The first two Mummy movies were a lot of dumb fun: lost cities in the Egyptian desert, tombs full of mummies, scarabs, Scorpion Kings. The word “mummy” just lends itself to an Egyptian adventure. But setting the third one in China doesn't really work. An ancient ruthless Dragon Emperor (Jet Li) and his 10,000 warriors who have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent Terracotta Army just waiting to be awakened to wreak havoc again isn't one's idea of a Mummy movie. A Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon variation, maybe, but not in this milieu. The original Mummy heroes Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) are once again involved, but it doesn't make it any better. Even their now grown-up son Alex (Luke Ford), as a mini-Rick, can't help elevate the proceedings. The only saving grace is perhaps Michelle Yeoh as a sorceress who sticks around long enough to get her revenge on the emperor.
In fact, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh's sword fight scene is probably the only reason to see Mummy 3. In large part, the blame rests on the hackneyed script, which tries to drum up a troubled father-son relationship while trying to send the good old emperor back to the Netherworld. Frankly, this third installment may have finally mummified the franchise.
