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James Cooper Review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
In a climatic battle sequence late in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” Michelle Yeoh and Jet Li face off, swords drawn and wits matched. We know this fight will be memorable for two very important reasons. First, early in the film during extended flashback sequence, the narrator informs us that the Dragon Emperor killed Yeoh’s lover in a violent act of revenge and jealousy. This act pales in comparison with his earlier display of brutality and power: In order to build a tangible testament to his newly acquired position as emperor of the world, he orders thousands of slaves to work tirelessly to construct a great wall (yes, that Great Wall) in his honor. He seeks out Yeoh, a powerful witch said to possess the secret knowledge of immortality, and when she falls in love with one his generals, the Dragon Emperor has the general quartered in front of her. Heartbroken, Yeoh enacts her own revenge, cursing the Dragon Emperor and his massive army and imprisoning them beneath the earth.
In other words, these two characters have quite the bone to pick with each other.
Yet, when director Rob Cohen finally reunites them, an army of computer generated mummies and skeletons fighting only a few feet behind them, he never manages to keep up with either actor. Li and Yeoh are simply too fast for Cohen’s camera, a camera much more concerned with capturing the supposedly witty one-liners spewed forth by any number of the characters present on screen. A fight sequence between these two iconic actors should elicit excitement and wonder considering their legendary martial arts skills and speed. Instead, the camera struggles to keep up with them, resorting to odd slow motion techniques and sometimes completely refusing to frame either actor properly.
And so it goes with “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” a disastrous and unnecessary film.