The story began with a ruthless Chinese emperor in his quest to rule over earth by conquering enemies and enslaving them into building the Great Wall. Seeking for immortality, the Dragon Emperor consults a known sorcerer who happened to know the whereabouts of what could have given him immortality. But instead of being immortal, the deceived sorceress double-crossed him by binding him and his army into terracotta warriors.

Thousands of years later, a Chinese General is in search for resurrecting the Dragon Emperor for whatever purpose he may have teamed-up with a group of archeologist and was successful to find the emperor’s tomb. The general was successful in resurrecting the emperor and are now seeking for the heart of Shangri La which would restore him to his human form and give him the ability to transform into the most vicious of creatures.

Having regained his power, the Dragon Emperor raised his army to continue his quest to conquer the earth but with the help of the sorceress the enslaved warriors rise from their graves and the battle between the good and evil took place.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Emperor can only be stopped by piercing his heart with a cursed dagger.

Watch the full movie The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor from youku.com

Had I not learned that this sequel would have an element of Chinese legend, I wouldn’t so much desire to watch the movie. Though I was afraid that I would be as much disappointed as I had been with Kill Bill 2, having Michelle Yeoh in the cast is enough bait to continue (after all, I will just be watching it on the internet for free). But now I’m glad that I did.

Yeoh is the perfect cast for any Chinese character in a foreign movie. I am compelled to believe that she had actually drank water from the Heart of Shangri La for she never seem to have lost her youth. Maria Bello who played the new Evelyn seemed more fitted for a villain character (notice the resemblance with Pilar Pilapil as Valentina?). When I commented in the House on a Hill that I hate Jet Li as an actor, I believe I was talking about him as a protagonist character instead of a villain. He’s a fine villain but I think Anthony Wong would have made a better Dragon Emperor.

I was expecting more Kung Fu fighting but then I realized this is The Mummy movie and not The Forbidden Kingdom. 4 out of 5 Hopia goes to this movie!

Related Reading:

• Terracotta Army
• Great Wall of China
• Shangri-La
• Lost Horizon