It has been a decade since the events of part II, and seven years since the release of that film. Imhotep and friends are now permanently embalmed, but a new kind of mummy is in its stead, not in Africa or the Middle East, but in China, the other "EAST". The year is 1947, and the O'Conells have retired from mummy adventures and wartime espionage. Evelyn has released two-best selling books based on her real-life adventures (named after the previous two movies), while Ricky O'Conell tries unsuccessfully to make a living out of fly-fishing. Alex (played by Australian actor Luke Ford) is now an adult and has dropped out of school to follow the footsteps of his parents by discovering the long-lost army of Han, the Dragon Emperor. With backing from his old professor, Roger Wilson, he achieves this goal, but suddenly receives an uninvited guest in the form of a mysterious woman named Lin (Isabella Leong). Meanwhile, the older O'Connells come out of retirement to send a diamond known as the Eye of Shangri-La back to China as a gesture to maintain solid British-Chinese relations. In Shanghai, they reunite with Jonathan, who owns Imhotep, a posh nightclub named after the antagonist of the previous two films. After arriving to the museum in which Alex has moved the Dragon Emperor to, Roger Wilson double-crosses them and, with the aid of General Yang and his second-in command Choi, they bring back to life the Dragon Emperor and a new Mummy returns to claim his share of glory in the modern world.
First of all, this movie is NOT as bad as the cynics might say. I've seen films that are a lot worse than this one, and the movie's 114 mins are not wasted time in any way. Let's start with the movie's strengths: First of all, the film's assets are the special effects, which are breath-taking, and so are the highly-imaginative action sequences (especially the Shanghai chase scene). The jokes, although cornier than the previous films, still make you laugh and Maria Bello makes an acceptable replacement to Rachel Weisz, who played Evelyn in the first and second Mummy movies. Jet Li's character is an adequate substitute for Imhotep and it's nice to seem fight hand-to-hand combat in the finale.
Now comes the weaknesses: the movie suffers from a number of credibility issues. First of all, Alex O'Connor seems to have aged dramatically while his parents have not, especially his father. It is awkward to see Brendan Fraser's character, who has not even aged a wink from the previous films, be the father of this young man. To me, Rick O'Connell looks more like an older brother than a father to Alex. Maria Bello is satisfying here, but Rachel Weisz had more edge. Also, I don't think this movie is trying to rehash the story of the previous films, but rather it's trying too hard to stand out from its predecessors. Lin, Alex's love interest, is an interesting newcomer to the clan, but the screenplay hinders much of that character's potential.
The movie is not a bad one, but it is not that great either. It is definitely flawed, but not to the point that makes it a pain to watch. As a summer actioner, you'll never be bored as it has enough mummies, laughs, car chases, and special effects to make your money's worth and makes it stand out from your typical big-budget flick. If you're stressed out, bored, or just want to see another movie after seeing the Dark Knight many times (such as myself) then this movie is for you, and you won't regret spending 114 minutes of our time watching it. Those searchinig for "smart" films should look elsewhere.
First of all, this movie is NOT as bad as the cynics might say. I've seen films that are a lot worse than this one, and the movie's 114 mins are not wasted time in any way. Let's start with the movie's strengths: First of all, the film's assets are the special effects, which are breath-taking, and so are the highly-imaginative action sequences (especially the Shanghai chase scene). The jokes, although cornier than the previous films, still make you laugh and Maria Bello makes an acceptable replacement to Rachel Weisz, who played Evelyn in the first and second Mummy movies. Jet Li's character is an adequate substitute for Imhotep and it's nice to seem fight hand-to-hand combat in the finale.
Now comes the weaknesses: the movie suffers from a number of credibility issues. First of all, Alex O'Connor seems to have aged dramatically while his parents have not, especially his father. It is awkward to see Brendan Fraser's character, who has not even aged a wink from the previous films, be the father of this young man. To me, Rick O'Connell looks more like an older brother than a father to Alex. Maria Bello is satisfying here, but Rachel Weisz had more edge. Also, I don't think this movie is trying to rehash the story of the previous films, but rather it's trying too hard to stand out from its predecessors. Lin, Alex's love interest, is an interesting newcomer to the clan, but the screenplay hinders much of that character's potential.
The movie is not a bad one, but it is not that great either. It is definitely flawed, but not to the point that makes it a pain to watch. As a summer actioner, you'll never be bored as it has enough mummies, laughs, car chases, and special effects to make your money's worth and makes it stand out from your typical big-budget flick. If you're stressed out, bored, or just want to see another movie after seeing the Dark Knight many times (such as myself) then this movie is for you, and you won't regret spending 114 minutes of our time watching it. Those searchinig for "smart" films should look elsewhere.