The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2008
	Director: Rob Cohen (Daylight, The Fast and the Furious, Stealth)
	Actors: Brendan Fraser (Encino Man, The Mummy 1-2), Jet Li (The One), Maria Bello (ER TV-series, A History of Violence),
	Country: USA, D, CDN, CN
	Genre: Adventure, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 19.03.2019, VOD, 10" tablet screen
Synopsis: The O'Connell couple (Fraser & Bello) has settled down since their last adventure, in a comfortable way of life brought by their rich discoveries. A discovery by their son (Luke Ford) in China may lead them back to a more adventurous life.
Review: After the original tone in The Mummy in 1999 and the escalation in The Mummy Returns in 2001, this sequel took a while to set in motion. And as I could have predicted, it arrived too late to satisfy an expecting audience, and when the trend for this kind of Adventure Comedy had passed. Also exit Rachel Weiz too busy shooting more intellectual movies with her new husband Darren Aronofsky (like The Fountain), she is replaced by Maria Bello, not the worst in this movie. Also fast forward, their young kid from the first movie is now adult and following his parent's footsteps without them knowing. This movie is maybe the best sequel they could have done from the ageing concept. Moving to Asia is a good idea because Egypt would have felt too redundant, and this opens the door to a new fighting style practiced by veteran Actors Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. It is alo nice to see Anthony Infernal Affairs Wong. Don't worry there are still Mummies to be awaken and put back to sleep, this time more in the shape of a terracotta army. The generous special effects (including massive CGI armies like was trendy in the 2000's) are still a trait of the franchise, and humor is still present (or at least attempts at it) around the main couple and Evelyn's brother played by John Hannah (I did burst into laughter at his delivery of the line "The Yack yacked"). But in spite of all that the story is not very enthralling, the action often confused, the motivation and reactions of the characters often irrational, and 90% of the dialog scenes poorly executed. I am glad I finally saw that movie for completeness but it is not really a good one.
Rating: 3 /10