Search - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Widescreen) on DVD

Keith A. (Keefer522)
Reviewed on 5/24/2013...

The adventurous O'Connell clan (Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello) are back and battling more mummies, this time in post-WWII China, where their now grown-up son has inadvertently unleashed the spirit of a particularly nasty ancient Emperor.

This is a dumb but fun action/adventure just like the first two, owing much to the Indiana Jones franchise. It started getting reallly stupid by around the halfway mark (Yetis?) but the special effects were great and it certainly wasn't boring.

I liked this better than the 2nd "Mummy" mainly because they re-cast the O'Connell's son as an adult, therefore he was far less annoying than in "Mummy Returns," where he was an irritating little snot. If you liked the previous two "Mummy" flicks, odds are you'll like this one too.

Robin A. from COLUMBIA FLS, MT
Reviewed on 10/7/2011...

This movie is not even in the same league as the first two. BAD BAD BAD.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 3/12/2011...

Even Worse Than Van Helsing

The Mummy franchise needs to be put down like a rabid dog. Every film after the first has sunk lower and lower into the realm of total drek. I made the mistake of seeing this abomination in the theatre and after about 20 minutes wanted my money back. The film is a poorly made excuse for pointless kung fu action sequences and nothing else. It has hideous acting, no plot to speak of, bad filmmaking from start to finnish (to be expected given the fact that the director is a total hack) and makes no sense. I've had a far more enjoyable time watching paint dry.

0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Dawnmarie L. (Dacaria)
Reviewed on 1/25/2010...

Lackluster. Mummy 3 was okay in its own right, however there were several scenes similar to that of Indiana Jones. I even thought I heard a piece of the Indiana Jones’ theme song when Alex O’Connell climbed onto the back of the wagon during a chase scene. The best scene for me was the scene between Michelle Yeoh and Jet Li and even that was short-lived. Ironically, the storyline seemed rushed though the pace of the movie felt slow at times. Brendan Fraser did his part as the out of retirement adventurer and Maria Bello did the best she could with her limited lines and screen time as Evelyn (although I did miss Weisz at times). However, as wonderful an actress as Bello is, for some reason her British accent kept reminding me of Katherine Hepburn. CGI in this film was limited (such as the wonderful Yeti, the three-headed dragon and the legion of the undead) which is fine, a movie shouldn’t rely on CGI alone to carry it, but its lack of dialogue and creativity didn’t help to pick up the slack. And to me there was too much of the son and not enough of Rick and Evie. There was definitely not enough of Michelle Yeoh as the sorceress. Or hottie hot hot Russell Wong- and you can’t count the skeleton version of him either. Mummy 3 was a decent adventure film, it would have been a great adventure film if I hadn’t seen the prior two movies. With the ending of this film I wondered if it was to be the end of the Mummy franchise, letting it go out with more of a pop from a chinese firecracker than a bang, but then I remembered the sequel to the Scorpion King during the trailers.

I love the series, but.....

T. A. Wauldron | Magalia, Ca United States | 01/06/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"...the ball was dropped on this film. Someone in Hollywood believed Brendon Fraiser and Jet Li in the same film would miraculously make this a winner. That someone should lose his job.

Synopsis: Ancient Chinese warlord is reawakened (along with 10,000 Terra Cotta warriors) to conquer the world. And there are Yetis....

The first two movies in the series were fantastically entertaining. You had action, emotion, love, despair, and discoveries of a linked past that made the movies engrossing. They had excellent scripts, beautiful effects, and acting that made it look real. I watch them over and over. This dog...well, at least I watched until the end.

Whoever cast this movie screwed the pooch. Fraser, as Rick O'Connell is, of course, excellent. I love the gung ho balls ahead character. He IS the character. In fact, he is the franchise.

Rachael Weisz declined to return citing problems with the script. Boy did she make the right call. So Maria Bello is cast as Evy. Dear God In Heaven. what where they thinking! Where Weisz played Evuy with emotion, perfect timing, and a boatload of sex appeal, Bello is a block of freaking wood who phones in her part. She has NO fluidity, no sense of timing, and not a trace of sex appeal. In fact, a block of wood could have done a much better job.

In the 2nd film, The Mummy Returns, the son, Alex, has a very strong `proper' English accent and typical `Brit' attitude. In this movie, Alex (Luke Ford) has NO trace of accent or his English upbringing. He plays the role like a young John Wayne, as if he was raised in Arizona. It totally fails.

Jet Li as Emperor Han...well, I loved him in Lethal Weapon 4, Unleashed, and The One. He should have done the role of Emperor Han with the same soft-sneering attitude he had in LW4. But he wasn't directed that way in this film. He was concrete, and wooden. There was no sense of surprise upon awakening 2000 years later. No marveling at the changes in the world. No wonder at how the world had changed. Totally unrealistic.

Redeeming factors: Michelle Yeoh (very big star in China) as Zi Yaun, the witch who betrays Han knowing his merciless character, Isabella Leong as her immortal daughter, and Russell Wong as General Ming Guo (Han's right hand man who falls in love with Zi Yaun). John Hannah plays Evy's gold-digging brother seamlessly from the prior films.

And there are the Yetis. Ya gotta love the Computer Graphics. At first, the Yetis were fluff, but then you start to like them. They are the `untarnished good' surrounded by evil.

The special effects are admirable. The battle scenes at the end are exceptional. The warriors (and Han) turning to sand and clay are so cool, myself and my friends all gave it a big `WHOA!'.

Rent it, just to see it. Own it, ONLY if you need to complete the series.

Hope this helps you decide."

Very Disappointing

Matt W. | Florida | 11/13/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This movie was a big let-down. I LOVED the first two Mummy movies in the series and could watch them over and over. This one was written so bad that the lines could be laughed at throughout the entire thing (and I don't mean the comedic lines). The wife is a different person and is awful, son talks like John Wayne and is too old compared to the years that went by, and Jet Li was barely in the movie/had any lines. The special effects in this movie were mediocre in 1995 and that's saying something. The story of it completely broke off from what it was in the first two. The wife has no connection to her past like in the second one whatsoever. I would not recommend this to anyone that loves the first two. If you don't want to ruin the series and have not seen this movie, then don't even think about watching this. I have never been so disappointed in a movie."

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Widescreen)

Bjorn Viberg | European Union | 01/06/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Widescreen) is the third movie in the series and it is painfully bad. The plot is a joke. Bredan Fraser phones in a lame performance and the replacement actress for his wife try as she might the chemistry is just not there. The first two movies were full of fun, wit and good adventure. This move is nothing short of a travesty. Pointless violence, a plot written by Dr Nick Riviera from the Simpsons or maybe even Homer himself, shoddy acting. I was so disapointed considering that the first two movies are good enough to watch again and again. This one I will avoid att all costs. 1/5.
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