|
|
Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
"In a summer season filled with a bit too much philosophical mumbo-jumbo, this is a harmless popcorn flick that doesn't take itself seriously..." --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- The Yeti Question...? Whether you liked or hated this movie, mostly boils down to one question: do you like Yeti? If you don't; seeing a Yeti throw a bad guy only to make a humorous football gesture will annoy you even more than you already were. However; if you think the idea of an abodimable snowman attacking the bad guy is a cool idea, the scene is funny, amusing, and rather imaginative, in a comical sort of way. So what does this viewer think of Yeti? Well, as many pro-reviews of this movie have put it on many an online blog: Yeti's rule. It's all a matter of taste.
----------------- Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted! ------------------
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Click pictures to order (reviews of each disc's extras, below!) A Review by TechtiteAs always, a review of The Show and the DVD extras. The Film Review: If you went to a high priced restaurant, would you immediately demand that all fast food restaurants are closed? That's the rhetorical question I feel like asking, after the barrage of unfairly negative "early" reviews thrown towards The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Okay; so it lacks the grit of The Dark Knight, the imagination of Wall-e, or the underlying philosophical questions raised by both film's surprisingly involved stories. It's still a fun movie, though, and in a summer season that has taken itself a tad too seriously; I had a good time watching it.The story is as simple as this singular paragraph implies: the Mummy trio from the first two films return, in a quest to defeat yet another Mummy. Rick (Brendan Fraser) must go help his now-adult son, Alex (Luke Ford), after being fooled into releasing another villain from ancient times, who once again must be stopped before becoming immortal. Joining Alex is his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking on the role originally played by Rachel Weisz), and Evelyn's brother, Johnathan (John Hannah). It's up to the heroic trio to save Alex by flying to Egypt...China. Wait...seriously?...China? Here's where this film will either win you over or lose you, depending on your definition of "Mummy": the enemy is not Imhotep, the villain from the first two films. Nor is the villain a mummy per se. The villain is instead a Dragon Emperor from ancient China (played by Jet Li), who was put under a curse by a good witch (Michelle Yeoh). She was supposed to give the Emperor eternal life, when she fell in love with the General of his armies. The Emperor wanted her for himself and killed the General, though not before she cursed both the Emperor and all his armies to stone. Enter a prophecy where he can come back to life with help from the fountain of youth, and...well, let's just say there's a magic way he can become as deadly as Imhotep and the good guys have to stop him. It's not rocket science; it's an action movie! Just have fun with it. This really isn't the sort of movie you nitpick within an inch of its life. However; it's not really the kind of movie you praise for several paragraphs, either. So allow me to go on the defensive here, and list all the things I liked about this film, that other critics barely mention at all. For one thing I liked Luke Ford as Alex. Essentially this is the sort of "next generation adventurer" character that you-know-who was supposed to be in the fourth Indiana Jones movie. I also liked the way that this led to a nice double romance story, between the already married Evelyn and Rick, and Alex and a female ninja warrior named Lin (Isabella Leong). Yeah, I know; no sooner does this movie leave its Mummy roots then suddenly it's a ninja movie with female ninja warriors. Though that's part of this film's charm. Sure; this movie is like the "Big Mac" to Wall-e's steak, and The Dark Knight's filet mignon. It's still a fun, harmless summer action flick. Remember those? Remember when a comic book action movie didn't involve death, destruction, pain, and anguish, even for the heroes? Remember when a modern "full color" movie wasn't colored in black, white...and grey? Remember when movies were funny without resorting to potty humor that would make a sewer smell good? No, wait; this film does have at least one potty humor scene, dragged in kicking and screaming. That stupid Yak! Ah yes; the Yak. Let's let this yakking yak lead the charge to all the things this sequel does wrong. For one thing: while Maria Bello does an admirable job as Evelyn, she looks completely different from Rachel Weisz, which is a bit distracting for anyone who remembers the character from the first two films. There's also the newfound powers of the Emperor, where he seemingly morphs into creatures that make little or no sense aside from "look what the FX department can do." Then there are the scenes that are seemingly ripped off from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which frankly is the worst Indy movie to try and imitate (yes; even when compared to the recent movie). Some critics hated the yeti scene, though to be honest...Yeti's rule. That scene worked for me. In the end; this is a summer popcorn flick that is great to watch when you want a harmless summer popcorn flick. Does it have the same environmental messages sewn into it, as Wall-e? No. Does it have the same psychological thrills as The Dark Knight? Nope. Though it does still have its charm. I can't say that people waiting to rent the movie are making a bad choice. If you avoid the movie completely, however, you might be missing out on something here, especially if you loved the first two movies. Much like those films; this is simple harmless fun. The DVD Review: Extras not reviewed...
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Burnout
Near
Miss
Small
Crater
Large
Crater
Deep
Impact
