Z/Web

This is a kids film about a kid who’s always telling stories (lies) when he uncovers a plot to kidnap the president’s daughter (who is scheduled to visit his school) but of course no one will believe him, so he has to stop the plot himself. It’s got some surprisingly good stuff — the main kid cast is excellent (it includes the girl from Bridge to Terabithia who is awesome) — and could have been terrific except that there are several adult characters overacted so badly that they come across as cheesy and childish. I’m not sure why aspects had to be dumbed down like that: I guess it’s adults who think that kids need to be talked down to, and it’s very odd in this since the main kid characters are quite adult-like (the boy is smarter than most of the adults). The bottom line is that the film is silly fun and very family friendly, but unfortunately to uneven to be great.

I was surprised at how much I liked this. The first one was fun but I wasn’t sure where they could go for a sequel, but this one succeeds by moving most of the action to a different museum so there are fresh characters brought to life and a bigger stage. It’s still absurd but has a pleasant heart. A few places are surprisingly slow with odd exchanges of dialog that doesn’t quite work, but for the most part this is quickly paced with non-stop fun. Amy Adams is delightful as Amelia Earhart who joins our hero in his quest to save his friends. There’s nothing brilliant here (though the special effects are effective and pervasive) — you certainly won’t strain your intellect, but it’s fun and harmless.