The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

	USA, China, Germany 2008 Director: Rob Cohen Cast: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, Luke Ford, Isabella Leong Rating: PG-13 Language: English, Mandarin, Sanskrit Release Date: 1 August 2008 Running Time: 1 hour 52 minutes The Movie Review		THE MUMMY: TOMB Of The DRAGON EMPEROR Storyline: Cast: Ending: Overall:
	Yup, I can see where this movie's, arguably, coming from... There's a thin red line connecting this movie with the hype that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), and House of Flying Daggers (2004) have created with their beautiful choreographies and spectacular scenes, The Mummy arguably tries to tag along the success of Chinese Kung Fu movies by mixing them up with the Mummy latest entry. The year 2008 has witnessed this marriage earlier in April with the release of The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) where an American boy is taught how to Kung Fu. The use of Kung Fu in The Mummy 3 is less extensive though. So don't expect to see much of that great martial arts moves in this 3rd entry of The Mummy franchise. However, from the history standpoint, the choice of location of adventure by going to China is anything but wrong, since China is one of the four most ancient civilizations in this planet earth. Besides, those who have visited China, it's a tragic waste not to visit the tomb. Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) now lives happily in peace (boring to them) with his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) in a big house far far away from danger and also from thrill that they used to have. Secretly they miss the adrenalin rushing in their blood while fighting the mummies decades earlier. Their son, Alex (Luke Ford), is now following his father footsteps with his first archeological finding, the statue of the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li). At the same time, Rick and Eve are offered one mission they couldn't resist, to deliver the Eye of the Shangri-La back to China. Several military officers in China, however, scheme to steal the Eye of the Shangri-La, because it's needed to bring back Dragon Emperor to life along with his army. What will happen in their adventure in China? This is where Sequels meet their doom... a movie that fails to fulfil the expectation of the fans, I know I was disappointed. The Mummy 3 has lost its touch. First of all, by replacing Rachel Weisz with anyone but her is already a disappointment for the fans, in this case Rachel was replaced by Maria Bello, a great actress but sadly a miscast here. Her British accent is so weird and she is more like a tough woman type unlike Rachel who's tough but also spoiled. So, the Charm is gone. Second of all, in the first entry, The Mummy (1999) also excels in its capacity to deliver jokes right in time and of course funny ones, as you could already guess the jokes also fail in this third entry. Another flaws creeping in as well, with the adult Alex looks more of a stuck-up guy than what we saw in The Mummy Returns (2nd entry), thus the connection among Rick, Evelyn and Alex is like the one we could easily catch on day-time TV drama show. Two exotic Asian beauties who grace the screen, Michelle Yeoh and Isabella Leong can not be said as fulfilling the expectation as well, they fill the screen only with several kung fu moves and they're given the chance to utter only several boring lines. And the biggest star of all, of course, it's not Brendan Fraser anymore, but Jet Li. After appearing as monkey king in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), now he roles as the tyrant king. However it's unclear why the filmmakers chose Jet Li, in this movie he transforms a lot! and uses his kung fu skills a lot less! The Mummy 3 has some fantastic moments too though, the ones that rely heavily on the special effects and CGI. The truth is, you just have to be patience to sit through the cluttering mess for the most part of the movie until finally the Terracotta army is awaken, now that's when the real fun and thrill begins. Spectacular! For the last part of the movie everything suddenly becomes spectacular. The rise of the army, and the rise of the buried builders of the tomb, the fight between the two armies, whew... this is where the visual effects were put for a greater use. Several days ago, in July, we have watched the extensive use of CGI but soulless and hollow movie, Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). Apparently, in August, we are once again given that type of movie with The Mummy III: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For moviegoers that have never watched The Mummy franchise even for once, The Mummy III will likely entertain you, but for a fan like me, the exciting fun of the original The Mummy (1999) has gone. This time The Mummy franchise should probably be mummified. © iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com

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