They wriggled their ways into the movie history with their exciting sequels and their comical comebacks and wisecracks. Now the only question that puzzles us is which movie was better?
In the new movie, The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Emperor Dragon, actor Brendan Fraser and cast mates, made the movie a success by rising to the top in box office stardom and grossed a total of $ 15.3 million dollars on August 1st and decreasing by four percent the next night. However Christian Bale's Dark Night sensation had people cheering for Batman which resulted in the movie knocking The Mummy 3 out of the way with $ 43.8 million dollars on its opening night, July 18th.
In the third installment, it opens in ancient China where it is ruled by Emperor Han who is played by martial arts superstar, Jet Li. Han falls in love with a woman (Michelle Yeoh) who was sent to find the potion for immortal life and she in turn falls in love with Han's general. For his betrayal, Han sentences him to death. The woman puts a curse on Han and his army for all eternity and he will only be resurrected if he is awakened. Years later O' Connell, who is played by the star of all three movies Brendan Fraser and his wife, Evy O' Connell (Maria Bello), unite with their son, Alex, and Evy's brother Jonathan to battle more mummies.
The disappointing thing that viewers found was that Rachel Weiz did not return to play her legendary character Evy O' Connell once again alongside her on-screen love Fraser, but was replaced by Bello who claimed that the "Original Evy" was too brainy and had less action skills and that the "New Evy" was a lot better at her martial arts skills and her shooting skills. The good thing was actor Jet Li, who is known for his roles in Unleashed and Fearless which he directed and starred in. With the help of new cast members and a new plot line there was no way that the new mummy could be a complete waste of time.
The same could not be said for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull unfortunately. The 60 year old actor Harrison Ford tried his best to bring back the adventure and thrill we would all get out of the movies but it just made it all the more reason to want to write a letter to Ford telling him to retire from acting completely.
Ford returned as the adventurer/ professor who was told to take a leave of absence from his job and is involved once again in an adventure and mystery when a young man named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) requests the skills of Indiana Jones. Along their adventure, Ford teams up with former love, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) who informs Indy that he is Mutt's father and his real name is Henry Jones the third. Besides searching for crystal skulls, Jones must also avoid the clutches of Soviet Nazi spy Iriana Spalko (Cate Blanchett). All the actors were in their sixties and forties and all looked as though they were in pain when it came down to the fight scenes which in defense were half decent. Being the only young actor, LaBeouf didn't really have a young lady love or even an enemy close enough to his age to make stunts more exciting. However, Indiana Jones succeeded in its search for a box office slot. The movie managed to beat Iron Man and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End by a total of $ 100 million dollars from opening weekend which was Friday to Monday night.
In the end it all dwindles down to the fact that The Mummy 3 had a better cast, better action sequences, and better special effects, all of which made it more exciting for younger kids who would enjoy seeing giant Yeti's and shape shifting dragon emperors. Indiana Jones didn't really use that much special effects and their cast really couldn't do as much as a thirty year old or twenty year old could do. The Mummy 3 had a better amount of weapons and Indiana Jones had Indy relying on his worn out whip and his aged pistol. Indiana Jones also kept bringing back elements and artifacts of the past whereas The Mummy 3 had asurprise at every turn.
Indiana Jones had some exciting parts and had people excited to see the old fedora hat and the worn whip that had got Indy out of sticky situations but in the end we all see that The Mummy always managed to keep you wondering what happened to the O' Connell's over the years and when did young Alex O' Connell grow up and how many years had gone by which is lesson and message that the director of The Mummy 3 was trying to pass down which is keep your viewers intrigued and wonder.
