Movie : The Mummy ' Tomb of the Dragon Emperor "

Movie info
STARRING : Jet Li , Brendan Fraser , John Hannah , Luke Ford , Anthony Wong Chau-Sang , Albert Kwan , Maria Bello , Michelle Yeoh , Isabella Leong
DIRECTOR(S) : Rob Cohen
PRODUCER(S) : Chris Brigham , Sean Daniel , Bob Ducsay , James Jacks , Josette Perrotta , Marc Pitre , Stephen Sommers
MUSIC : Randy Edelman
GENRE : Thriller, Horror, Fantasy, Drama, Comedy, Adventure, Action
RELEASE DATE : 1 August 2008

Synopsis (www.filmicafe.com)

The blockbuster global "Mummy" franchise takes a spellbinding turn as the action shifts to Asia for the next chapter in the adventure series, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O'Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (newcomer Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.



Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress (Michelle Yeoh) to spend eternity in suspended animation, China's ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army. But when dashing adventurer Alex O'Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents.

As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia. Striding the Far East with unimaginable supernatural powers, the Emperor Mummy will rouse his legion as an unstoppable, otherworldly force...unless the O'Connells can stop him first. Now, in "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," the trademark thrills and visually spectacular action of the "Mummy" series will be redefined for a new generation.



"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" is helmed by director Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious," "xXx") and written by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar ("Spider-Man 2," television's "Smallville"). Reprising their roles as producers in the series are Bob Ducsay, Sean Daniel, Stephen Sommers and James Jacks.

Movie Review
by Mike Barnard


The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Rick O'Connell was essentially a bland version of Indiana Jones for the turn of the millennium. Back then, the lack of a Spielberg/Lucas movie for ten years and big-budget CGI were its main attractions – it was easy to sell a popular imitation when the real thing was not forthcoming. This year we are being treated to both, and the third helping of The Mummy franchise looks to be lacking the careful consideration of Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's lengthy pre-production schedule, probably in the hope it can piggyback off its more illustrious predecessor on the way to box office glory late in the summer. Should we retain some of our appetite for adventuring tomb raiders for August? It's quite hard to tell...

The action moves to the Far East for the Tomb of the Dragon Emperor where Rick (the returning Fraser) and his son Alex (Ford) dig up the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin (martial arts star Li) – a shape-shifting entity cursed centuries ago. Originally buried alongside 10,000 terra cotta soldiers, forces are in motion to bring him back from the dead in a re-conquest of China. Treks through the Himalayas, Yeti encounters, avalanches, three-headed dragons, pools of eternal life and epic battles will be ideal for mindless, end-of-summer fun.

The Mummy has never been the most highly respected of action movie series, but hopefully the appearance of Jet Li as Emperor Han will lead to a few examples of his martial arts expertise to go with the CGI action. Li has not been in a high profile blockbuster movie sequel like this since Lethal Weapon 4 first showcased his talents to mainstream action audiences. He failed to capture the hearts of western audiences in the same way as Jackie Chan in the films that followed, but here is an opportunity to be re-launched into the public consciousness. Whether he gets the chance to take centre stage as a shape-shifting baddie is another matter though.



The rest of the cast are in similar career lulls. Fraser has been relatively low key over the past few years, as has Hannah, which suggests the increasingly-respected Rachel Weisz turned down the chance to reprise her role as Rick's wife Evelyn because she had better things to do. Maria Bello takes her place while Michelle Yeoh is also on board for the ride, presumably because she is a recognisable Asian actress. Previous director Stephen Sommers has not had a film released since the disappointing Van Helsing in 2004 but has opted to produce this third Mummy film in favour of other projects such as 2009's G.I. Joe. Rob Cohen, who has recently been seen working on dumb action movies such as he Fast and the Furious, Stealth and xXx, has been given the reins for the third film so don’t be surprised if this is another high octane, low brains thrill ride. That said, the sight of a 10,000-strong terra cotta army marching towards world domination and led by Jet Li does sound like an impressive sight.
Taken From : http://www.futuremovies.co.uk



The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) Trailer