Summary
The O’Connells, played by Brendan Fraser and now for some reason Maria Bello, take on a new undead foe in the form of the Dragon Emperor, played by Jet Li.
A lot of people hate on this film and for the most part I can totally see why, replacing Weisz with Bello is noticeable mostly because Weisz was as big a part of the series as Fraser so her absence feels odd, not to mention the fact that Fraser and Bello have no chemistry at all. I also don’t like that they make Fraser’s Rick some what of a deadbeat dad and give him a backseat in what should be his own film.
However, that said I do think this film has some redeemable parts to it. For me this mainly comes in seeing new undead threats and moving away from Ancient Egypt, I think this is a great idea as it really helps the film feel different, fresh and expands the world of the film to a great effect. Moreover, both Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh are fantastic in their new roles and really do bring a lot to the film. I think Li in particularly easily fills the shoes of Vosloo from the previous two films and is a commanding presence on screen.
I also really, really like that this film features Yetis, but that is just because I find that cryptid creature fascinating.
Overall, certainly the weakest film in the trilogy but not without redeemable moments.
2.5/5
Pros.
Moving away from Egypt
It feels fresh
The Yetis
Cons.
Weisz not returning
Making Jack a bit player in his own film and pushing the son
The pacing issues are quite noticeable
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Another Millennial Reviewer 