I started watching this film with all the eager anticipation of the previous two films, which I really enjoyed, and have watched several times.
I have to say though this film did not deliver, and as usual for a follow up film it didn’t really add anything new. The plot was the usual fare, with a long lost emperor being resurrected, not even a true mummy to be honest. The usual scenes to prevent him becoming immortal and the inevitable beating at the hands of Brendan Fraser, who seems always to win when every other immortal in the film has been easily pushed aside by the bad guy. To add insult to injury the brilliant Rachel Weisz was missing to be replaced Maria Bello who didn’t add anything to the role and I thought was very weak. She is believed to have signed up for another three mummy films.
The chase scene was very reminiscent of the chase in “The Mummy Returns”, with a couple of new twists and to be honest I did find that part enjoyable. There was the usual ending with the now two armies facing off to decide the fate of the world. Brendan Fraser and John Hannah played there roles well as would be expected with the normal quick fire one liners. The film also introduces the son as an adult and I wonder if this is a way of moving the films towards a new main character and slowly resigning Brendan Fraser to a secondary role and eventually be pulled all together.
All in all a very disappointing third installment to the franchise and I suspect if the fourth mummy film, rumoured to be starting soon, does not deliver then these series of films will go the same way of many others.