The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

Violent action sequel should've stayed buried.


parents & educators say
  • 33% say violence is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this third installment in The Mummy series has plenty of action violence, which may be a big draw for kids. Only a few of scenes are actually gory -- faces melting off, men about to be decapitated or dismembered -- but most of the battle scenes involve explosions, sword fights, guns, and hand-to-hand combat. Be prepared for the vast hordes of skeleton warriors; they could be quite scary for younger viewers. There's relatively little swearing, although hero Rick does refer to two Chinese soldiers as "Ying" and "Yang." In addition to a few kisses, a woman appears in a long negligee, and two characters appear about to make love (passionate kissing lying down).

Positive messages: The emperor is obsessed with world domination. Alex lies to his parents about attending college. Characters betray each other. Rick jokingly calls two Chinese people "Ying" and "Yang." The O'Connells act like their lives are only bearable when they're involved in some dangerous adventure.
Violence: Lots of action violence and implied gore: faces melt, a man is about to be quartered, several shots of near decapitations, limbs are dismembered, bodies are stabbed and shot. Huge Yetis appear as scary CGI panther-like creatures. There are hordes of skeletal warriors (a la Pirates of the Caribbean).
Sex: Evie appears in a nightgown to seduce her husband. Rick makes a joke about "inspiring" his wife in the bedroom. Two or three passionate kisses. A couple seems about to make love, but they're clothed.
Language: Words include "bastard," "ass," and "rot in hell."
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Clubgoers drink champagne and cocktails; a character swigs straight from a liquor bottle; a couple has wine for dinner.

More on The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about whether sequels are generally as good as the originals. Can you think of any that are? Does it matter when, as in this case, one of the main actors doesn't come back? Also, the bulk of the film is set in China: How is Chinese culture represented? How does that depiction relate to the time period in which the movie takes place? Did you learn anything about Chinese culture?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In the third film in the Mummy franchise, Rick and Eveyln O'Connell (Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello, who took the role over from Rachel Weisz) are living a life of bored luxury in 1946 England -- until they're asked to personally escort a priceless crystal back to China. They don't know that their 21-year-old son, Alex (Luke Ford), is also in China on a dangerous expedition, instead of in college as they believed. Soon after they meet up, all three O'Connells must try to stop the crystal from awakening the ancient terra cotta army and its ruthless leader, the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li).

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
The first two Mummy movies were far from action masterpieces, but when you compare them to THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, they seem like Oscar contenders. Without director Stephen Sommers at the helm and Weisz playing Evie, the new movie lacks the central chemistry that made the first two films charmingly bearable. Although it's always a pleasure to see Li and Michelle Yeoh (who plays a witch who cursed the emperor and his army to their stone tombs) show off their considerable martial arts skills, the action sequences are cribbed from parts of The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean (note to action directors: undead skeleton armies are officially passe).

Although the battle scenes are what most moviegoers crave, that's no excuse for sloppy dialogue and poor acting. Why young newcomer Ford thinks a pseudo-Bronx accent peppered with his native Aussie cadences is what the son of a rich American and his educated English wife would sound like is rather misguided and continuously annoying. Fraser, meanwhile, who's proved that he's adept at more than a popcorn blockbuster, phones in a performance so blah that it's hard to believe his character was likable in the first two films. There's no doubt that this movie will attract young audiences desperate for more high-decibel, CGI-heavy violence, but it would've been so much better had this particular Mummy not been unearthed.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Rob Cohen
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release: July 31, 2008
DVD release: December 15, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: adventure action and violence.
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This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 
 

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What parents & educators say

11
Based on 6 parent & educator reviews:
  • 33% say violence is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

Smileyfacegirl123
kid, 12 years old
 
GO SEE IT. now
So good. Quite funny actually. A mans face melts off. BTW the yeti's are really cute and i want one

angelostar
kid, 12 years old
 
good action movie but not as good as the first two mummy movies.

jcpilot
parent of 10 and 13 year old
 
Not the best movie, but ok. for 10 and up.
The only concern I would consider is the violence and scary scenes. No bad language to speak of. As far as quality, nothing like the first two Mummy movies. Has gone down hill

AVTRlover1
kid, 11 years old
 
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Violent.

peace.luv.az
teen, 16 years old
 
Mummy Overkill
I am a huge fan of the Mummy films from the early 2000s, and those were well-made and wrapped up the story just fine. I loved the acting and characters. I don't think this movie should've been made. Sure, it's great to add onto a classic series, but not with a completely different cast with terrible acting ability. It has nothing to do with the previous films, and well, let's face it- the storyline sucks. There is random humor thrown in everywhere, the only of which is funny are Jonathan's lines. The script is just as bad as the acting. I think the film would've worked and be less of a corny spinoff if Rachel Weisz was still in it, but it's still a mummy overkill...this one should've stayed dead.

Madii
kid, 11 years old
 
I love it


kid, 12 years old
 
its fine for tweens
the 3rd was the best but it had to much violence and language for kids to see,


teen, 14 years old
 
its fine for tweens
the 3rd was the best but it had to much violence and language for kids to see,


kid, 11 years old
 
its fine for tweens
the 3rd was the best but it had to much violence and language for kids to see,

Ghost Rider Sky
kid, 12 years old
 
this film has mild language like a-s,b------d,and one h--l

prince of persia
teen, 15 years old
 
great for kid 12+

Plague
parent
 
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
A good movie for kids. As for myself, didnt like it all that much.

mumbai62
parent of 10 year old
 
perfect for kids and teens
i think it is good for kids and teens

Tsion
parent of 15 year old
 
Action-Packed, Funny, and Completely Enjoyable!
The only things keeping THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRANGON EMPORER from being a 5-star movie are the length of a couple sequences that run too long and a couple of parts that are just too implausible. Other than that, it is an awesome film. Now, I haven't seen the second MUMMY film (just this and the first), but I can say that this is probably the best in the franchise. A witty script, perfectly timed action, impeccable humor and acting, and pervasive edge-of-your seat suspense make this film perfectly enjoyable. However, it is very violent. The violence is almost constant, and, while most of it isn't graphic, some of it it. People disintegrate into mud while burning alive, a man explodes in a pool of blood while melting, and people and mummies alike are shot, stabbed, and blown to high heaven. Language is frequent but mild: "a*s", "d**n", "h*ll", and "SOB". There are a few playful, harmless sexual innuendos between a husband and wife.

mock30
teen, 14 years old
 
Good but its a little on the gory side with a mans face burnig until he looks like freddy krueger, some language though no f-word debutes and some drinking.

randonheaton
teen, 16 years old
 
gory but good
Great movies gory a bit drinking and bad language but a good movie

 
Not good!!
I think the first mistake they made was recasting the leading female. If for some reason the actress/actor who carried the roll in the first two movies can't or won't come back for a third....get rid of that character and introduce a new one. Death, divorce, whatever, but don't recast. We viewers aren't that dumb. Mind you, the actress is a great actress, so it's not her fault. Second, um, he wasn't even a mummy. Ok, it had it's violence, but if you saw the first two, it wouldn't be a surprise. Most of the special effects were very well done and always Jet Li is fantastic.

KIdX13
teen, 16 years old
 
Thankfuly, it's much beter than the second
This is a much better movie than the second one, has some isues though: 1. violence including guns, swords, and hand to hand combat, some blood, chacters killed. 2. sexual inuendo and kissing 3. LAnguage includes: Ba--ard, son of a B--ch, and H--l 4. drinking So this is a much better movie than the second one, (witch if you saw may god have mercy on your soul) o.k for teens

Jonah26
kid, 13 years old
 
i laghed
It had kissing it was vilonet

That Reviewing Kid
kid, 11 years old
 
A failure of epic proportions
Such a bad movie considering the other two were pretty reasonable.

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