Review of 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'

the_mummy_tomb_of_the_dragon_emperor.jpg Ok, I am a fan of the original two Mummy movies – A lot of fun in terms of action but also on-screen chemistry and humour. Unfortunately, in this latest Mummy movie (number 3) all but one of these are still in evidence…

The movie opens with a long introduction to the legend of the “dragon emperor” – evidently an evil and manipulative man (played by Jet Li) who, finding his love (a sorceress, played by Michelle Yeoh) cheating on him with his most favoured general, is a bit upset and is even more annoyed when, having put the general to death she ends up putting a curse on him and his army (changing him into terracotta, as you do).

Since the events in The Mummy Returns the O'Connell's son Alex (played by Luke Ford) has all grown up and come across a great discovery in China – The tomb of the great emperor. Evil forces are at work that want to see the emperor raised to call forth his army against humanity. Rick (played by Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (played by Maria Bello, but no where near as captivating and entertaining as Rachel Weisz if you ask me) journey from their retirement to Shanghai to meet their arrant son and with their old friend Jonathan Carnahan (played by John Hannah, and a welcome return) who now owns a night club there. The scene is set for a high-speed chase (beginning in the streets of Shanghai) to prevent the emperor from raising his army involving an extended visit to the Andes including help from some Yeti…

The action pieces are quite entertaining and interesting but the chemistry and fun of the first two movies is simply not here. John Hannah (as Johnathan) does bring a bit of comedy relief but he is alone in this respect with even the dependable Fraser finding it difficult to crack a quip or even smile – VERY unusual for him (in any role). They appear to be going through the motions with little of the love that made the first two movies so enjoyable…

So, sorry to say, disappointing.

Rating: “Average, but who wants to be average?”

Review Date: 2008-08-18


Directed by: Rob Cohen

Studio: Universal Pictures

Year: 2008

Length: 112 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0859163/