Directed by:
Rob CohenCinematography:
Simon DugganCast:
Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Luke Ford, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Anthony Wong, Isabella Leong, Russell Wong, Albert Kwan, Tian Liang, Jacky Wu (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
Explorer Rick O'Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex, wife Evelyn and her brother, Jonathan. And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service. Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress to spend eternity in suspended animation, China's ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army. But when dashing adventurer Alex O'Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents. As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia. Striding the Far East with unimaginable supernatural powers, the Emperor Mummy will rouse his legion as an unstoppable, otherworldly force... unless the O'Connells can stop him first. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
Colorful crap from time to time plays on an ambitious and visual effects-loaded note of a wannabe, failed blockbuster. All the atmosphere of the previous parts is gone and the watchable mix of action, romance, and adventure has been replaced by computer-generated avalanches, werewolves, the Terracotta Army, and the boring clown Jet Li. Those who expect an epic sequel will be disappointed. The wiscracks don't work, there is no story, and technically the worst by a long shot. Rob Cohen did exactly what was expected, he messed it up nicely.
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The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor basically largely rips off the previous installments, especially the second one, and even though it was released in 2008, it doesn't exactly offer great visual effects (though thankfully, they're better than in the second one). While I've liked Maria Bello since Coyote Ugly, I missed the excellent Rachel Weisz. Brendan Fraser was still quite fit, but still bland acting-wise, as was Luke Ford as his son. Jet Li wasn't bad, John Hannah was passable (the interaction with the cow was funny), but it was Michelle Yeoh who appealed to me the most out of the whole cast. That said, the presence of the yetis, the family filler, the stilted action, and the stilted script inexorably bring the film down to the waters of mediocrity.
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This is easy to predict and even easier to forget crap which at times is not even good enough for that one single use. Cohen is a purely action director, so it all comes down to overblown acrobatic escapades, which are ably followed by special effects, but their sterility knows no bounds. It lacks any ounce of perspective (and no, Liam Cunningham doesn't save it), and thus you're more likely to identify scenes stolen from elsewhere. I don't mind Maria Bello (I like her a lot as an actress), but as a replacement for Rachel Weisz, she was a total casting mistake. The family etudes are tired and the whole is desperately boring.
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The third installment came like an uninvited poor relative you dislike even before they come knocking. However, while everyone expectedly wanted to kick it out, I found a way to it. And this despite my suffering from the loss of Rachel Weisz and therefore the inevitable transformation of Evelyn into a character who is neither a writer nor an adventurer, just a mandatory maternal element. With the change of director, it also lost a class of more childish humor, but I am still a viewer who hears, admires Brendan Fraser's adventurous position in big-budget archaeological trips, and holds my breath during the prologue, the car chase, or the avalanche. Although I was one of the worst prophets, I must now admit that I was surprisingly wrong. Shanghai and the Himalayas cannot replace Egypt and London, but still – I am grateful for my beloved series only dropping one class and not ending as deep as it could have under the hands of another team.
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Jet Li has risen from the dead and decided to take over the world. Fortunately, Rick O'Connell and his family are here to stop him. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is hampered by poorly shot action sequences, and while there is always something going on screen, you rarely come across a genuinely entertaining moment in the barrage of mediocre visual effects and toe-curling dialogue. This wannabe adventure film that masquerades as ideal family entertainment is actually a prime example of wasted potential.
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Gallery (75)
Photo © Bonton
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