The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Day 291 - 10/18/09 - Movie #291

BEFORE: Let's polish off this franchise, eh? Since I've already seen "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns" (I bought a box set earlier this year, but it didn't include the newest film.)

THE PLOT: In the Far East, Alex O'Connell, the son of famed mummy fighters Rick and Evy O'Connell, unearths the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin -- a shape-shifting entity cursed by a witch centuries ago.

AFTER: This is a return to form for the "Mummy" movies, after a little diversion into ancient Egypt, and to keep the franchise fresh, they moved the setting to China. Which is kind of cool because there's so much unknown history about the land, so it's a prime opportunity to write whatever back-story is needed for the plot.

The whole movie is sort of based on those terra-cotta warriors that were found in an Emperor's tomb a few years back, suggesting that they were real human soldiers who were cursed and turned into clay, when their Emperor fell victim to a curse, while trying to become immortal. Supposedly he had gained control of all 5 elements (earth, fire, water, wood + metal) and built the Great Wall, but this still wasn't enough power for him.

So the little kid from "The Mummy Returns" is now all grown-up, and of course he's an archaeologist/adventurer, doing some tomb-spelunking of his own, and of course he discovers the Chinese Emperor mummy. The right combination of ancient artifacts wakes up the Mummy, who's still in terra-cotta form, so Mom + Dad (and Uncle Jonathan), who happen to be in Shanghai after coming out of retirement, join the chase through the crowded streets.

In true adventure-film style, this turns into a quest for more artifacts and a lost city (Shangri-La), and a huge battle between a terra-cotta army and a zombie army - I gotta give points for creativity here, and some pretty dazzling special effects. If I ever get jaded by fancy CGI thrill-ride movies, then stick a fork in me, it's over...

But there's lots of up-close action too, as the band of human heroes use swords, guns and their wits to battle wave after wave of undead soldiers (good news, terra cotta breaks pretty easily) and then confront the nearly-omnipotent Emperor Han. There were some "Crouching Tiger"-like fight scenes, since Emperor Han was played by action star Jet Li, and Michelle Yeoh was in the cast as well. Also starring Maria Bello, who took over the role of Evelyn O'Connell from Rachel Weisz.

RATING: 8 out of 10 yetis

SPOOK-O-METER: 4 out of 10 (for zombies and a host of shape-shifting creatures)