Movie Review: The Mummy - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Humor and action

Cons: Predictable; one major plot hole

The Bottom Line:

Still entertaining

With mindless action and laughs

Fans will enjoy it

"I.  Really.  Hate.  Mummies."  "I Think the Feeling is Mutual."

A general rule of Hollywood is, if it makes money, keep making sequels. And that's how we wound up with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The bad news is they had to recast one of the leads. The good news is that it's still a fun comedy/action movie.

It's 1947 and the O'Connell's have retired. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is trying to take up fly fishing. And Evelyn (Maria Bello) has a case of writer's block trying to come up with a third book to follow her two best sellers based on their two adventures with Mummies. Truthfully, the two are bored out of their minds. Which is why they are thrilled to be offered a chance to take a rare artifact to China.

The trip also gives them a chance to visit Evelyn's brother Jonathan (John Hannah) who owns an Egyptian themed nightclub called "Imhotep."

Unbeknownst to them, it's also the current location of their grown son Alex (Luke Ford.) Alex has just uncovered the ancient burial ground of Emperor Han (Jet Li) an ancient Chinese Emperor who, if awakened, will attempt to take over the world.

Naturally, the next thing anyone knows, the emperor is awake. Can the O'Connell family figure out a way to stop their latest mummy?

Let's be up front, this movie doesn't have the same atmosphere of suspense that the first one did. While there are some awesome action sequences, it feels like old familiar territory. Not that there aren't some surprises along the way. But you won't be on the edge of your seat.

Having said that, this movie is plenty of fun. Like the first two, there are some great laughs. One of the best involves our first shot of Evelyn. For better or worse, Rachel Weisz didn't come back to reprise the role. The movie acknowledges that fact with a great joke. The other funniest lines were in the previews, but there are some other funny bits along the way.

While the story is predictable, it is certainly entertaining. As I already said, they did trick me a couple of times. One thing the movie suffered from was the trailers. They gave away too much (although I would have been surprised if it didn't lead there anyway.) I'd have to go back and watch again to be sure, but there did seem to be one major plot hole in the film. Either they forgot their own story or I missed something major.

This kind of movie doesn't require too much on the acting front. Having said that, there isn't a weak performance in the bunch. In fact, everyone seems to be having a great time, which infects the audience.

As with the other two in the series, this movie is about special effects. There are lots of them, and they are all top notch. The story is really just an excuse for them, yet they don't get in the way of the story. There are plenty of fight scenes that are choreographed wonderfully. Of course, the biggest fight scenes are by special effect soldiers, so it's not like that's any real surprise.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor isn't great cinema. But that's hardly a surprise since it wasn't trying to be. Instead, it is a fun movie perfect for a couple hours of mindless entertainment.