Author: Wyatt Sanderman Day | Published: February 28th, 2009

    
Copious Special Effects and Well Crafted Computer Graphics is No Substitute for Lack of a Cohesive Narrative

    The movie "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" is loosely based on the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, of Qin (China). In this movie the first Emperor of China is known as Han, portrayed by Peking native Jet Li, and in 1946 a dutiful Chinese General restored him to the living as an immortal in hopes of reinstating China's former grandeur. The wushu champion is more than capable to play the evil emperor consumed by his impetuous quest for immortality. Jet Li has the martial arts moves and the speed of a champion plus the smoldering intensity of a good actor, but can he compensate for the incongruous storyline?

    Most definitely not and I will enumerate here below.

    First, It has been 23 years (movie time) since the first "Mummy" installment, released in 1999, yet Brendan Fraser, as adventurist Rick O'Connell doesn't look as if he has aged more than five years. Plus add to the fact that between 1923 (period of the movie "The Mummy") and 1946 (period of this reviewed movie), he has gotten married to archeologist Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell, had a son, and just as fate would have it, his son has grown into a pistol wielding man, who drops out of school, and with a dotty professor in tow discovers and excavates Emperor Han's version of Quin Shi Huang's terracotta army, including a sand statue of the Emperor Han himself. What a precocious young man.

    Secondly, and this is where the facts did not get in the way of telling a sorry tale, Emperor Han was cursed to endure eternity as a statue of sand by enchantress Zi Yuan, portrayed by Michelle Yeow. The cause of his cursed affliction was the payback rendered upon him by the sorceress after Han reneged on his agreement with her to obtain his immortality, thereby killing her lover, General Ming. We see him turn into the sand statue and then we spring forward 2,200 years to Rick's son, Alex O'Connell's discovery of the terracotta army. Now that the Emperor has been turned into a statue for some millennia, who will force the masses of Chinese peasants to construct and secretly bury his army of more than 8,000 terracotta soldiers with Han's statue at its head? No one.

    Rachel Weisz, the first Evelyn Carnahan in "The Mummy" knew not accept this role and left Actress Maria Bello to pick up the pieces and make the best of a bad situation. She could not improve the product.

    The movie does have some fine computer graphics however, but, exchanging fast paced, loud action for a cogent story is no adequate substitute. My daughter suggested that this movie was art for the learning disabled.

    I can't say for sure. I can only add that it was 112 minutes long and the rating of 2 stars for "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" is more than generous.

    Released on DVD December 16, 2008. Rated PG13.

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