Let’s start this review with a quick trip to the past. If you remember, in the original Mummy Brendan Fraser was at his wise-cracking best as the dashing adventurer, Rick O'Connell. Rick is saved from execution by beautiful and intelligent, though quite naive, Evelyn Carnahan affectionately known as Evy (Rachel Weisz). Accompanied by her bumbling brother, Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah), Rick and Evy set off on an adventure to find Hamunaptra. By the end of the movie, a Mummy had been raised and vanquished, Rick and Evy fall in love, and they unknowingly recover several bags of treasure.
Then came Mummy 2, Rick and Evy are still very much in love and now have a precocious 10 year-old son, Alex (Freddie Boath). The original trio, now a quad set off on yet another adventure which involves killing the original mummy again, as well as his lover, and a scorpion king. Both of these movies were amusing and charming with great CGI.
Now let’s return to the present. Rick and Evy (now played by Maria Bello) are leading a boring existence. She is an author fresh out of material and he seems to be retired. Alex (Luke Ford) is all grown up and digging up tombs of his own.
The plot is a rip off of the first movie, setting up an ill-fated love triangle between a powerful leader and one of his most trusted men. All of this of course leads to death and a curse. I always find it amusing that if the cursed king/emperor is revived he becomes the most powerful creature in the world. If I had the power to curse someone, I would make sure that if they were revived they would be reduced to a lowly unintelligent weakling, but I digress. This curse involves a Chinese Emperor and all his armies, turned to stone (not mummies) by a good witch in retaliation of him killing her lover. The original gang is joined by an acquaintance of Alex's, Lin (Isabella Leong) as they set off on yet another adventure.
Though they try to create it, the chemistry between Rick’s and Evy’s characters is gone. Maria’s Evy just does not cut it when it comes to being affectionate or bonding with Rick or Alex. I think she was a poor casting choice that hurt the charm of the movie. Rick and Jonathon do a good job keeping the movie entertaining and Alex’s and Lin’s chemistry is warm and playful but definitely does not make up for what was lost in Evy’s character. We also have the added pleasure of seeing Jet Li as the emperor, though I think we saw him a lot more in CGI than live action.
Overall the movie is fun, but not worth all the hype. Hopefully when they film Mummy 4, they will have the sense to give Rachel Weisz whatever she wants to return as our beloved Evy.
That's my rant for the day, Thanks for reading!!
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