Movie Review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

I can say with fairly confident assuredness that each Mummy film is inferior to its predecessor. But while each movie decreases in quality, my tolerance of such mindless entertainment seems to increase. That said, there's still plenty to dislike about the latest installment in the waning franchise.

An ancient tale tells of a tyrannical Emperor (Jet Li) who conquers all of China, but cannot overcome the inevitability of death. Determined to forestall his fate, the Emperor summons a Witch (Michelle Yeoh) who promises the secret to everlasting life, but when she is betrayed by the despot, she instead curses him and his massive army to permanent mummification. Or so she thought...

1946 London finds world-famous artifact hunters and mummy combatant extraordinaires Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn (Maria Bello) O'Connell attempting to lead lackluster "normal" lives, but the duo jump at the chance of continuing their adventures when they are invited to chaperone the priceless Eye of Shangri La diamond to China. Once there, they encounter their estranged son Alex (Luke Ford) who has recently unearthed the Emperor and his tomb and the family is unwittingly drawn into a dastardly plot to resurrect the demonic ruler. Teaming up with Evelyn's brother Jonathan (John Hannah) and the mysterious assassin Lin (Isabella Leong), the group of heroes must once again fight the forces of evil and save the world from total annihilation.

Tomb of the Dragon Emperor never takes itself too seriously; from the opening slapstick to the epilogue one-liner, comedy never strays far from the events comprising the latest exercise in undead resurrection. And while the humor succeeds in being intentional more often than not, the copious amounts wantonly dispersed throughout hinder the suspension of disbelief, the pathos, and the action, resulting in an adventure one can never feel too committed to. Perhaps that's both the beauty and downfall of such brain-free escapism.

The special effects throughout this Mummy range from unexpectedly grandiose to begging the query, "are they even trying anymore?" A headless horse chase and a Jason and the Argonauts -style battlefield sequence evoke awes, vicious booby-traps and devastating avalanches receive appropriate attention, and overly unoriginal abominable snowmen and a three-headed dragon feel last-minute improvised. Even the opening rotation of the Universal Studios logo seemed subpar.

Old-fashioned gunfights, elaborate chase scenes, and a few clever taunts can't quite overcome the tired clichés, minimalist storytelling, and ridiculous Yeti, but those accepting of this sort of movie-going experience will likely enjoy the film's insistence of fun over depth and reason. While all of the characters unabashedly buy into the unrelenting absurdity happening around them, the asinine plot devices only work to contradict their efforts at creating some semblance of a reality, as farfetched as it might be. Why is there always some mystical weapon that can kill the immortal enemy? Why does the threat of being honorless always spark in the vilest of villains some heartfelt desire to display that attribute? And why does there have to be Yeti?

- Joel Massie (www.MoviePulse.net)