The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

When I originally learned that Rachel Weisz had passed on the third Mummy movie, I assumed the series was due for a rapid decline in quality. Maybe it was the script or the budget, but surely the Oscar-winning Weisz had spotted something which signaled disaster. Keeping this in mind, I was less than optimistic about my viewing of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Now that I’ve seen it, I can say with certainty that fans of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns will not be disappointed. Either Weisz just flat-out misjudged the project, or else she’s grown too big for such fare after winning the industry’s top prize. Whatever the case, the franchise continues along just fine without the original Evelyn Carnahan-O’Connell.

In fact, her replacement–the always-stunning Maria Bello–is actually far more believable in the action sequences. With a deep tan and brunette locks, the actress manages to look both desirable and dangerous in her period clothing and hairstyle. That’s really saying something, too, considering that The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor also includes international beauties such as Jessey Meng (Choi) and Isabella Leong (Lin).

The year is 1947, and Evy (Bello) and Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) are uncomfortably settling into a life of privileged retirement. Luckily, they’re soon offered a reprieve from the tedium of ordinary life, as the British government asks them to travel to China and look in on their grown son, Alex (Luke Ford). It seems that he’s a chip off the old block, and he may have very well found the final resting place of Emperor Han, The First Emperor of China (Jet Li).

Of course, you know the dead won’t stay that way–this is The Mummy franchise, after all–and soon enough Emperor Han is roaming China looking to resurrect his massive undead army. A mysterious woman named Lin offers her help in stopping Han, and the group is also joined by Evy’s somewhat bumbling brother Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah). From the mountains of the Himalayas to The Great Wall of China, fans of the series will be treated to shootouts, Yeti attacks, and the kung fu stylings of Jet Li. There’s also a chase through the streets of Shanghai involving an ancient chariot and a fireworks truck which really stands out.

While The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor won’t win any awards for originality, it does manage to deliver everything fans have come to expect. The heroes are likable, the villains vile, and the dialogue fun (“You speak Yeti?!). It’s too bad that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released a few months prior: It could have gotten some pointers on what an adventure movie is supposed to be.