Nov 22, 2009 10:44 PM
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Introduction
The Mummy series is one of my favorite series for two reasons. I love the action sequences of the movies and I simply love the sense of humor that Brendan Fraser brings to the screen. Unfortunately, I could not check out Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor on the big screen, but I picked out a DVD as soon as I could grab one.
The Plot
Alex O’ Connell(Luke Ford) follows in the footsteps of his adventurous dad and mom and sets out to find out the tomb of a Chinese Emperor, Han who was ruthless war lord who united china with his ruthlessness in 221 B.C. His project is funded by Professor Roger Wilson. Alex manages to find the tomb, though tragedy strikes and a few of the workers are killed.
Meanwhile Rick O’ Connell(Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn(Maria Bello) are entrusted to return the Eye of Shangri-La to China by the British government. On arrival they learn of Alex’s find and soon discover that Roger Wilson is working in cohorts with a Chinese paramilitary group headed by General Yang who is trying to bring the emperor back to life using the Eye of Shangri-La. Yang manages to bring the emperor(Jet Li) back to life, but to get him back to his full strength and free him of a long standing curse, he needs to bath in a lake in Shangri-La and take his army back to the Great Wall of China.
Rick, Evelyn, Alex are joined by Lin(Isabella Leong) and her mother Zi Yuan(Michelle Yeoh) in a bid to foil the emperor from his mission and kill him. Do they manage to do the same? Or does the ruthlessness of the emperor help him overcome them and create an army of monsters? Check out this action thriller for the details.
Critic’s Viewpoint
One of the things that I love about this series is that the directors don’t try to muddle too much with the general formula for the movies. So all the elements that I love in the series are very much there. There are great action sequences, great visuals and a decent many new creatures.
Yetis, three headed dragons, Terracota army, martial arts everything added good value to the movie. I just loved the initial chase sequence when Rick and co chase the escaping dragon emperor on a chariot. Also, the sequence where the Yetis were fighting on behalf of Rick and co was very well done. If anything I felt that the final fight sequence was devoid of usual finesse and was more or less just a repeat of what we have seen earlier in the series.
Coming to the performances, Brendan Fraser was a bit subdued in this movie in his bid to be a good parent, yet he does bring a spark whenever he is on screen. Luke Ford as his son is ok without bringing on the same charisma that Brendan brought to the role of Rick. Jet Li gives a good performance as the emperor along with the ever reliable Michelle Yeoh. Overall, the cast and crew put up decent performances.
Cinematography and visuals have to be commended. Some of the sequences like the avalanche and then the finding of the Shangri-La were spectacular. The sets were well setup and overall did give the movie a fresh feel to it.
Summary
Another good offering from the Mummy Series, but now it might be getting a bit repetitive, so they might want to take a break before the next movie comes along.
I would give this movie a high 4 star rating.
