The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (4½ Stars)

As I mentioned in my review of "The Mummy Returns", there are rules to obey when making a sequel. If a third film is made, there's another possibility. Either it's another sequel, in which the same sequel rules apply, or it's the third part of a trilogy. I won't quote everything from the speech in "Scream 3", because most of it applies specifically to horror films, I'll just quote the initial words:

"If you find yourself dealing with an unexpected back-story, and a preponderance of exposition, then the sequel rules do not apply. Because you are not dealing with a sequel. You are dealing with the concluding chapter of a trilogy".

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the film I'm reviewing is neither a sequel nor the concluding part of a trilogy. It's a third possibility: it's a crossover. This is a film that follows some, probably not all, of the rules to make it a sequel, but mixes in elements of a film or films from a completely different genre. This isn't a new idea, but it might seem so because crossover films are rarely taken seriously and are soon forgotten. My personal favourite crossover film is Hammer's "Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires", made in 1974, in which Count Dracula is hiding in China and has assembled a cult of kung fu fighting vampires around himself. That's a film I need to watch again soon.

Maybe kung fu action is a good element to mix with any other film genre, because that's what we have here. The Dragon Emperor is none other than Jet Li, and he's cursed by a witch played by Michelle Yeoh. The Emperor is buried in China, but his tomb has all the traps typical for Egyptian tombs. Many of the battle sequences from the first two films are mimicked, but they're given a Chinese slant. Most critics hated the film and wrote wicked reviews, while the public loved it and flooded into the cinemas in droves. As usual, I'll prove that I'm not a serious film critic by siding with the public. I love it! I wouldn't rate it quite as highly as the first film, but it's definitely better than the second.

I've heard rumours that the Mummy franchise is going to be rebooted and a new trilogy made. The next time round it'll be a real trilogy, without any Chinese mischmasch. I don't think it's necessary, but as long as they don't ruin it I'll be happy. I wonder what the unexpected back-story will be. Maybe Rick O'Connell will find his father buried in a mummy's tomb?