I have read so many negative reviews for the third MUMMY film that I really was in no rush to check it out. The trailer did the movie no justice and either did it release date when it came out in theaters where it had to compete with the likes of THE DARK KNIGHT. The film still did well making over one hundred million dollars, but did not break even here in the states with it’s own budget of one hundred forty five million. But getting back to my point many critics didn’t care for the movie. I for one didn’t think it was a great movie, but it was a movie that I was able to get though and had a lot of fun watching it.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor takes place about a decade or so after the THE MUMMY RETURNS. Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn O’Connell (Maria Bello) have retired from doing field research and now live quietly in their British mansion enjoying the fortune they made from their encounters and discoveries. There son Alex (Luke Ford) however is off on his own adventure in China looking for the lost army of the Dragon Emperor Han (Jet-Li). He finds him and brings his findings back to his uncle John’s ( John Hannah) place. Meanwhile his parents have been asked by the British government to brings an ancient gem back to China, they agree and meet up with John at his night club, only to find out of their son’s discovery. But as fate would have it, the gem that Rick and Eveie bought back to China can actually bring the Dragon Emperor back to life. So Yes, that’s what happens and the adventure begins.
The script is kind of campy and reminded me of a big budget b-movie with corky dialogue and an out of this world story. The film also pokes fun at THE MUMMY movies as well. Evelyn O’Connell who was played by Rachel Weisz in the two previous film; but was replaced by Maria Bello because Weisz was pregnant when the film went into production, refers to herself as a whole new person when a reporter asks her how she relates to the character in the Mummy books that she has written. There are a few jokes that really poke fun at the fact that there Bello replaced Weisz throughout the film and a lot of references to the first tow films. There are even Yeti’s in the movie that help the hero’s out in this film as well. So why the script is a bit out there it still is fun, but it’s not anything great in terms of being an award winning film.
The acting is alright, and it seems that the all star cast did their best with the script. Like I said above its a script that not going to win anyone an Oscar, but its a fun one. I think that’s what the actors saw in it, a chance to work on a big budget movie that was going to be a lot of fun to work on. The performances are OK, but nothing great. The same can be said with the movies production value as well. Why I found the CGI to be better in this movie than it was in the other two MUMMY films; there was still those noticeable fake looking CGI effects and the obvious green screen backgrounds. The sets were really cool looking, as well as the costume design which gave the Movie an INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM kind of look.
The Two Disc Deluxe Edition DVD comes with a digital copy of the movie as well as the movie itself in widescreen format. On the first disc along with the movie there are deleted and extended scenes and feature commentary with director Rob Cohen. The second disc has a bunch of featurettes including “Preparing for Battle”: with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li, The making of the movie, Jet Li: Crafting The Emperor Mummy, Creating New and Supernatural Worlds, Legacy of the Terra Cotta, A Call To Action: The Casting Process and a plenty more.
Overall, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is not work of cinematic art, in fact it far from it. the movie is however a fun movie to watch if you can let go of all the out of this world things that happen in the movie. I found it to be a lot better than the second Mummy movie, but not as good as the first. It’s a fun movie and nothing more, if your in the mood for a movie that is fast paced and has a lot of action, then check it out.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
