Brendan Fraser’s Mummy tops EW.com’s list of the 14 movie franchises we think should stop. But do you agree?
My colleague Marc Vera, based in Rochester, says that every time he’s seen the trailer for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in theaters, the audience has seem psyched for the film. Gary Susman says that while he doesn’t care about this creaky franchise, he could be talked into seeing anything with Jet Li and/or Michelle Yeoh (pictured), both new additions in the third film. And our Box Office Preview estimates that it will open at No. 1, with a $51 million weekend, despite a nasty reception from critics. (Read Owen Gleiberman’s grade-C review.)
Are you ready for The Mummy franchise to end, or do you think it’s getting a bad rap? (I’m neutral. I didn’t need a third film, but I don’t begrudge them for making it.)
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I definitely want to see it. The absence of Rachel Weisz stinks but it looks like a solid action flick. Plus, as mentioned, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh both = EPIC WIN. Also, YETIS.
I don’t really want to see it, but my partner does, so I guess we’ll be going.
I will see it because I am a huge fan of the first Mummy…but I do think they should have stopped after the second one (or maybe after the first one since it just started to go downhill after that…)
The ads for the first Mummy tooled it up as a heavy CGI horror movie. I didn’t bother to read reviews or find out more. So when I discovered it was a Brendan Fraser movie (and a romantic comedy to boot), I was pretty disappointed.
The sequel was a yawner, though the Rock was fun to see in it and his lady was finer than fine china.
I won’t see the third one, but will give it to them. The Qing emperor’s tomb (the one with the terra cotta soldiers) has still not been excavated, leaving a lot of mystery surrounding what’s inside.
Add to that Jet “I was awesome in Fong Sai Yuk 2″ Lee and Michelle “I made a Pierce Brosnan Bond movie watchable” Yeoh are two of my favorite actors. PLUS, Yeoh did this awesome bikini spread in a video game magazine (!) a few years ago. My fellow fanboys, you gotta love an actress like that.
I could NOT be more neutral about this, which I think is a little worse than either being really excited or really angry.
Mostly I just think it’s bizarre that Brendan Frasier looks exactly the same as he did in the first one, but now he has a grown son who looks like his little bro.
Not ashamed to say yes, I do want to see this, and I did enjoy the other two plus The Scorpion King, a sort-of prequel. I like Brendan Fraser, I’ll miss Rachel Weisz, but I will definitely see it.
It’s a real summertime, nothing deep & serious, eye-candy (Fraser) popcorn movie. What’s not to like?
I think they could of not included mr frasier(maybe a cameo) and just his kid vs the mummy.
Am going to see it but paying matinee only. That means seeing it at 11 am
I just watched. No regrets! I had a great time, Brendan is gorgeous, Maria Bello did a great job, Jet Li is a bad emperor but Michelle Yeoh is awesome!
Here’s an actual conversation I had over AIM:
(somewhere in an alternate universe, in a city that doesn’t look all that much different from Hollywood, a director and his casting agent have a conversation)
“Universal just gave me a buttload of money to produce their next big summer blockbuster… Now I just need a big star. Who’s hot this summer?”
“Umm, Shia LaBeouf, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, Jack Black, and Harrison Ford are all available…”
“No, no… I want someone BIG! A born actor! I know! Get me that guy from Dudley Do-Right!”
“You mean Sarah Jessica Parker, sir?”
“No! I mean that guy that was in Monkeybones! Man I love that movie…”
It figures that so many people would say yes. The general public proves over and over what awful taste they have. See anything with The Rock, Martin Lawrence, the last 20 Eddie Murphy movies, the first Mummy movie, the second Mummy movie, etc. The funny thing is that TDK is successful *despite* its being a quality movie. People just love cartoon movies. In response to another commenter “what’s not to like”, let me offer this. Look at the way the public ignored one of the best movies ever, “No Country.” It had drama, suspense, action, outstanding dialogue, humor, near perfect acting performances, riveting character development, a great screenplay, and wonderful cinematography. What’s not to like there? The trailer wasn’t loud, obnoxious, replete with telegraphed mindless zingers or groin injuries so despite the buzz and critical acclaim, people didn’t even try it. sigh.
its a disgrace how many times i’ve seen the first two mummy movies. i’ll miss the original evie but will definitely see this one and probably any more they decide to make.
If i watch any move before Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 this summer it will be The Dark Knight again. . .sorry mummy!
I’m neutral, as well. I don’t really see the point, but I’m not upset there is another sequel, except fot the fact that Rachel Weisz isn’t in it. Despite this, I’m seeing it at the drive-in tonight. (Mostly though, I’m just going for the “Hellboy 2″ double feature.)
I going to go see it today. I liked the first two Mummy movies. They’ve always had that sort of cheesy feel to them, but they were always fun movies to watch and I do not expect any different from M3.
I watched the Mummy on Tuesday and sisterhood last night. The mummy needs to end. Michelle and Jet were the best thing in this movie.
I watched it at the local theater only ten minutes ago. I just don’t get the feeling that anybody in the production of this movie really cared about it. The acting alone made me cry, not for a good reason, the plot was simplistic and boring, and the dialogue was not what the two other movies were.
I’m quite certain that this will go down as a black mark on Brendan Fraser’s and Jet Li’s records.
I wish them the best of luck getting another contract, with a competent director.
Oh come on, it’s a solid summer popcorn franchise that translates into a perfect “eh, that didn’t suck, I’ll stop channel surfing here” cable franchise. No one involved is expecting an Oscar. It’s just good fun.
It’s a summer popcorn flick, not an Oscar shoe-in. No, it doesn’t have acting or a plot. Yes, it has lots of action. And yes, it will sell like hotcakes when it comes out on DVD.
Serious movies are DVD movies, like literary fiction or a dense history. You have to take them home and eat them with an aperitif, then do it again and at least one more time before you can sincerely say you’ve engaged with the material. Movie theaters are for escapist entertainment. I would NOT want to share my deep feelings and existential crises with a hundred-odd strangers in an insecure environment. That’s what church is for. As for Mummy3 in particular: I’ll wait for the rental, but I will rent it.
I LOVE the Mummy movies because they are so ridiculous, you don’t have to think about them and John Hannah is by FAR the greatest sidekick ever. And Brendan Fraser, as crazy as he might be in real life is terribly entertaining as Rick O’Connell. I didn’t need a third movie, but I’m sure happy they did. The Mummy never fails to entertain me. Totally seeing it this weekend.
Eh.
I’d rather see The Dark Knight a third time.
“The general public proves over and over what awful taste they have.”-Scott
Come on Scott, perhaps you should take a long hard look at your own taste. But, just to be fair, let’s take a moment and think about it. So, if a movie is loved by millions so much that it makes a ton of money…does that make it a good movie? Or…and I’m only saying this to be fair, maybe the masses are all wrong, simple minded twits really who don’t have the good fortune of being Scott who has true taste in movies. Yep, that’s probably the way it is.
Not. I prefer the simple truth of it, movies are meant to be fun. An escape from reality for a brief moment, a chance to forget your own woes and troubles as you immerse yourself in something larger than life. They make you laugh, cry, scare you silly, and give you an excuse to put your arm around someone you love. Enjoy life, it’s there for the taking.
It’s the writing, not the “franchise”, that is either good or not. Look what brilliance has come from the Batman “franchise” long after Joel Schumacher’s touch of death murdered it for good only a few years back. A good story well told, and a rousing action flick that’s fun, is perfectly fine, so drop all the pretense about good taste and just keep reminding yourself: IT’S ONLY A MOVIE.
Can’t stop my kids begging me to see the Mummy movie. Ordered the ticket at Fandango which has a promotion for buy one get one free. We are ready to see it tomorrow. You can get the Buy one and get one free movie ticket using your your Discover Card at http://www.fandango.com/promo/discovercard
I agree with your sentiment, unlike most who have responded here. Just because the film will make a profit doesn’t mean its a good movie, even by blockbuster or escapist standards. A lot of people who see it will do so because there is nothing else to see, or because it is the only familiar name on the marquee. There are plenty of examples of *good* blockbusters, which fit this category of harmless entertainment.
I agree with Jackie, I didn’t need one, but I’m glad it’s there. But I will have to get my Oded Fehr and Arnold Vosloo fixes elsewhere.
i happen to love the mummy franchise and couldn’t wait to see this new addition. i didn’t like scorpion king but that didn’t stop me from buying the boxed set. we could have done without this last edition but i still loved it. mummys are great and this franchise makes them likeable!
For the person that wrote this article. It really bothers me that there is no longer an editor looking over statements before they go out on the web~ I do not have a high level of education, but how is the following statement correct?
… ‘the audience has seem psyched for the film’~ if journalists are messing up and putting in words like ’seem’ instead of ’seemed’ what other information are we missing when it comes to the larger articles? I have seen this quite a few times recently…so for the person who is writing these without an editor, please have someone else read your work before you publish it because your readers might be young people who are learning about correct sentence structure and it is advisable that you make this look as professional as possible.
To be honest, I kinda did wanted to see the movie. I liked both first movies, and I like Jet Li. I really thought it was going to be at least decent. My God, I wanted to leave the theater, but my friend (which has very tacky and stupid taste) wanted to stay. Seriously, this franchise either needs to find good writers or it should just stop. I think Brendan Frasier did it only for the money. There is a reason why the original (the wife, can’t remember the name) didn’t want to appear in this movie. I recommend you avoid this movie like the plague. It got a lot of money during the weekend but that’s because people like me thought it was going to be good. IT IS NOT. I want my money back. Stupidest movie I have seen in years.