The Mummy 3 Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

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I'm destined it seems to watch and enjoy and then defend these kinds of movies until my dying breath. To bad for you I suppose because I rather enjoy arguing.

I'll save you the trouble of reading a big long review and be relatively brief, (or as brief as my attention span allows) if you didn't enjoy the first two Mummy movies and you thought that Indy 4 had too much CGI, then don't bother with this flick and do not bother coming to tell me about it. You were warned. Mmmmkay?

I on the other hand did enjoy the first two and I also somewhat enjoyed The Scorpion King. Well, this one is just like them, they kind of remind me of cartoons really. Good ones though, the CGI (and there is a lot of it) is soooo much better than most of the really bad movies that are on the Sci-fi channel most days. The Yeti's were really well done and I particularly enjoyed them.


Really for me, the only real drawback was the lack of Rachel Weisz, if the rumors are true and we all know that rumors usually are she didn't like the script. Oh well, she was missed but it didn't really change the movie any. Maria Bello as the new 'Evy' was fine, and honestly if you're watching a movie like this for the acting then maybe you need therapy anyway. This is just an over the top action adventure flick that was pretty damn enjoyable for the better part of two hours. So enjoy, just try not to set the bar so high so you can have a little fun.

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I am half agony, half hope.
Sorry, PW, but I just can't think of any reason to go see this. The first movie was unique, the second was wearing thin, and now this? No thanks. Can sequels 'jump the shark' like tv shows?
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I have to agree the first one was bloody brilliant second one can't even remember third one. I don't even wanna know :P



I just dropped a comment in another thread about how bad the acting looked on some preview clips but after reading your review i decided to put that aside and see it anyway when it comes out... even though i thought there was too much CGI in Indy 4
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I am burdened with glorious purpose
Yea, PW, I was looking to see if you had seen it! My son and are leaving once I can get myself out the door... (incredibly lazy lately.)

Happy to hear it's not a total waste of time and rather enjoyable. I do love the Mummy movies but I love that sort of thing, anyway. Anything with a bit of archeology and history....

I read one review that really liked Brendan but not so much the film. That makes me happy, too. I heart Brendan a bit.



Well hopefully you'll get to see it at a theater that isn't run by an incompetent that sets the projector to low and cuts off about a quarter of the sub-titles off. I was going to complain and just figured, meh, what's the point?



I am burdened with glorious purpose
You should have complained. That's inexcusable. Prices are high enough.

When I saw TDK for the second time, some parent (or parents) allowed their two children (about 9 and 10, I'd say) sit in the front row and talk LOUDLY during the movie. They disturbed me so much I missed a scene with The Joker that I especially wanted to hear a second time. I walked out and complained about it. They came in and sat near the kids and then spoke to them.

GRRR...

Well, we're finally off...lol....there was a bad thunderstorm here so I postponed our leaving.




I am burdened with glorious purpose
I've never written a "review" here, thought I'd do one on The Mummy and piggyback on this thread:

Taking a gander at the Mummy’s Rottentomatoes page and seeing this third installment of the Mummy franchise sitting at a dismal 10%, I began to wonder about the nature of critical reviews, and whether they are such a necessary part of this whole going-to-the-movies exercise that I enjoy so much. Yet, I freely admit, I get a certain joy when I see an upcoming film teetering on the edge of 100% and then settling in at a nice 94 to 96% (The Dark Knight and The Lord of the Rings films come to mind.) Seeing all those red tomatoes can get me a tad giddy. And when a film such as No Country for Old Men, with its layered characters and intriguing themes, gets all that universal praise, I think critics are very intelligent and important characters themselves.

But, when I see a film such as this and read the comments by these people (I often wonder why someone would want to criticize others’ hard work for a living), I want to tell them all to lighten up. I mean, really, is it necessary to bombard the moviegoing public with warnings to stay away and that the franchise is now dead? Isn’t that going just a tad bit too far? After all, there are plenty of dismal and awful films that never reached the lowest depths of 10%, yet this film is given the dubious honor. So it was a tad overly fantastical, so what? The CGI did look a bit cheesy, but there are a few laugh out loud moments from the audience, a few good thrills, a wonderful sword fight between a dead Emperor and a lovely Chinese “witch” (played by the sublime Michelle Yeoh), familiar characters that we’ve come to love, some good ol’ fashioned Chinese martial arts, and the charismatic presence of Jet Li as the villain. Sure, there are big giant snowmen and a really shaky camera that makes you a tad dizzy, but, hey, nobody’s perfect.

Besides, there’s Brendan Fraser. I’m actually shocked by what I see on film boards written about him; the man gets little, if any, respect. I first saw him in Gods and Monsters and soon after, The Quiet American. I mistakenly thought he was the independent film type. I say “mistakenly,” because, let’s face it, it’s clear he makes his living in mainstream comedies. But, hey, he’s always good in them! In addition, I particularly thought it was a stroke of genius to cast him in the first Mummy film. This is a hunky guy. Jeez, have you seen him without a shirt? (Go see this movie, you will.) That’s some great stuff there. And he’s funny. I loved the opening of this film when we see him attempting to fly fish. Brendan does have comedic timing, he’s warm and engaging, and the scenes between him and Maria (and Rachel before her) are nicely romantic and cute. He is a leading man. He can play an action hero. He’s also damn good in Gods and Monsters, in case you didn’t know.

One of my favorite lines that I ever read by a critic was when, during the reviewing of one of the LOTR films, I don’t remember which one, he said something along of the lines (and I’m paraphrasing), “at one point, I was no longer a critic and I just sat there like a little boy just experiencing the wonder of it all.” I loved that line. Sometimes, we need to take off our critical hat and just sit back and enjoy. Sure, this film lacked the "wonder" of a LOTR film, it could have been better, but there was a lot to like here. I thought China was actually a rather perfect setting for a film with archeology as an undercurrent; the emperor’s story fit in nicely with getting the O’Connells back in the Mummy business, and I didn’t think Brendan looked TOO young to be a father of a grown man. I mean, well… maybe that was rather dumb, but what the heck, I had a good time. I especially liked it when Rick O’Connell wasn’t wearing a shirt.


Grade:



Will your system be alright, when you dream of home tonight?
Grade: 3/5 (don't know how to do those popcorn things...lol)
It's easy just type this (but instead of * put an /)

[rating]3[*rating]
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\m/ Fade To Black \m/
Im looking forward to seeing this it looks soooo good, im a big fan of the series so far.
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Thanks tramp, great review, if that's your first one then I am looking forward to your next one. Don't worry about piggy-backing either, that's why I usually start a little review thread on a film that I already know a good portion of people don't or just can't let themselves like. I hope to get a few positive reviews up inside of it so maybe a few people can watch and enjoy an entertaining movie even if it isn't "award winning" because to me, that's what movies are all about. Having a little fun.



I am burdened with glorious purpose
Thanks, PW, I was hoping to get a response to the review. I was a bit nervous about writing it, since I read the reviews here and they're very good!

Yea, this was just fun. And surprisingly, the audience did applaud at the end! So it seems they didn't care at all about what the critics had to say.

I do wish the "battle" made more sense, though. I thought that was the biggest flaw in the film. Very poorly done.



Thanks, PW, I was hoping to get a response to the review. I was a bit nervous about writing it, since I read the reviews here and they're very good!

Yea, this was just fun. And surprisingly, the audience did applaud at the end! So it seems they didn't care at all about what the critics had to say.

I do wish the "battle" made more sense, though. I thought that was the biggest flaw in the film. Very poorly done.
Ah, i read your review- was very good so there's a confidence boost to inspire you to write some mre

Looking back at mine from when i started, they were pretty bad but glad to actually notice how they've evolved.



Celluloid Temptation Facilitator
We saw this one today.

BTW, I've enjoyed all the Mummy movies so far. I adore the ride at Universal! It's the best ride (for me) in the whole of Orlando.

I agree Brendon was looking pretty buff. His nipples were nice and stiff. Oh my! He looks no where near old enough to have a son that age. That just isn't believable at all.

I didn't like the casting of the son either. He just didn't appeal to me in any way. Nor did he look like he could have remotely been the child of those two actors. I don't understand why he was cast.

I'm amused that Jet Li keeps taking on all these Emperor and God action roles, after stating he wasn't doing them anymore. This movie didn't use him enough.

I must say preferred him as the Monkey King in Forbidden Kingdom this summer to the Emperor in this. Why? There wasn't much of a role there.

In fact, there wasn't much of a script or story. This is a terrible thing to me. This is all too common for action flicks these days.

Story should never be shoved aside in a film or any other piece of potential art, IMO. Some actual storytelling could have raised the level of this film so much higher

I too missed the lovely Rachel Weisz. She is much less brittle looking and more engagingly warm on screen than Ms. Bello. If Ms. Weisz didn't like the script, that probably shows she is a smart lady.

However, Ms. Bello had wonderful hair and wardrobe at least. I didn't buy her as a consummate and / or intrepid fighter. She was just okay in her role from my view.

I did enjoy the two Chinese ladies in the movie. They were well cast.

The pseudo homo erotic moments with Ms. Bello were interesting to me though not as intense as those with Ms. Weisz and various hottie mummy babes in previous films.

How do you do the spoiler thingie? I have more to say but don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

Anyway, overall we enjoyed the action flick but it moved too fast and held little story. I find the new film fad of having something falling during an action sequence which obscures the action quite irritating btw.

I feel that as long as the people who decide what films get made continue to believe the public has no attention span that the art of films will continue to go down and so will the revenues.
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\m/ Fade To Black \m/
This does look like its going to be a awsome film, the trailers that Ive seen make it look awsome. The other films in the series have been really good and this still looks like its going to be great. Cant wait to see it.