The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

You might be asking, "Where's your Dark Knight Review?" Well, I am still taking that in. I need to see about 10 more times. (: On to the Mummy... I'll start by saying this was WAY better than the second installment of the series. And where as the goofy comedy was still a bit heavy handed, I was more entertained by is film than I was "Crystal Skull". Yes I will compare the two because I feel as though they belong in the same league. Hey that's what Lucas wanted to do with it, so don't blame me. Besides Yeti's (which were kool overall) stupidly kicking field goals with baddies, there was a great aura of the 40's period to this film. The nightclub scenes were well done, the action and violence was not to bad for a PG13 B special effects picture, and the family drama was ok. I know we have seen this story before, but I was still in for the ride. It was funny, because the film felt like it was trying to be something like the first three "Jones" films all in one. No it was definitely no "Jones" film but it was funny to me how it was structured. Minus the opening, we are first introduced to a young archaeologist who finds the door to a tomb and finds that it is littered with booby traps (Raiders). Then we go to Shanghi, have a nightclub sequence and a chase down busy Chinese streets (Doom). Then we go on a father son archaeological adventure in which the father can't share his feelings for his son, who never felt truly loved (Last Crusade). (Except in this case, the father has to rescue the son) Yet the son still has to save the father in a very "Last Crusade" holy grailish type way... I'll say it again to be clear, the film has nothing on the Indy films, yet I did find these similarities to the first three all in this one film. Kinda interesting. Not bad, just interesting. Come to think of it, there are a few more, but I'll let you find those. There was a nice amount of baddies; mummies and Chinese soldiers, getting sprayed by machine gun fire, some good father son gun talk, chopped heads, and yetis. Overall it was a fun popcorn flick that both my grandma and I could enjoy. Yes, grandma liked it too. The one thing the Mummy series always gets hurt with is it's comic note. I can appreciate a funny line or happening here and there, but the Mummy films never know when to tone it down. They always take the goofy slapstick crap way to far. I love the first Mummy and even that film had too much goofiness for my taste. A change this movie made was the main actress. Maria Bello took the place of Rachel Weisz. I really liked Weisz in the other films, though it;s funny because Bello seemed to fit the period of this film more. I don't know. Bello did a good job and did great shooting machine guns and slicing mummies. Oh yeah, she kicks some but in a 40's evening gown as well. Sweet. Luke Ford was also pretty good, coming on fresh to the cast as Frasier's son. As always, the Mummy films are riddled with CGI, sometimes good, sometimes aweful. Well at least it sells itself as that kind of movie. Like I said, I was entertained. Oh and while I am on my rant, why does every action movie have to end with a "fight like a man scene?" I mean come on! I'll go back to the Indy films...when did any of those adventure films ever end with Indy fighting the main threat with his fists? NEVER! It just feels so stupid and corny, and I little bit of a cop out. Overall, it was a fun action flick with an enjoyable theater experience. Thanks grandma!