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Despite a seven-year hiatus and the loss of one of its leads, the 'Mummy' franchise jumps right back into the action without any problems. It's willing to change up the story a bit, giving us a new Mummy character and setting as opposed to one featuring that Egyptian guy from the first two, but it also manages to retain all the things about the earlier films that made them popular - that is, a proper mix of action-adventure and a light-hearted tone.

Brendan Fraser is back as Rick O'Connell, the Indiana Jones-inspired hero from the original films, and by this point, he really has his character down. In fact, I think he was much more comfortable here than he was in the original films, maybe because he has improved as an actor over the past seven years, or maybe because he doesn't try to make his character any more than it should be, and it's a refreshing thing to see. Returning to the role of Jonathan Carnahan, Rick's brother-in-law, John Hannah is just as strong a source of humor (and in reality, that's all that his character is supposed to bring to the table) as he was in the past.

Which leads us to the big third member of the party: Rick's wife, Evelyn. As you may know, Rachel Weisz was the actor who portrayed her in the old films, but because she was unwilling to make a third film, they had to replace her, something that often has awkward results in movie franchises. However, I must say that Mario Bello truly rose to the occasion, capturing a nearly identical voice to Weisz's, and playing the part like she isn't new to it at all. And when we first see her character, a clever joke about feeling 'like a completely different person' eases the change. There is nothing about this trio that I could find any real faults in, and this helped make the film very enjoyable.

Another bonus to waiting seven years in between installments in our digital age brings another advantage to the film: much better special effects and action sequences. And believe me: this film definitely capitalizes on this, as both a chase sequence in China early on in the film (sorta reminiscent of the Shangahi sequence in 'The Temple of Doom') as well as the final battle at the Great Wall blow away any action sequences you saw in the first two movies. So in terms of action, you'll definitely get your fair dose of awesome effects. They definitely put that reported $175 million to good use.

Sadly, everything else about this movie doesn't begin to compare to the returning stars and the action sequences (luckily, these two components make up much of the film). The Mummy in this movie is played by Jet Li, who isn't at all as cool as one might hope he'd be (he's basically Jet Li's usual martial arts master, with some occasional superpowers thrown into the mix). The film crafts his story so similarly to the background story in the first 'Mummy' movie that there's even a point where the dialogue overlaps ('Nobody is to touch her'). It was disappointingly obvious that his story existed purely to create conflict for the protagonists and to set up some awesome action moments.

But the disappointments don't end there. Joining Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan on their quest to stop the Mummy are Rick and Evelyn's son, Alex (Luke Ford), and an immortal woman named Lin (Isabella Leong) whose job is to protect the contents of the very tomb that Alex inadvertently helped bring back to life. These two characters form a romance along the way, setting up some great moments for both Fraser and Bello as their son's curious parents. The only problem is that these two lovers are played by some very weak actors, especially Lin. Alex comes across as more of a playboy than an adventurer (which doesn't make sense when characters comment on how much he reminds them of his father), and every time Lin spoke, my friend and I had a bit of trouble holding back the laughs.

Another problem the film faces is that some of the time, things just don't make sense. I won't get into details, but there is a scene where Lin calls upon some yeti-esque creatures to help them fight the Mummy (who conveniently come in handy later on in ways that she couldn't have foretold), Lin speaks of giving away her immortality for Alex's love even though they have known each other for a day or two, and the characters continue to think that simply shooting a mummy with a gun will destroy him, even though past experience has been evidence enough that there's no use.

So while on one end we have a film bringing back three very enjoyable characters and upgrading the action sequences to fit modern-day standards, we also have a movie with a boring general plot, weak supporting characters, and a few too many 'WTF' moments. So while you're bound to be entertained, don't expect to get much else out of this picture.

B-

If your above review is true then why are critics giving it such horrible reviews? I think everyone was comparing this to TDK. Stupid critics and internet geeks.

Why the hell would they compare it to TDK? Your the real geek if you think that. If anything they'll compare it to Indy.

I think he means that people are in such "TDK owns all" hype that all films look inferior. I don't believe general audiences think like that, but reviewers and internet nerds might.

No, audiences are hearing all they hype and are going lets check out TDK instead...

BAD, bad... BAD. Seriously, It tried so hard to be funny and it was just so unfunny and even sad. The yeti part was prolly the worst and most random thing about the movie.

Just stupid mindless fun i guess.

D+

I'm all for sequels and stuff, but just like Rush Hour 3, this kinda lost the charm of what I liked about the first two films.

It's still pretty decent entertainment, but completely forgettable. And it felt so forced that it's hard to really enjoy. Not sure where the $145m budget went; it looked cheesy. Mario Bello did not fit well in this role at all. All attempted jokes fell flat. The plot is so random and lame. It lacks the excitement of the first two, basically.

It isn't terrible, just a disappointment.

*1/2

This certainly can't be worst than Hancock and 10,000 BC can it?
Hancock was such a turd with it's terrible script and 10,000 BC bored you to death with it's crappy pacing. Rush Hour 3 was certainly better than those two.

It's about on-par with Hancock, I'd say. Hancock had a terrible script but was more entertaining overall (thanks to Will Smith and crew, really). The action in this, while decent, can get a bit...boring. I would have liked Hancock a lot more had it not been for the story.

And it's better than 10,000 B.C.

I understand why critics - and now you guys - dislike this movie a lot...but I don't understand why then everyone seems to very much enjoy the first two, especially the very weak Mummy Returns. I thought that, if anything, this movie delivers on maintaining the feel and style from the first two movies.

billy the reason you liked it and they didnt was because you saw it before the critics, they saw it after. Pretty simple really.

Heh.

Hey! That's the same logic you use when YOU see movies!

Except you replace critics with KJ users.

Yeah, because I'm someone who's so strongly affected by critics reviews. Good point.

The first two Mummy's are a LOT more fun than this. Constantly entertaining. This isn't.

that's actually a pretty good point.

yeah, the weak reviews have opened me up a bit to just how weak some elements of the film are, but honestly, nobody should be watching this movie with any expectation except to be entertained, and on that front, it gets the job done (aside from the boring prologue).

Mummy = decent mindless fun
Mummy Returns = poor excuse for a sequel
Mummy Tomb of Dragon Emperor = EPIC FAILURE

This film was beyond awful. Everything about it sucked major hairy ass crack. All in all a very frustrating movie going experience.

Grade F

This was pure shit. I have no other words for such shit.

if i went in expecting a really bad movie, i'm sure i would've felt differently about it than i did and more like the rest of y'all. guess i'm the poor guy who enjoyed it.

There's nothing to apologize for. You enjoyed the movie and that's all that matter. I'm sure everyone else probably wishes they were in your position where you were actually able to enjoy the movie.

It was just... dull. Big action set pieces happened, but none of them were exciting. Brendan Fraser was still fun. Jet Li was a non-factor -- the Emperor isn't a threatening villain in the least. And I was constantly distracted by Maria Bello. She played the part like a junior high kid. "Okay, okay, remember to keep the English accent... keep the accent... don't put any inflection, just maintain the proper accent..."

Blah. There just wasn't much fun to be found.

Sucked ass. So bad.
D-/F

The Mummy was great and I love to watch it
The Mummy Returns was a lot of fun with some things missing


This one felt like a direct to dvd movie.

I enjoyed it for the most part as well. Brendan Fraser rocks! Loved the yetis too

Yeah Billy no need to apologize for your review, if anything it is more truthful than half of the reviews here as it is a virgin review not spoiled by the vibe brought on by critics.

I stiLL enjoyed it a bit, but its easiLy worse than say Rush Hour 3. I guess you were aLL expecting it to be better than TDK.

C+