More Details

Studio:Universal Pictures UK

Director:Rob Cohen

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh

Running Time:111 minutes

Product Description

Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle YeohDirector: Rob Cohen

Amazon.co.uk Review

The third film in the The Mummy series freshens the franchise up by setting the action in China. There, the discovery of an ancient emperor's elaborate tomb proves a feather in the cap of Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford), a young archaeologist and son of Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking over the role from Rachel Weisz). Unfortunately, a curse that turned the emperor (Jet Li) and his army into terra cotta warriors buried for centuries is lifted, and the old guy prepares for world domination by seeking immortality at Shangri La. The O'Connells barely stay a step ahead of him (climbing through the Himalaya mountains with apparent ease), but the action inevitably leads to a showdown between two armies of mummies in a Chinese desert. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has a lot to offer: a supporting cast that includes the elegant Michelle Yeoh, Russell Wong, and Liam Cunningham, the unexpected appearance of several Yeti, and a climactic battle sequence that is nightmarishly weird but compelling. On the downside, the charm so desperately sought in romantic relationships, as well as comic turns by John Hannah (as Evelyn's rascal brother), is not only absent but often annoying. Rarely have witty asides in the thick of battle been more unwelcome in a movie. Rob Cohen's direction is largely crisp if sometimes curious (a fight between Fraser and Jet Li keeps varying in speed for some reason), but his vision of Shangri La, in the Hollywood tradition, is certainly attractive. --Tom Keogh

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Reviews

- Cool

There are a few reviewers who have said that these movies are great escapism, they're not meant to be taken seriously nor are the characters. The characters seem to be mere extensions of the old action movie clichés of the past with Brendan Fraser being the tough talking action hero, and John Hannah being the wimpy slimeball who always survives thanks to the heroes. I have to be thruthful and say I've never watched the first two Mummy movies in their entirety, I have only caught them either at the middle or the end but I have loved every bit I've seen.

Tomb of the Dragon Emperor I'm guessing is set a few years after the last Mummy movie due to their son Alex now being about 25. Alex is now an explorer and is in search of the tomb of Dragon Emperor Han. He finds it but finds he's being pursued by Chinese soldiers wanting to bring the frozen emperor back to life so that he can bring China back to greatness. Alex's parents the legendary Richard and Evelyn O'connell are employed by the British government to take the ancient Chinese relic The Eye of Shangri-La back to China as a sign of good will. Unfortunately not all goes to plan and the Eye is stolen and used to awaken the emperor by General Yang.

Over the course of the film after the emperors awakening follows a number of fast paced action scenes, very well choreographed fighting and some stellar special effects. The Mummy films have always been known for their epic size in particular scenes including the massive battles that usually take place near the end. This film is no exception to that rule and seeks to push the epic size further and further. The look of the Emperor before he takes back his human form is shockingly realistic, the CGI chase scene blended with the real life chasers is amazing and flawless. The acting I have to be honest is a bit "meh" but you don't watch such a movie expecting 5 star acting, yet I so want Brendan Fraser to come out with some excellent acting talent.

I would highly recommend this to all fans of the Mummy movies as it keeps true to the original style and feel of the past ones. The special effects are amazing and the movie is made all the more special by Fraser being his usual awesome self.

- Modern Day Monster Movie

This is another of those movies I've watched recently that has so many bad reviews, but when I've actually watched it, can't really see what all the fuss is about.
I think the biggest problem seems to be Brendan Fraser, there's just too many critics out there who hate the guy. It seems any of Brendans latest movies have him as the first stumbling block (Journey to the Center of the Earth/Inkheart), but myself, he does what he does, an action light hero for kids/family viewing.

OK, so to the film.
The first thing you notice that does take some getting used to is that Rachel Weisz has been replaced by Maria Bello. It took me about half the movie to get used to her, but that's not her fault, more I think that Weisz had made such an impact with the character in the first 2 movies. Also, there son Alex is now grown (Luke Ford) and is a mix of his Dad's adventurous spirit and his Uncle Jonathon's ignorance. But again, I'm not sure it's his fault I took so long to get used to him or more to the point that you kind of expect all heroes these days to be perfect and making mistakes just should'nt happen.
There's no Arnold Vosslo this outing as other than him being finished off in Mummy 2, thuis film takes place in China, with the Mummy being played superbly by Jet Li, a Warlord who conquered all he saw until he was tricked conquering the last goal-immortality by a witch played by Michelle Yeoh.
Of course after the Warlord is imprisoned for millenia along with his now Terracotta Army, he's accidentally released and the fun starts.

I think for me and my family, we enjoyed it so much as we'd been watching old Ray Harryhausen movies, and after those this just seemed the modern day equivalent. Simple classical stories interspersed with great monsters (abominable snowmen, 3 headed dragons etc) and one sided bad guys that you just know will not make it to the final credits.
What more do you want from a family movie?

Picture and sound are excellent though not stretching the format much. It's nice to see al the fiery detail in Jet Li's body as it cracks and moves exposing the fiery substance beneath, but the scenery did'nt really 'pop'as it did in The Forbidden Kingdom, the previous Blu Ray I watched.

- Worth watching, Blu-ray picture and sound Brilliant

This is an enjoyable film, this type of film always reminds me of when I used to go to the pictures as a kid on a Saturday morning, the film is just good fun! And should be enjoyed for that reason only.

It is not worst film made, not by a long way, It's not as good as the first two, but still worth a watch.

The blu-ray picture is excellent, the sound bounces off the wall with amazing effects, worth watching just for the effects.

- action packed adventure

This is an action packed adventure all the family will love, just a shame that the leading lady is played by a different actress, however, she does a good job.

- A decent film

Despite not being as good as the mummy returns this was still one of the best films of last summer! If you're into action films then defenailty consider getting this!