The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Two words: Ho Hum.

First of all, Terra Cotta warriors were not mummies, so I don't know how they were able to force the mummy theme on a Chinese setting.


Brendan Fraser reprises his role as the tomb raider Rick O'Connell, but strangely, Maria Bello takes over the role of Evy from Rachel Weisz. Apparently, Rachel Weisz chose not to return to her role, citing "problems with the script." And those problems become pretty obvious as the film moves along.

John Hannah still plays the same comic relief character he played in the previous Mummy flicks, but he's become a bit more of a potty-mouth this time. Luke Ford plays the O'Connells' now-grown-up son Alex, but the fresh performances definitely come from the Chinese cast led by Russell Wong as General Ming, Michelle Yeoh as the sorceress Zi Yuan, and Mr. Jet Li himself as the Dragon Emperor.

The film is---let me put it bluntly---boring, and it's also riddled with inconsistencies. The story was supposed to be set in Communist China, so how was Jonathan, a foreigner, able to own a bar in Shanghai? And Yetis? They put Yetis in the story?

I'm sorry, but after watching this film, I regretted it immediately, and wished I'd just watched The Dark Knight again. At least I wouldn't have slept through that one.


Rating: Two and a half stars.