History Headscratchers / NightAtTheMuseum

* A lot of people don't know that there was a Night at rhe Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian game made shortly after the movie. The story follows Larry (who is voiced by Ben Stiller, the only actor to voice his character in the game) through the second movie, but with some changes to the plot. Khamunrah ends up breaking the Tablet into different pieces, called ingots. Each ingot has a certain power, which Larry can harness with his flashlight (one tames animals, one lifts things, one sends magical signals about hidden artifacts, one can fix mechanical things, and one can enchant paintings at will). The pieces are given to Capone, Ivan, and Napoleon. In the first few levels, Larry is joined by Octavius, who had escaped the crate alone to get help. There is a level where the player gets to play as Octavius as well. Khamunrah in the game is just as ruthless as in the movies, and instead of an hourglass, he traps Jed in a sarcophagus with a rat. But not after taking him on the intercom system and letting him say one last goodbye to his friends- which is pretty darn dark, if you think about it. At the very end of the game, Larry, Amelia, Octavius, and Jed (who gets rescued. It's actually quite funny- they find him in the sarcophagus and think he's dead, and Octavius gives a mini speech about avenging him, only to have him wake up a few seconds later. No sooner does he wake up, he and Ockie start bickering about the other taking up too much room in Larry's pocket.) fight Khamunrah after he opens a portal to the Underworld. But not in a sword fight- no, the unlucky player has to solve puzzles whole avoiding fireballs and debris. Overall, the game is quite funny, and the character personalities are really well matched. There are son headscrather parts, though. There's a part where Larry has to convince Able to give him one of the ingots he got a hold of by bribing him with astronaut ice cream from a vending machine (which Octavius has to climb through to reach). There's also a part where Larry and Octavius meet and confront Cleopatra, who tells them the secret of the Tablet in return for being given the Hope Diamond (a cursed historical artifact that can be found in the game). She's really a bit of a B. word, and in the game, has no idea she's an exhibit- which is neat, considering the fact that is a theme of the third movie. Also, Octavius flirts with Cleopatra in the game...which is really weird, considering the historical history of both Octavius and Cleopatra...with Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius and all that...overall, the game is quite fun, and one can be surprised so few people know about it.

** Remember the guards were not actually trying to do Larry any favours.

#: What happened to Brundon?

#: How did the mess back at the Smithsonian get cleaned up/explained away?

#: What is the range of the tablet? Lincoln was activated when the tablet was brought under the monument roof, and NY Teddy was activated when the tablet was brought back to that museum, but Earhart was able to fly back to D.C. once the tablet was in NYC, and the Smithsonian exhibits presumably didn't turn to dust, even though they weren't in the same building as the tablet at sunrise.

*** As shown in the first film, wax statues don't turn flesh, but are still made of wax. Cold dolls having no smell (an so, not pherormons) are even less interesting when you have to run for your life.

* Where the heck did Pi come from in the second movie. PI was invented several Millenia later by the Greeks. Even if mistaking the time period of the Pharohs, pi has nothing to do with pyramids. Pi only is useful for round objects.
** Rameses II ruled around 1200 Bc. According to the other wiki, Egypt had a ratio within 1% for seven hundred years by that time. Let it bug you no longer! By the by, Egyptians didn't build all pyramids...
*** To recall the riddle had to do with pyramids which if you are correct in the time period is a big acronism.

* Larry loses his phone while in the photograph portrait "V-J Day in Time's Square" and is picked up by some guy. At the end of the movie, he's shown to be tinkering with it, and his mother calls him "Joey Motorola," implying that Larry dropping the phone caused the first cell phone to be made. But...he dropped it in a PORTRAIT. And since it's just a photograph, how on earth is time supposed to pass anyways? Aren't they just supposed to be stuck in that one particular moment? So if anything, the phone small-mini-subplot made absolutely no sense. ...and what about the mooks that were trapped in there when he turned the portrait around?

** It's probably because, in this universe, there ''is no'' Force to use. If Vader had come to life in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, he could have utilized that mystical energy field, but he came to life on Earth where it doesn't exist. Or maybe they just forgot to put midichlorians into his wax figure; the point is, the cherubs rely on magic intrinsic to them, so it comes into existence when they do, but Vader relies on an outside Force that has to exist independantly of him to work.

* How were Larry and Amelia able to fly the replica Wright biplane with such distance and fluidity, pulling at least one u-turn if perception was correct?

** Maybe they didn't have them. They have a night guard and there might not be any monitors in the security gaurds' office.

** While the film-makers put together the Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan in the movie, The Museum of Natural History does have exhibits on the differing cultures around the world. They've even put up a web-page listing what they do and don't have based on the movie.

** The weight of the sand on him would be pretty extreme and hes just a wax figure it would probably crush him to death slowly.

*** Alternatively, the magic made it lighter/easier to carry

* Why does the second movie overemphasize its {{Lampshade Hanging}}s so much? All the attention is focused whenever it occurs, and it just seems awkward. Don't get this the wrong way, the jokes themselves were occasionally funny, but it seemed more like a documentary on how [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools all tropes are cliches]].
** If some scriptwriters are to be believed, LampshadeHanging is the perfect formula for side-splitting humour, no matter what.
** RuleOfFunny ?

* Larry loses his phone while in the photograph portrait "V-J Day in Time's Square" and is picked up by [[strike:Jay Baruchel]] some guy. At the end of the movie, he's shown to be tinkering with it, and his mother calls him "Joey Motorola," implying that Larry dropping the phone caused the first cell phone to be made. But...he dropped it in a PORTRAIT. And since it's just a photograph, how on earth is time supposed to pass anyways? Aren't they just supposed to be stuck in that one particular moment? So if anything, the phone small-mini-subplot made absolutely no sense. ...and what about the mooks that were trapped in there when he turned the portrait around?

* This doesn't exactly a headscratcher per se, but it is FridgeLogic: If a kid left a toy in the museum, one would presume it would come to life after sunset like everything else inside, correct? So if a toy of something that doesn't exist in the real world was left in there (like a dragon or maybe even a Franchise/{{Pokemon}}), theoretically for however many nights that toy is left there, that thing would would, in fact, exist. [[RuleOfCool That would be so awesome.]] (Too bad it probably wouldn't happen if there's a third movie because they might get accused of [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory plagiarism]]).

** UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun's on the good side, too, and he killed a lot more people in the course of his career. Plus, Custer is one of American history's biggest [[ButtMonkey Butt Monkeys]], so perhaps it's mostly RuleOfFunny. Plus, movie!Custer's a certifiable idiot.

!FridgeLogic:

Battle of the Smithsonian issues:

#: What happened to [[strike:Brandon]]Brundon?

* Why was the romance between Larry and Amelia so forced? It was completely out of nowhere and (based on how many characters said to them "You two make a wonderful couple!!" it seemed extremely forced and formulaic.
** It was all a big setup for that awesome second base joke at the end.
** Actually, people who work together in stressful situations do tend to form bonds faster then they ordinarily would, and it can have interesting repercussions when they're compatible genders([[HoYay and even more when they're not]]). Thinking "oh, what the heck, I'll just go for it" seems in character for [[GenkiGirl Earhart]], and on Larry's side, It might have something to do with ''[[{{Fanservice}} dose pants]]''.
*** Also, something that people tend to forget is that it's not ''just'' the "Fight or Flight response". There's a third F in there that your body suddenly might want to do what with the hormones flying around.

This movie has way too many plot holes. That's all that can be said about it.

* Where the heck did Pi come from in the second movie. PI was invented several Millenia later by the Greeks. Even if I've mistaken the time period of the Pharohs, pi has nothing to do with pyramids. Pi only is useful for round objects.

** Good question. I wish he'd had a larger role in the movie. Given all the time that was spent talking about his name, he deserved it.

** I'm assuming there are janitors...though when they did it sure is a mystery.

** I assumed once the tablet had woken up an exhibit, it would stay that way until sunrise. So someone activated on Night A would continue to do its thing until Night B, even if the tablet was moved away.

** Really convincing computer graphics. It's a bit beyond current technology, but so are decent-looking holograms, so I suppose the movie is set a couple years ahead of when it was made.
** Graphics, sure. But who the hell voiced it? I stand by my initial theory.
** Maybe some museum worker saw the figure and thought "[[CelebrityParadox Hey, he looks just like Robin Williams]]" and hired him to dress up like the figure for the hologram. As for the voice...I don't know. I guess that all of this could be explained by MST3KMantra.

* Some people on IMBD were suggesting that the director's anger being about the fact THAT the museum was messy rather than asking Larry HOW it got that way meant that he knew what was---- going on. I don't buy it, but I just wanted to see what everybody here thought of it.
** As a boss, I don't care how it got messed up. I'll just assume, given no real evidence of a break in, that the only living person in a locked building did it. What other option is there? Either the lone person did it or someone broke in. [[SarcasmMode It's not like the exhibits came to life.]]
** I always took it as my personal canon that the boss ''did'' know. His behaviour is inexplicable otherwise—if I found the museum trashed to such a degree, I would neither care how it happened or give the watchman a chance to explain. He would be fired on the spot, and, what's more, we'd probably prosecute for damages due to negligence on the job. I mean, ''the museum was a disaster''. Instead, Dr. Murphy just expresses anger at Larry's performance. That, and his general disfluency on expressing exactly what the problem is, convinces me that the Directors of the Museum are well aware of the tablet but try to maintain PlausibleDeniability.

*** As I recall the riddle had to do with pyramids which if you are correct in the time period is a big acronism.

* Why does the second movie overemphasize its {{Lampshade Hanging}}s so much? All the attention is focused whenever it occurs, and it just seems awkward. Don't get me wrong, the jokes themselves were occasionally funny, but it seemed more like a documentary on how [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools all tropes are cliches]].

** Actually, people who work together in stressful situations do tend to form bonds faster then they ordinarily would, and it can have interesting repercussions when they're compatible genders([[HoYay and even more when they're not]]). Thinking "oh, what the heck, I'll just go for it" seems in character for [[GenkiGirl Earhart]], and on Larry's side, I think it had something to do with ''[[{{Fanservice}} dose pants]]''.

** Well, I don't know about you, but when I'm being chased by FREAKING AL CAPONE, it's kind of hard for me to think rationally.

** The only thing I recall was that when the pieces were misaligned the magic wouldn't kick in at sundown, but would at any point during the night. Maybe once it was turned on the magic would work until sunrise even if the alignment was changed, so it's not quite as simple as an on/off switch. It would have been nice to at least explain that.
** Near the end of the second movie, when Amelia is trying to put the tablet into the door, there's a moment where several pieces of the tablet are off, so it doesn't fit in the door at first. I assumed that meant that, after the magic was activated by an intact tablet, it stayed in effect until sunrise.

* Is Kahmunrah a wax figure or a mummy? He ''could'' be a wax figure because he doesn't look mummified before nighttime (when the tablet activates). He ''could'' be a mummy because he said that he "came back to life", and if I could recall he looked like he was in bandage when he was sent into the Land of the Dead.

** I'd guess plothole and RuleOfCool explaining why he's really neither. Most likely, they thought it would look cool for him to be pointing angrily at the crate when Larry arrived without much thought as to the fact that he ought to be a dried up body like his brother is during the day. Remember that Ak coughs up mummy dust when he's first met despite spending nights on nights screaming and fighting to escape his sarcophagus, so he probably reverts back to being all dried up in the daytime. It's pretty likely Kahmunrah should be a dried husk, and he's not a figure because he lacks the waxy, UncannyValley look that, say, Amelia or Attila have. Since he can't be a mummy because he should have gone back to his natural state and he doesn't look fake like Jed or Octavius.

* This doesn't exactly bug me per se, but it is FridgeLogic: If a kid left a toy in the museum, I presume it would come to life after sunset like everything else inside, correct? So if a toy of something that doesn't exist in the real world was left in there (like a dragon or maybe even a Franchise/{{Pokemon}}), theoretically for however many nights that toy is left there, that thing would would, in fact, exist. [[RuleOfCool That would be so awesome.]] (Too bad it probably wouldn't happen if there's a third movie because they might get accused of [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory plagiarism]]).

*** Yeah, but he still was walking around and breathing. If a toy dragon was brought to life and could walk and breath (and maybe talk, I dunno), it would still be an actual existing dragon during that time, even if it couldn't spit fire.

*** [[BerserkButton YEAH, BUT IT WOULD STILL BE AWESOME, RIGHT?]] Dude, what do you have against my dragon anyway? :P

** Well, we know toys become real. The toy car in the first movie has a real working engine and steering wheel, because Octavius and Jed drive it. So I imagine a small Squirtle figurine would be able to use at the very least Scratch and Rapid Spin no problem. Probably can't use Water Gun, though.

** I'm pretty sure they're at least somewhat real when the tablet animates them. There was a scene in the sequel that brings special attention to Roosevelt's skin as it slowly morphs back to wax at sunrise. Also, the Civil War guys as well as the cowboys can fire bullets in the first one despite the fact that it's highly unlikely the museum would put working gunpowder in the replicas. Also, the statues are able to talk, despite lacking lungs and a voicebox. And let's not forget the mummies, which the tablet is able to transform from decayed corpse to living person every day and night.

* How were Larry and Amelia able to fly the replica Wright biplane with such distance and fluidity, pulling at least one u-turn if my perception was correct?

* First movie...I understand she wanted to know more about Sacagawea, but she can't use any of the information she finds without scientific proof. Any interview would do nothing for her.

** May be they didn't have them. They have a night guard and I don't remember seeing any monitors in the security gaurds' office.
* For this troper, it's the deal with the center piece of the tablet. In the first movie, the exhibits don't come to life because the center piece of the tablet was turned. Larry could have avoided the whole issue in the second movie by simply turning the middle piece before the tablet was activated, right?
** Yes, I felt the same way. There are so many problems with this movie, it's insane. (My dad even wondered how the security guards wouldn't have noticed what was going on in the museum! That explains things right there.) But the thing that always puts me in facepalm mode is the moment after Kahmunrah is defeated and someone says, "Let's clean up!" or something like that. Right, they're gonna repair all those broken glass cases, fix the airplane and fly it back, replace the stained glass window, fix the 1940s paintings that don't have 1940s people in it, and repair all the damage that octopus (squid, or whatever he was) did to the pillars... All in a few hours!!! [[biggrin]] I hope the Smithsonian has enough insurance to cover for all this.

This movie has way too many plot holes. That's all I can say about it.

** While I believe the film-makers put together the Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan in the movie, The Museum of Natural History does have exhibits on the differing cultures around the world. They've even put up a web-page listing what they do and don't have based on the movie.

** Thoth (or as the Egyptians named him, Djehuty) was the god of knowledge. Horus, the hawk-headed god, was associated with kingship and the Pharaohs were his earthly embodiment. Horus ws the son of Osiris, so it actually makes sense that he would provide an army of hawk-headed warriors.

* I'm surprised that no one is complaining how Custer is on the good side, when he is known for attempting to kill numerous Native Americans.
** UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun's on the good side, too, and he killed a lot more people in the course of his career. Plus, Custer is one of American history's biggest [[ButtMonkey Butt Monkeys]], so I think it's mostly RuleOfFunny. Plus, movie!Custer's a certifiable idiot.

** This troper highly dislikes Custer's appearance in the movie not because of who he was, but how the movie treats him like some sort of comedy piece. ''Especially'' the whole "that's not my name" bit with Sacagawea; no, he wasn't seen as a villain by contemporary society during his time, but to play him off as a joke and harmless (and using Sacagawea as part of the humour) just smacks of inconsideration, if not a complete lack of empathy and understanding about who the real Custer was.

** Most of the stuff that comes to life are things that either were or represent living beings. As far as I recall, the gates don't start moving on their own, the furniture doesn't start scampering through the hallways, and the trash cans don't start calling "Feed me!", so it doesn't just imbue ''everything'' with life and motion. As planets aren't alive in the same sense a Pharaoh or a Tyrannosaurus Rex or Teddy Roosevelt were alive, they don't get animated.

* At the end of the third movie, why did all of the American Museum exhibits show up at the British Museum for the dance party? I'm a bit confused as to how and why everyone is there 3 years later.

* A lot of people don't know that there was a Night at rhe Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian game made shortly after the movie. The story follows Larry (who is voiced by Ben Stiller, the only actor to voice his character in the game) through the second movie, but with some changes to the plot. Khamunrah ends up breaking the Tablet into different pieces, called ingots. Each ingot has a certain power, which Larry can harness with his flashlight (one tames animals, one lifts things, one sends magical signals about hidden artifacts, one can fix mechanical things, and one can enchant paintings at will). The pieces are given to Capone, Ivan, and Napoleon. In the first few levels, Larry is joined by Octavius, who had escaped the crate alone to get help. There is a level where the player gets to play as Octavius as well. Khamunrah in the game is just as ruthless as in the movies, and instead of an hourglass, he traps Jed in a sarcophagus with a rat. But not after taking him on the intercom system and letting him say one last goodbye to his friends- which is pretty darn dark, if you think about it. At the very end of the game, Larry, Amelia, Octavius, and Jed (who gets rescued. It's actually quite funny- they find him in the sarcophagus and think he's dead, and Octavius gives a mini speech about avenging him, only to have him wake up a few seconds later. No sooner does he wake up, he and Ockie start bickering about the other taking up too much room in Larry's pocket.) fight Khamunrah after he opens a portal to the Underworld. But not in a sword fight- no, the unlucky player has to solve puzzles whole avoiding fireballs and debris. Overall, the game is quite funny, and the character personalities are really well matched. There are son headscrather parts, though. There's a part where Larry has to convince Able to give him one of the ingots he got a hold of by bribing him with astronaut ice cream from a vending machine (which Octavius has to climb through to reach). There's also a part where Larry and Octavius meet and confront Cleopatra, who tells them the secret of the Tablet in return for being given the Hope Diamond (a cursed historical artifact that can be found in the game). She's really a bit of a B. word, and in the game, has no idea she's an exhibit- which is neat, considering the fact that is a theme of the third movie. Also, Octavius flirts with Cleopatra in the game...which is really weird, considering the historical history of both Octavius and Cleopatra...with Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius and all that...overall, the game is quite fun, and I'm surprised so few people know about it.

* Why does the second movie overemphasize its {{Lampshade Hanging}}s so much? All the attention is focused whenever it occurs, and it just seems awkward. Don't get me wrong, the jokes themselves were occasionally funny, but it seemed more like a documentary on how [[TropesAreNotBad all tropes are cliches]].

* The Roman strategy used to fight the cowboys was unorganized and messy. Of course, it is a kids' movie, but a look at Roman formations would ha e been pretty epic and educational. The way Octavius had his men surround Larry in the first film shows that he knows these formations- which he must, considering the fact he is, acter all, a general. The cowboys, especially with their lack of firepower, would have been easy fodder for the Roman swords in close formation. But of course, that wouldn't be in a children's movie. It would be neat to imagine, though.
* Armor...the legionary armor is pretty well made, especially in the third movie. Octavius' armor, not so much. It was decorational, which most generals would have- but, he would also have a pair of more battle-ready armor if he so needed it. The armor he wears throughout the films would have been worn on special ocassions or during victory marches. Perhaps he just got tired of changing all the time. His cape, too, is not worn right. It would have been partially worn across the front, and would be removed for battle purposes. Cape snagging is no joke, haha.

* Just a quick question... should Kahmenrah's army of the underworld have hawk heads... isn't that Horus, the Egyptian god of knowledge. Probably my own CriticalResearchFailure, but wouldn't a jackal or something similar been appropriate?

* Also, the reason for the renovations, and even before that, when Larry was originally hired, it was explicitly stated that the Museum was going through financial trouble. They hired one guard to replace three, who's to say they didn't go further down the same path and replace Larry with a simple alarm system?

*** The animals and the cavemen definitely wouldn't be smart enough. And some, like AttilaTheHun, are too aggressive to do so.

** AttilaTheHun's on the good side, too, and he killed a lot more people in the course of his career. Plus, Custer is one of American history's biggest [[ButtMonkey Butt Monkeys]], so I think it's mostly RuleOfFunny. Plus, movie!Custer's a certifiable idiot.

* If it's the museum of 'natural' history then why do most of the exhibits have nothing to do with natural history? For example, the T-Rex is natural but the pyramids, along with the civil war and Lewis and Clark are definately NOT natural.
** Natural history museums (at least American ones) generally have a department of anthropology and archeology and anything egyptian would fall under that. Furhtermore, egyptian exhibits are popular enough that the musuem would want to put them on even if they don't have a terribly large collection. The civil war and Lewis and Clark is probably just a combination of Rule of Cool and the museum being a mishmash of the smithsonian museums.
** While I believe the film-makers put together the Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan in the movie- The Museum of Natural History does have exhibits on the differing cultures around the world- They've even put up a web-page listing what they do and don't have based on the movie.

** natural history museums(at least american ones) generally have a department of anthropology and archeology and anything egyptian would fall under that. Furhtermore, egyptian exhibits are popular enough that the musuem would want to put them on even if they don't have a terribly large collection. The civil war and Lewis and Clark is probably just a combination of Rule of Cool and the museum being a mishmash of the smithsonian museums.

** This troper highly dislikes Custer's appearance in the movie but it's not because of who he was, but how the movie treats him like some sort of comedy piece. ''Especially'' the whole "that's not my name" bit with Sacagawea; no, he wasn't seen as a villain by contemporary society during his time, but to play him off as a joke and harmless (and using Sacagawea as part of the humour) just smacks of inconsideration, if not a complete lack of empathy and understanding about who the real Custer was.