If there is one big obstacle to overcome in order to enjoy this movie, it must be getting past its awkward clumsy opening. In the beginning the entire history of this new Mummy is explained in the kind of irritating detail that would cause even a five-year-old to roll their eyes. While this sequence is long and pedestrian, it is nothing compared to the kind of bad American Fifties’ sitcom devices employed to demonstrate the now lacklustre life of Mr. and Mrs. O’Connell (Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello).
For all the things that could be said of Maria Bello, she is no Rachel Weisz! Sadly it is the romantic intimacy between Rick and Evelyn that suffers from this unfortunate piece of re-casting.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it must be said – contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere, this movie does have redeeming qualities. The fight scenes are such delicious fun! I can’t even begin to tell you why they are so satisfying, but be assured they are. The burgeoning romance between Alex O’Connell (Luke Ford) and Zi Juan (Michelle Yeoh) does much to compensate the chemistry between Alex’s parents.
There has always been an undercurrent of humour in these Mummy films and it must be said that Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah) is the perfect comic foil! Between contemplating a romantic relationship with a Yak and randomly exclaiming things like, “She speaks Yeti?!” Jonathan reminds us that the task of vanquishing the undead need not be a dry affair.
Ultimately if you’re prepared to accept this movie for what it is – a raucous explosive tongue-in-cheek romp with romantic overtones – you will enjoy it!
Finally to those who were perplexed by the appearance of Yetis in this movie, I leave you with this closing thought. If you can suspend your disbelief long enough to entertain the possibility of Mummies – and the entire premise of the movie relies on you doing so – is entertaining the idea of abominable snowmen really such a stretch?
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