…according to the movies, anyway. Not one but two well-known movie franchises have plots revolving around adventure-seeking archaeologists, Indiana Jones and The Mummy. I couldn’t resist the hype of the new Indiana Jones movie and made that my first experience with Indiana Jones earlier this year. It was entertaining, though I still don’t really get what all the fuss is about, although I’m told the latest (and last, supposedly) Indiana Jones movie is not the best one by far. So for date night last week, we decided to give the latest Mummy movie, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor a try, and again, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. I did like it better than Hellboy 2, but I really think that has more to do with how sick I was when I saw Hellboy 2 because I just wanted to leave the theater. My husband liked Hellboy 2 better. I’m comparing the two because they are somewhat similiar movies; both action-fantasies involving the raising of ancient asian things. But anyway, back to the latest Mummy movie… Archaeology is dangerous in the movies!
Brendan Fraser plays an archaeologist who is hired to guard a precious artifact as it makes its journey to become a gift. There’s a guy who is trying to raise this emperor from the dead; it has something to do with a curse. So the emperor is raised, and that’s what I really liked about the movie. The emperor was made out of what looked like metal and fire, and I really enjoyed these special effects. When they were coupled with the emperor’s voice, it made for a nice scary villian – I hope you appreciate the oxymoron of nice scary villian 😉 The one thing I didn’t understand about the movie is why they threw in the random yetis. You’ll have to see it to know what I’m talking about, I guess, but let’s just say that there were some yetis all of a sudden and they didn’t seem to have much to do with the rest of the plot. As far as the plot goes, it wasn’t really my kind of movie, but it was a $3 matinee, buy one get one free, so for that price, I was thoroughly entertained. Three random notes I have are: 1. I didn’t realize the Mummy movies take place in the past, in the 1940’s. 2. Is it a requirement for sequels to have extremely cheesy references to the original movie? This movie is no exception. 3. Anyone visiting Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida should definitely try the Mummy ride. It is a thrill ride with special effects; a haunted house roller coaster, and it’s unlike any other roller coaster I’ve ever experienced – totally awesome!
nice scary villain… the best kind (insert evil, melodramatic laugh)