The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Indiana Jones pretty much set the bar for archaeology-based adventure movies, with its combination of action, humour and charismatic hero. When THE MUMMY came along in 1999 it was initially regarded with a little disdain: a remake of the 1932 Boris Karloff classic, starring George of the Jungle in an Indiana Jones rip-off – but it worked. It had the right mixture of action and comedy, with a few scares thrown in for good measure, and the public loved it enough to generate a sequel and a spin-off (THE SCORPION KING). Much of the film’s success was down to Brendan Fraser, who is both a great comic actor (GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE, LOONEY TUNES BACK IN ACTION) and a fine, and underrated, dramatic actor (GODS AND MONSTERS, THE QUIET AMERICAN and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in London’s West End), all with boyish good looks.

So in the year we see Indy come of retirement, we also see Rick O’Connell back in action (but without Bugs and Daffy). Like Indy 4, time has also moved on for the O’Connells and they are living in luxurious retirement in post-war England, and they have a son, but one they know about, if not his whereabouts. Like his father, Alex O’Connell (Luke Ford) has a penchant for digging up old dead people, and this time it is a cursed Chinese warlord (Jet Li), whose story is revealed in the opening sequences. As events unfold Rick and Evelyn (this time played by Maria Bello) also find themselves in Shanghai, where Evy’s brother Jonathan (John Hannah) runs an Egyptian-themed nightclub. As the Chinese warlord is awoken the action kicks off and doesn’t stop until the end, despite the occasional romantic interludes.

Director Rob Cohen, whose previous films include DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY and xXx, knows how to make an action film and has a love and respect for Chinese culture and martial arts. With Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in the cast, top martial arts action is guaranteed, and they don’t disappoint, although Li is nowhere as lithe as he was in LETHAL WEAPON 4.

Comparisons with Indy 4 are unavoidable, but where Spielberg’s movie is set in a historical context of the Cold War, THE MUMMY 3 does not even try to have any basis in reality. The modern Chinese army that is involved in the reviving of the Dragon Emperor and his terracotta army (about the only thing that is even close to being historically factual) is more nationalist than communist. This is THE MUMMY 3’s strength. Because we suspend disbelief from the outset, we can just go along for the ride, and an action-packed one it is too, which even includes a fight sequence with yetis.

Of course the eventual and long anticipated return of Indiana Jones did leave many people a bit underwhelmed. It was if it Spielberg and Lucas were trying too hard, and wanting to get a message out at the same time. THE MUMMY doesn’t bother with any of that, it is just about entertainment and it succeeds on all accounts. Fraser and his new co-star work really well together, and their familial bickering is a lot more believable, and funnier, than that in INDY 4. And if the lady sitting next to me at the screening’s reactions were anything to go by, there are plenty of scares and surprises too. One area where this latest incarnation of the THE MUMMY has improved is in its CG effects. The previous movie was probably best remembered for how bad the CG of the Scorpion King was, but this time the FX guys have done a great job, and even added some humorous touches to the climatic battle scene.

If you want an evening of unadulterated action entertainment with all the fun the was missing from Indy 4 then THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON KING is just the ticket to tide you over until Universal’s big summer film, HELLBOY II comes out.

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON KING is on general release from August 6.

Keep an eye out for the forthcoming issue of movieScope magazine, which has an interview with director Rob Cohen, along with interviews with Guillermo del Toro, Frank Spotnitz and Selma Blair.

Review: Chris Patmore