Monkeys slap Ben Stiller. A dinosaur skeleton plays fetch. Robin Williams grows a moustache, rides a horse and overacts. Ricky Gervais plays Ricky Gervais. A miniature cowboy and Roman general squabble. Ben Stiller slaps monkeys. And a cranky historic figure wants to get his hands on a valuable ancient Egyptian artefact.

Just another night at another museum where stuff comes to life after lights out, then.

Almost. When Stiller first put on the nightguard uniform, the results were silly, yes, but wildly inventive and, most importantly, childishly entertaining. His return as the flashlight wielding Larry Daley? A frantic mess.

Following a more-is-more approach — more stars! more historic figures! more astounding special effects! — 'Battle of the Smithsonian' actually amounts to not much at all.

Running, fighting and plenty of shouting is interspersed by some improvised dialogue between Stiller and some of his celebrity friends, most of whom are left standing around in a nonsensical script overstuffed with irrelevant characters.

A droll Christopher Guest scores a few laughs as a pedantic Ivan the Terrible and Amy Adams provides her usual giddy enthusiasm as aviatrix Amelia Earhart.

But it's only really the heavy-handed Hank Azaria, camping it up as a lisping megalomaniacal pharaoh, who provides real comedy.

Even the original's supporting cast — Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan — are reduced to footnotes in history, while Stiller himself looks as uncomfortable as the uptight characters he usually plays.

Perhaps that's missing the point, though. With a take-home message of "do what you love" and an unlikely cameo appearance from the Jonas Brothers, this is clearly aimed at kids easily entertained by bright, shiny things and monkeys slapping people.

Still, that's no excuse for making this return trip to the museum as disappointing — and dull — as those primary school outings to the real thing.

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