The first two Mummy movies were fun, light-hearted action movies. While not in the same class as recent action classics like the Spider-man and Batman movies, they were immensely watchable and smart enough not to take themselves too seriously. They were popular enough to warrant this sequel and the spinoff series The Scorpion King
The story is set in 1946. Brendan Fraser returns as Rick O’Connell, a former French Foreign Legion Officer and adventurer who defeated Imhotep’s mummy in the previous two movies. He is now trying to adjust to a life of quiet retirement. His wife Evelyn O’Connell is now a bestselling author and no longer works as an Egyptologist. She cannot find inspiration for a third book because the first two were about fighting mummies. Mario Bello has replaced Rachel Weisz in the role of Evelyn. Meanwhile in China, Rick and Evelyn’s son Alex (Luke Ford) is discovering his own mummy.
The mummy is that of Emperor Han (Jet Li). Emperor Han was a ruthless ruler who built the Great Wall of China over the bodies of his enemies. He defeated all his enemies but desired immortality. He asked the witch Zi Juan (Michelle Yeoh) to cast a spell on him that would make him live forever. But she betrayed him and he killed her love General Ming (Russell Wong). Because of this Zi Juan put a curse on the Emperor and his army.
Back in 1946, the Chinese General Yang (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) wants to resurrect the Emperor to bring China back to glory. He is secretly funding Alex’s dig and manages to get Rick and Evelyn to China as well. When they get there, they are forced to help revive Emperor Han’s mummy. The Mummy, naturally only wants to destroy the Earth.
Rick, Evelyn, and Alex must stop General Yang and Emperor Han before they reach Shangri-La and the Emperor becomes immortal. If he becomes immortal he will raise his army and begin his destruction. They are aided in this by the now immortal Zi Juan and her immortal daughter Lin (Isabella Leong) who have been guarding the Mummy’s grave for centuries. Evelyn’s wisecracking brother Jonathan (John Hannah) also comes along, but he is really just there for comic relief. This is obviously a set-up for many mummy fights.
Rob Cohen has taken over the directing duties from Stephen Sommers. He keeps the light-hearted tone of the previous movies with plenty of wisecracks and a few visual jokes. A little Martial arts has been added to the action, which is a nice touch and makes sense with the story. Unfortunately the majority of action is jumpy and full of quick cuts that make it nearly impossible to follow. The visual effects are well done and impressive. But they are diluted in the confusion of the action.
The movie is paced well. It strikes a good balance between moving to the next battle scene and taking the time to establish the characters. A major problem with the script is that it is starting to remind us too much of Indiana Jones. It starts out in a Far East nightclub. There is an expedition to recover an ancient artifact from a booby-trapped temple. There is a mountain plane crash. Rick is somewhat of an Indiana Jones clone. The similarities between the two franchises are much more apparent in this movie than in the previous ones.
There is not much to say about the acting. The actors all capably show us that they are having fun while at the same time giving their characters a little bit of depth. It is tough to believe that Brendan Fraser’s son would be as old as Luke Ford.
I do not think that this is as good a film as the previous entries in the series, but Mummy fans will still enjoy it. If you are in the mood for a more lighthearted action film, this is an enjoyable viewing experience.
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