I’m a fan of the Mummy series. Had an absolute blast with the first movie, and while The Mummy Returns had some issues with sequelitis, I’m a big enough fan of the pulp genre to forgive all but the most blatant transgressions.
So, I was a little surprised to find that I hadn’t found out about Tomb of the Dragon Emperor earlier. It features a change of setting and subject matter (we’re no longer in Egypt hunting, er being hunted by, mummies). Instead, we’re off to China to save the world from a resurrected sorcerer-emperor. Sounds good on paper, but I do have reservations.
First of all Rachel Weisz has turned down her traditional role as Evelyn. Instead, Maria Bello has taken on the hottest archaeology nerd ever to grace the silver screen. While I’m prepared to give her benefit of the doubt, I’m more than slightly disappointed that Weisz didn’t want to return to the franchise. I know there’s a stigma with sequels (particularly as Bello has signed a contract for three movies, indicating studio intentions), but this is a great no-brainer series.
Secondly, with heavy reliance on massive 3D spectacle these days, I doubt that there will be enough time for proper human interaction. I know that this is counter to pulp-action expectations, but that’s actually what made The Mummy for me. Between the mad fight scenes, it was a creepy survival horror flick. The Mummy Returns dropped that in favour of a contrived reincarnation plot. Judging by the trailer, Dragon Emperor features large army-on-army battles. Obviously, Return of the King has a lot to answer for.
Anyway, I’m going to stop prattling now and let you watch the trailer (if you want)…