Criticising The Mummy films for being overblown effects-drowned nonsense is pointless. It’s like slamming fish for smelling fishy. They are what they are. But within that remit there’s scope for genius and potential for myth-making. Remember, Raiders Of The Lost Ark could easily have been an exercise in throwaway crap.
Unsurprisingly, the third in The Mummy series (not counting the Scorpion King spin off), isn’t in the same fantasy adventure league as any of the Indy movies. There was a glimmer of hope in its cast – martial arts god Jet Li (playing a character based on his nemesis from Hero, ironically), the ultra-classy Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Maria Bello (superb in A History Of Violence). But no, in terms of character depth this reboot of ancient Chinese history into something altogether more crass is pure pantomime stuff, a waste of all their talents.
There is some fun to be had, though – a daft car/chariot chase through ’40s Shanghai, a massive avalanche, a rescue by some yeti that look like extras from Monsters Inc and of course a big battle scene to finish with. The producers were wise to deviate from the Imhotep-battling Egyptian stories of the first two films and give this one a new identity – the Himalayan scenery (real or not) is gorgeous.
It’s when the action pauses and everyone starts talking that things go belly-up – especially the chronically clunky ‘romance’ between Rick’s dumbass son Alex and Lin, the guardian of the tomb. It will make anyone over the age of 12 wince. But you won’t go to see this for the acting, you’ll go for those CGI thrills, brainless laughs and the chance to eat a gargantuan bucket of popcorn. On that basis, Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor just about delivers the goods.
