's planetarium, Larry himself being the director of nighttime operations.

However, during the re-opening ceremony, the Tablet of Ahkmenrah has begun corroding and the exhibits have gone berserk.

Realizing that the tablet's magic is fading away and that the exhibits are being destroyed because of it, Larry, along with his son Nicky, Ahkmenrah, Sacagawea, Theodore Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, Jedidiah, Octavius, Dexter, and a neanderthal named Laaa, travel to the British Museum to visit Ahkmenrah's parents, Merenkahre and Shepseheret, in the hopes of learning how they can fix the tablet.

Will the group of friends restore the tablet before it's too late? Or will the magic forever disappear and kill the exhibits?

I'd like to be honest, I haven't watched this film as much as its two predecessors. But, the few occasions I saw this film long before recently, I remembered enjoying it.

Watching this movie yesterday in preparation for reviewing it, there was one Achilles Heel that I was able to pinpoint. Similar to the second film, there were some scenes in the film featuring character interactions that seemed to cause the film to get dragged on despite how amusing they were. A prime example came from when Larry and company meet Ahkmenrah's parents for the first time (with the exception of Ahkmenrah himself since he already knew them).

In spite of how flawed the film apparently was, though, I'm proud to say that this conclusion to the lovable trilogy was still a smashingly fun ride.

For instance, the performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were as amazing as ever.

The film's new cast members fit their parts like peas in a pod, really. Portraying Sir Lancelot and Tilly the British Museum Night Guard, Dan Stevens and Rebel Wilson literally stole the show in every scene they were in, giving their characters great personality, comedic-timings, and sense of life. Plus, Ben Kingsley made excellent use of his material and screen-time as Merenkahre, and the characters of Lancelot and Tilly developed nicely throughout the film.

Among the returning cast members, the chemistry between Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan as Jedidiah and Octavius was as brilliant as before, and they each gave hilarious comedic-timings too. In addition, Ben Stiller's portrayal of Larry was as stellar and funny as in the previous movies, and he did a hysterical job portraying Laaa the Neandrathal. Dick Van Dyke was also quite a scene-stealer as Cecil Fredericks despite how minor his character was.

But, out of all the old cast members, it was Robin Williams that I couldn't help but take note of the most. Portraying Theodore Roosevelt for the very last time, and this being one of his final films before his death and to be posthumously released...I was truly amazed by his performance. He may not have given a portrayal that was 100% worthy of an Oscar, but that didn't stop him from trying. His comedic-timings and obvious improvising were undeniably funny, and the amount of emotion and warmth he put into Teddy was strong enough to melt the heart. And, while I haven't seen the other films starring Williams that were released after his death, I believe that this film is the best of them and does the late actor the most justice.

To top it all off, the developments of Larry and company were superb, and newcomer Laaa had nicely-done character growth despite him not seeming like much at first.

The direction by Shawn Levy, the screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman, and the story by them and Mark Friedman, were marvelously divine. Friedman, Guion, and Handelman are definitely not Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, but the trio of newcomers did an excellent job at capturing the spirit of the franchise while incorporating some spice of their own at the same time, both of which were aided by the fantastic direction of Shawn Levy. As with the previous movies, the film's humor and comedic-timings were elements that I had a great time with, because I literally can't recall a single moment that didn't make me laugh. And I'm not gonna lie, the film's enormous amount of emotional resonance and heart struck my soul so much, especially when the film was ending and the adventure was complete.

The film's special effects were fabulous too. I mean, yes, they may not have been as heart-stopping as the effects from the two predecessors, but they were still amazingly well-done and impressive to look at. In my opinion, the most accomplished of the film's effects were the Xiangulu, the constellations at the beginning and end, and the surroundings and visualization of the painting that Larry, Lancelot, and Teddy fell into while fighting over the tablet.

Finally, the music by Alan Silvestri was magnificent. The new melodies he created for the film were mighty enough to help it feel alive, and it sounded like Silvestri was deeply giving his all in helping the film be a solid send off. Likewise, the movie's use of classic songs boosted it into being all-the-more delightful, particularly "Shake Your Groove Thing" and "Got to Be Real".

In conclusion, "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" isn't a flawless movie. But, as the conclusion to the Ben Stiller-centered and Shawn Levy-directed trilogy, as well as a send off and dedication to Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney...the film as a whole incredibly accomplishes being all that I described it as.

So, I rate "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" 4½ out of 5 stars.