Is Secret of the Tomb the Best Night at the Museum Movie Yet?

Updated on 12/19/2014 at 3:14 PM

In a word, yes. Combine a stellar cast with breathtaking special effects and plenty of high-action excitement, and it's no wonder that the Night at the Museum franchise has held strong since 2006. This latest installment has an especially impactful storyline (aside from the high-energy international museum quest), as Ben Stiller's character, Larry, grapples both with raising a teenager who's ready to go out on his own and a professional curveball. As director Shawn Levy explains it:

"[In the third movie], we got back to centralizing the father-son story, which was at the heart of the first one. That movie was about a dad trying to be great in the eyes of his kid. And by virtue of geography, we went to DC. The second one had a madcap kind of energy and an amazing performance by Amy Adams and Hank Azaria. But on this one, there was a little bit more of a return to wonder and kind of reprioritizing the father/son theme, which has evolved. The whole thing becomes about letting go of your kid who's going to make his own decisions of a job that's defined you and of a de facto family bond with these exhibits."

After screening the movie last week, we sat down with the stars of the film and Levy to learn some of the behind-the-scenes secrets of Secret of the Tomb and its predecessors too. Here, a few strong arguments (some of which are in the cast's own words) for taking a break from your holiday prep and spending a night at the movies with Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and your family. Source: 20th Century Fox

The Father-Son Dynamic Is Both Relatable and Touching

The relationship between Ben Stiller's character, Larry, and his son, Nick, is one that every parent will empathize with, whether you have an infant, or, like Larry, an almost-adult. As Nicky puts up a fight about the prospect of college (who wouldn't want to DJ in Ibiza for a year?), his dad comes to terms with the fact that his son is coming into his own.

"My oldest is 12. So, it's definitely projecting into the future a little bit, but really only a few years; it goes by so quickly," Ben Stiller said of how he relates personally to his character. "[Kids] become their own people. And even seeing my daughter at what she is now at 12 as being a young adult, there's a certain bittersweetness to the whole thing because you see how quickly they are going off on their own and not being your little kids anymore."

It Was Robin Williams's Last Film

Without giving away too much of the storyline, Robin Williams's portrayal of Teddy Roosevelt in his final big-screen role is almost chillingly appropriate. His performance throughout the film is stellar, and Shawn Levy shared some thoughts on what it was like to work with the comedic legend:

"It was really important to all of us and certainly to me in the editing room every day to have it be a fitting and loving kind of piece of his legacy.

"We finished shooting this movie less than three months before he passed. And he did some voice work for me a month before his death. In fact, you know that little Garuda statue in the movie? That's Robin. Robin saw that picture on my laptop. And he said, 'That guy's cute. What's he? And I said, 'Oh, he's this statue in the British Museum. I want to bring him to life.' And he goes, 'Well, he looks kind of mischievous. Let me take a whack at that, huh?' And it wasn't his job, wasn't planned. And he just recorded an entire language for that little Garuda.

"That was kind of emblematic of this guy who was certainly a grown man, but very much still a boy with all the playful spirit of that. And so, it was a horrible day when we heard. And it's been a rough few months since. There's kind of no positive spin on that. But I certainly am very, very grateful that I got the experience of being friendly with him and being collaborative with him."

The Action's Unstoppable

"I've been doing a lot of action recently, which is kind of new to me," Dan Stevens (who plays Sir Lancelot) told us. "But I'm really enjoying it. And it was made extrahard with the armor. The nine-headed snake dragon sequence, the battle that I had to do was pretty elaborate."

From a snake dragon battle to an epic black-tie dance party, the cast's energy level and enthusiasm is felt by the audience as well.

"It's a very interesting kind of movie because every day there's something else that you're dealing with," Ben Stiller added. "One day you're doing a sword fight. The next day you're doing a comedic scene or acting with something that's not even there."

Rebel Wilson (Need We Say More?)

As the night security guard at the British Museum, Rebel Wilson's Tilly brings her own brand of zany, off-the-wall humor to Night at the Museum. "I obviously love, love doing movies where I get to show that bit of girl power, you know," Wilson told us. She also shared that she scored herself a souvenir once filming wrapped up. That hat she's wearing with her security uniform? She bought it from the costume department — for $650.

It's as Fresh as the First One

"The first [movie] was so unique, and I like the second too. But there was a certain sense of mystery to the first one because it was the first time it was happening and discovering it all for the first time that you can't repeat ever again," Stiller said. "So, that was I think the challenge in this one — trying to figure out a way to get back to a little bit of that."