“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb”

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams

Directed by: Shawn Levy

Rating: PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language

Playing at: Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)

Grade: D+

Proving a third visit isn’t always a good thing, “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” is a film that feels like it is stuck in idle.

Despite returning the entire cast and director of the first two films, Shawn Levy, the magic and wonder has faded, which results in a movie that feels more like a desperate cash grab than a relevant continuation of what was an entertaining franchise.

This third installment picks up with things seemingly great at the museum, until the tablet responsible for the magic begins to corrode, causing everything that comes to life to start doing unusual things.

Determined to keep the exhibits alive, Larry (Ben Stiller) heads to London to find out the reason behind the tablet’s fading powers – with help from some of the New York exhibits, including Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) and miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson).

By switching locations, it gives the franchise a chance to add some fresh faces, such as Lancelot (Dan Stevens) and Rebel Wilson as a guard at the London Museum. But the new blood doesn’t provide much of a spark, with Wilson especially bad hamming it up way too much.

Without much new, it becomes painfully obvious from the early moments that this “Museum” is just running around in circles with no real purpose other than to provide a paycheck for everyone involved.

There is also a sadness to seeing the late Williams kind of going through the motions (although there is an eery speech in the final act that has added meaning in light of his recent death).

“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” ends with a bit of finality for the series, only to tack on a final scene meant to leave the door open.

Here’s some advice: close that door. It is time to move on.

Also in theaters

Another family film with a familiar backstory, “Annie” (C), fares slightly better than “Night at the Museum,” but that isn’t saying much. The remake of the 1982 John Huston film based on the popular Broadway musical has some inspired moments, but is mostly a film that feels too polished – especially during the musical numbers.

Director and co-writer William Gluck has moved the story from the Depression Era to modern day New York, with Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis), a foster kid, living with a former singer Miss Hanigan (Cameron Diaz) and longing to find her parents.

Annie has a chance encounter with a cellphone mogul turned mayoral candidate named Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) that boosts Stacks candidacy, leading him to take Annie in to help turn the tide in his campaign.

Soon, Stacks sees Annie as more than a political pawn as he begins to fall for her charm and ponders the idea of welcoming Annie into his home permanently.

A bit of full disclosure here, but I have a soft spot for “Annie,” a musical that I was a part of when it was presented by my high school my senior year. So I entered this remake a bit skeptical of how they could adapt it to modern times.

It did win over my skepticism somewhat, especially Wallis – who has the charm needed to play Annie – and Rose Byrnes as Stacks’ assistant Grace.

But the problem with this version is it all feels way too calculated, with the choreography during the musical numbers feeling over blocked and the songs feeling like they’ve been put through a studio sound system to the point of being robotic.

“Annie” is at its best when relying on the charm of its lead. For every scene that works, there are two or three that follow in which Gluck overdoes it – whether it is with camera work or forced emotion in the script.

“Annie” is a film that was probably best left in its Depression Era, with updated jokes and references (including a Kim Jong Il joke that you think the film’s distributor Sony might regret now) not really enhancing the story but pointing out how dated and innocent (and slightly naive) the original themes were.

This isn’t a total loss, but it’s not a film that the family should feel the need to rush out to see. If you really wanna revisit “Annie,” I suggest the 1982 version, now available on Netflix.

“Annie” is PG for some mild language and rude humor and is now playing at the Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12 and Highland Cinemas in Glasgow.

And for something completely different, the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville is showing “The Interview.”

— To read Micheal Compton’s thoughts on all things movies, visit his blog at mcompton.wordpress.com or on Twitter at twitter.com/mcompton428. Email him at mcompton@bgdailynews.com.