Review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
* * *
Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, Luke Ford, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, John Hannah. Written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Directed by Rob Cohen. Rated PG-13. 105 minutes. Universal Pictures.
Want a good time at the movies in the middle of a hot summer day? Look no further than The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the loopy third installment of the undead franchise featuring Brendan Fraser as explorer Rick O’ Connell again unearthing an ancient mystery. It is, by far, the series most entertaining installment. And I don’t even want to hear from those who label the film “dumb” as some sort of misguided superiority—of course it is, and everyone involved knows it. Now let’s move on.
This time out, there are a few key changes and additions which make the third time a charm for a series that previously relied on CGI at the expense of magic. They work, and the results are an enjoyable, colorful B-movie not pretending to be anything other than a good time.
Directed by action helmer Rob Cohen, replacing Stephen Sommers, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens with an extended, expository prologue set 2000 years ago in feudal China.
We learn that the Emperor Han (Jet Li), in pursuit of immortality, falls in love with beautiful sorceress Zi Juan (Michelle Yeoh), who holds the secret to eternal life. However, she does not share his affections and bears a daughter, Lin (Isabella Leong), with General Ming (Russell Wong). This leads to some double-crossing and an ancient curse leveled at the emperor, in one of the narration’s funniest lines: “She cast a spell in Sanskrit, an ancient language that the emperor did not understand.” Both mother and daughter share the gift of immortality, and Zi Juan guards the emperor’s tomb for 2000 years.
Flash forward to the present where fledgling explorer Alex O’ Connell (Luke Ford, likable), the son of Rick and Evelyn (Maria Bello taking over for Rachel Weisz), accidentally unearths the tomb and awakens the Dragon Emperor, who vows to—of course—dominate the world with his legion of 10,000 awakened soldiers.
Rick, Evelyn and Luke team up with Evelyn’s reluctant brother Jonathan (John Hannah) to stop him, aided by Lin’s knowledge of his lore and tomb, which the film of course has fun with in terms of booby trapped set-ups, etc. As Alex and Lin dance around a courtship, their attraction leads to a funny mother-son campfire scene expertly played by Bello and Ford. The paradox here is that there are thousands of years difference in age between the “young” lovers, but you wouldn’t know it from Leong’s performance, which is delightfully youthful.
The film moves quickly with tongue-in-cheek silliness that everyone seems to be enjoying, and the cast sells funny—intentionally and otherwise—dialogue. A few snippets:
“I’m sorry I blamed you guys for raising the emperor.”
“It isn’t size, it’s stamina.”
“I hate mummies—they never play fair!”
“Oh no, his powers have been restored!”
“He’s taking her back to his tomb to raise his army! The Yeti—they’ll help!” (my personal favorite)
Director Cohen keeps things moving at a fast clip, and the film looks great, from a glossy Shanghai chorus line and street chase to a gorgeous avalanche in the Himalayas to the splendor of Shangri-La. I was reminded of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom during these sequences, a film that got the look and feel right but wasn’t half as much fun as this one. One fantastic shot involves a slow-motion avalanche behind one of the characters, and it is a stunner.
Maria Bello replaces Rachel Weisz this time out as Evelyn, sporting a fun British accent and irreverent comic timing. It is a departure for the superb dramatic actress, and she has gutsiness to spare. Fraser, more fun in Journey to the Center of the Earth, has his usual knack for comedy deadpan, never losing his cool. And Luke Ford is effective too, particularly in a nice late scene where the father, son and mother reunify.
Yeoh and Li, the international martial arts stars, add a touch of class and superb choreography to the film, and both actors are clearly having fun. Yeoh, saddled with mouthfuls of mumbo jumbo, plays it straight, much like her Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon character, and gives her scenes a bit more heft. And Li, as always, is an inventive physical presence, clearly relishing the chance to play a mummy who is also an ace martial artist.
The film’s CGI, unlike the previous films, does not overshadow its scale and comedy while finding many different ways for Yeti to stick their faces into the frame, and resurrecting a wonderfully imagined skeleton army that pays homage to Ray Harryhausen, albeit in a newfangled, digital way.
So the bottom line with a movie like The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, is how many thrills per minute, fun locations, intricate sets and silly humor do you get? In this case, plenty, and while highbrow moviegoers may laugh at its lovable nonsense, obviously not in on the joke, this is one entertaining movie that goes down great with Cherry Coke and extra butter. None of them are good for you. But you can forgive yourself anyway.
- Lee Shoquist
lee@atnzone.com
One Response to “Review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”
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Sounds like Tomb of the Dragon Emperor met everyone’s expectations… Brendan Frasier tries too hard to act, so you can tell he’s acting