Movie review - Up

Up is a great movie, with great animation and story, plus, it's very funny. What else would you expect from Pixar? They keep their perfect record here with one of their best movie to date. It is rating PG in many countries, probably because it deals with losing a loved one near the beginning and some dogs that are, well, bad dogs... Grrrr! Nothing really frightening, but very young kids may be in search of comfort on a few occasions.

Most of the movie is quite funny for the whole family. The theatre I was in, at Montreal's AMC, was packed and there was a lot of kids. But they didn't bother me during the movie, as I rarely heard them. That's a good indication that they must have been captivated by the movie. Of course, since there is a 3D version of this movie, that's the one I saw. It's well done and not too much "in your face", as some other movies are. It gives it depth, rather then throw stuff at you. I think as movies matures in their use of 3D, this will become the norm. If you can't see it in 3D, or don't want to, I'm sure it will be as enjoyable in 2D.

The story is that of Carl, a boy who dreams of adventures and who meets a girl, Ellie, with the same dreams who becomes friend with him and who he later get married to. They always want to get to live a big adventure, but life doesn't always let you do these thing, when you become responsible adults. As they grow old, the adventure seems less likely to happen. When his wife dies, Carl is alone and old. One day, something happens and he gets to live his adventure, for himself and in memory of Ellie. The way it happens is absolutely unreal, but this being an animated movie, we can forgive that little detail. As it can be seen in the trailer, Carl attaches a lot of helium-filled balloons to his house, which then simply floats away.

So get the whole family and go see Up, in 2 or 3D. Everyone will find something fun in it.

All the previews before the movie are in 3D (I assume they show the 2D versions with the 2D version of Up...) and shows that this is more then just a trend. As movies gets competition from big screens TV and surround-sound systems at home, movie studios must find a way to keep people going to movie theatres. 3D is one way to do this. Expects more movies to be in 3D in the near future. One of the preview was a teaser for Toy Story 3, opening Summer 2010.

Finally, as it is the tradition with Pixar movies, we get a short film before the main feature. Also in 3D, Partly Cloudy is a fun animation which answer the question "where do storks get the babies they deliver from anyway?". Very funny as well.

Movie review - Terminator Salvation

I saw T4, AKA, Terminator Salvation last week and I did enjoy it a lot. I saw it at Cinéma Banque Scotia (formerly The Paramount) in theatre 4, which is one of their "smaller" room (it's still big enough, mind you), but selected it because it was a DLP projection. Digital means no scratches, lines, pops and other annoying defects. Purists will say old film is still the best, but I am a digital man...

As a tag line say "it happened". Judgment Day, that is. No time travel in this story, we are in the middle of the war, launched by Skynet. So I was expecting an action movie with lots of explosions, shooting, chases, killer robots and much mayhem. Instead, I got a lovely family story reflecting on the aftermath of global warming on the North Pole. NOT! I got exactly what I was expecting. Lots of action. The story was good enough for this type of movie, but it does have a few holes. But that's not what I was thinking while I was watching, so I don't mind.

One thing that spoiled it a little for me, was knowing in advance a plot element about one of the character, which should have been a surprise, but was revealed before the movie got out. I think it was in the trailer, actually. But that was not enough to completely spoil it. Just a little.

John Connor, played by Christian Bale, is of course a key element in the story, but we also follow other characters throughout the movie. The most important character is probably Marcus Wright, played by Sam Worthington. While the original actors were not really in this movie, there are two "cameos" from T2's characters...

If you are a Terminator fan, do go see this movie. While it didn't get as much praise as another recent SciFi movie, it certainly is worth seeing on the big screen. Personally, the order in which I would put the four movies, starting with the one I like best is: T2, T1, T4, T3.

Last thing I want to mention is that one of the trailer in front of this movie was Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis. What surprised me most about it was that this movie is coming out this year, filming is obviously well under way, but this is the first I heard of it! Looks interesting.

Movie review - Star Trek

A classic franchise is reborn. Star Trek, from director J.J. Abrams is different from the ones that came before it, as well as the series it is based on, while still remaining true to what Star Trek is. As you probably already know, it's the origin story of the Starship Enterprise NCC 1701 (no freaking A, B, C or D!). We learn how Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov became the crew we all love and respect. Of course, they are younger version from the ones we saw in the original series, but the cast was very well chosen and are very credible and you accept them quickly as their respective characters. I was a bit worried that I would see Sylar instead of Spock, but Zachary Quinto absolutely gets into character and made me forget his previous famous role.

The story is excellent, there's lots of action and humour, the special effects are amazing (thank-you ILM!) and the Imax version I saw is stunning. I can't imagine there won't be a sequel with the same actors and production team, which I'm looking forward to. :-) Knowing the characters is a plus, to get some of the jokes and understanding some references, but even if you are not familiar with the 1960's TV series version, you should see this movie, as an introduction to this universe. At least if you are a Science-Fiction fan.

I will likely go see this movie again, as I really loved it. And for once, IMDB and Cinema Montreal, as well as Twitter and other blog sources, seems to be in agreement that this movie rocks! At least half of the spectators of the sold-out Imax theatre I was in stayed with me until the very end, hoping for a last scene, but such was not the case. :-( Needless to say, I highly recommend this movie to all Sci-Fi fans.

Movie review - Crank: High Voltage

AKA Crank 2, AKA Crank 2: High Voltage, this is the second Crank movie, starring Jason Statham as the nearly immortal Chev Chelios. The first one was pretty crazy and this one is even more insane. This is not a family movie, because of, well, everything. I really liked this movie and I'm looking forward to another one, which I'm pretty sure will materialize. It also stars Amy Smart, Bai Ling, Dwight Yoakam and many others, including a few surprise cameos. Also, there are bloopers all throughout the closing credits, so stay until they kick you out.

There's action, outrageous situations, lots of humour, gratuitous scenes, violence and just plain silly fun. In the first movie, Chelios was injected with a poison and had to keep his adrenaline up to stay alive (think Speed, but replace the bus with a human being!). This time, his heart gets stolen and is replaced with a temporary artificial one. This mechanical heart is not meant for the type of activities Chelios needs to take part of in order to recover his own super-heart. So, of course, he needs to deliver frequent jolts of electricity to his artificial heart to keep it beating. Since the heart is inside of him, the electricity must goes through him. He gets very creative in the different type of ways he gets his needed power intakes, including static electricity, which he gets through, well, friction...

Seeing the first movie is not mandatory, but is recommended. If you are prude or easily offended, go see something else (Earth is really squeaky clean), but if you're like me and enjoy raunchy humour, go see it already!

Movie review - Earth

Earth is a big change of pace from the comedies and action movies I usually see. It's a documentary staring the natural beauties of our planet. It does feature amazing landscapes from around the world and is a joy to just watch. But, it does come with very good narration. The "American" version I saw is with James Earl Jones and is well done. The English one is with Patrick Stewart. I wonder if both will be available on the DVD.

Besides the plants, trees, water, ice and snow, there are lots of animals too. We follow the migration of a few families in particular, as well as many other random ones. Nature is a hard world to live in and we do get a sense of this, although it never gets bloody. Scenes of predators catching their prey usually cuts before it gets too graphic. There were lots of kids in the theatre and I don't think any of them were traumatized... I didn't notice any parent having to take their kid's out of the room, at the very least.

There is a message in the movie, regarding global warming, but it's rather subtle. It doesn't try to explain why it's happening or what should be done about it. They just state the fact that it's a big problem for bears and other animals that the ice at the poles is thinning, there is less of it surface-wise and it's happening for longer period of times.

The planet is changing, but life goes on. I went to see this movie for it's beautiful looks and I did get that. And seeing it on a big screen does amplify this, so I suggest you go see it in this format as well.

Isaac Asimov's Foundation to become a movie.

Zap2It announced today that the popular Foundation stories will be adapted for the big screen. I'm a big fan of Asimov and the Foundation series was very good. So I'm both intrigued and worried. There's no way to tell the whole story in one movie. No mention of a series of movies, but I suppose that could still happen.

At best, it will be inspired by the main story arc, the idea and goal of the Foundation. Perhaps both of them. That's what happened with I, Robot. While I still liked the later, it was not an Asimov story. There was a reason why he wouldn't let people make movies out of his books. But he is sadly no longer with us to defend his brilliant ideas.

Of course, unless the trailer really stinks, I will most likely go see this movie the day it comes out. I'm just like that. The announcement was mainly to address the fact that there is a director attached to the movie, Roland Emmerich. I like some of his movies, others were so-so and some, I didn't bother seeing. Let's hope this will be a good one.

Foundation has a release year of 2011 on IMDb, but there are no other details yet, so I may be linking to the wrong page... They claim to have more details in the Pro section. Maybe I'll sign-up for it one day.

Movie review - Quantum of Solace

For my 100th blog entry, using Blogger, I will be reviewing a movie I saw exactly a month ago. Why do I procrastinate so much? At least I'm much more up to date on my Twitter updates, as they are short burst of on the moment happenings...

Quantum of Solace is a worthy sequel, or rather continuation, of Casino Royale. The action starts minutes after the end of the last Bond movie. We get to see some of the same characters, as well as new ones, both good and bad guys/gals. Part of Bond's motivation is based on revenge, even though he denies it. Bond, M, Felix and Mathis are back (Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright and Giancarlo Giannini) and some of the new ones are Camille, Dominic Greene and Strawberry Fields (Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric and Gemma Arterton).

Once again, we are treated to fast action, chases, Bond girls, shootouts, torture and other spy stuff. There's another foot chase similar to the one at the beginning of CR, but not quite as intense. I liked QoS very much, but not quite as much as CR, I think, possibly because is wasn't as "new" this time around. But if you also liked CR, I'm sure you would like QoS as well.

Craig is again doing a great job as Bond and I hope he will be returning for many more. One thing that is missing is Q and his gadgets. I know I'm not the only one who thinks that and I hear they should be returning on the next movie. Lets hope so. I also hope they will get John Cleese to play the character again, who took over for Desmond Llewelyn on his last appereance as Q in The World is not Enough. Even though Cleese played R, Q's assistant, he became Q for one movie, Die Another Day.

I'm a Bond fan, so I'm always looking forward for more movies and I hope to see many more in my lifetime. James Bond FTW!

Movie review - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

I like to move it! You know you're watching a Madagascar movie when it opens with this song... It was in the first one, it's in this sequel and I bet it will be in the third one (already in the work, for a 2011 release). Actually, make sure you pay attention to the very beginning when you see the boy sitting on the crescent Moon for the first laugh...

I saw Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in it's Imax version. No 3D, but still gorgeous to watch. It still has the same look as the first one and stars the same voices for the main characters; Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter, as well as new characters from Bernie Mac and Alec Baldwin.

The plot revolves around the fact that our heroes, if they can be called that, wants to go back home, in New York (if you don't understand this, see the first movie, then come back). But due to an airplane's "premature landing", they end up in a totally foreign land called Africa. They soon figure out that this place just might be their real home, from all the animals they meet that just happens to be the same species as they are.

I really liked this movie, which was very funny and a worthy sequel. Being in a different environment helped the story to have lots of new elements, while still bringing back a few familiar ones. The psycho penguins are back for more mischief, of course, as are a couple of lemurs... All the returning main characters can be seen in the trailer, if I remember well.

Unlike the last few movies I reviewed, this one is for the whole family, although it is rated PG for "some mild crude humour", so parents should keep that in mind.

Movie review - Max Payne

I saw Max Payne a month ago, but I'm a little behind, again, in my blog reviews... In a race to catch up once more!

I never played the game this movie is based on, so I can't compare the two. I can only comment on the movie itself for what it is. That would be an action movie, with revenge in mind and a lot of violence along the way. Hm, that does sounds like a game! The main character is played by Mark Wahlberg and was key in getting me to go see this movie. I've liked Wahlberg since I saw him in The Big Hit and he made me buy a few more movie tickets since. This movie is perfect for his style of acting (sorry for the type-casting, Mark!).

The plot is not very original, but it works. A cop who's family was killed seeks revenge and hunts down the people responsible for their death. He has to find them first and in his quest will make allies and enemies. Many bullets will be used during this story, as well as other weapons. Did I mention this was a violent movie? OK, just checking.

The movie also stars Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell, Ludacris, Mila Kunis and Olga Kurylenko (one of the newest Bond Girl in Quantum Of Solace), to name a few. It's not a great movie, but it's fun if you like action, which this movie does have quite a bit of.

Oh, if your the type that leaves the theatre when the credit starts rolling, you don't get to see the whole movie. There is a short scene at the very end. No, it doesn't star Nick Fury, but I bet they're hinting at a sequel...

Upcoming movie - Star Trek

Like most geeks, I'm very excited about the new Star Trek movie, coming out in May 2009. A new trailer came out just a few days ago and we now have a better idea what it's going to be like, most likely. We do have to keep in mind that trailers can lie. But I hope this one is more honest, because I liked it a lot. Lots of action in this one, but hopefully there is plenty left for the movie itself. It is being directed by the talented J.J. Abrams. I believe this is the first time he is involved in a project which is already a huge franchise, so let's hope he doesn't mess this up!

One thing that may take a while to adjust to is seeing Sylar playing Spock. By this I mean that Zachary Quinto, who plays Sylar on TV's Heroes will be taking on the role of Spock in this younger version of the original character. In case you didn't already know, the story is with the original characters, when they were just starting their new Star Fleet careers at the Academy. Other well known actors are Simon Pegg as Scotty, Eric Bana as Nero, Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson and Leonard Nimoy as "Old Spock". I'm not familiar with the other actors, but that shouldn't be a problem...

I don't know about you, but I know where I'm going to be on May 8, 2009!

Movie review - How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is the latest comedy starring Simon Pegg, as well as Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges and Thandie Newton (as herself!). Pegg is back with his usual British humour, which I happen to like. He plays a British magazine writer who gets a shot at writing for a big New-York magazine and a chance at the big live and a prestigious career, rubbing elbows with movie stars and other celebrities. Problem is, he's a bit rude and doesn't quite follow the rules, which puts a break to his aspirations. Until he decides to give the rules a chance.

Along the way he will meet two women who will change his life. One is a co-worker (Dunst) who helps him out with his new career and whom he doesn't fancy much, the other his a movie star (Fox) he very much desire. He will get to be with the star, but do you suppose he may end up with someone else?

I found the story interesting and very funny. Pegg is as charming as usual, in his own kind of way and the other actors & actresses do a very good job as well. It last almost two hours and is rated R in the U.S., 13+ in Quebec, for many good reasons...

Movie review; Eagle Eye

I saw Eagle Eye in glorious Imax, which is usually an added interest to movies, particularly when it has nice special effects and action scenes. Eagle Eye certainly have those two elements. And the story is not bad either. The main theme of this movie deals with the ultimate Big Brother figure. The two main characters, played by Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan, are chosen for a mission assigned to them by a mysterious group that can follow them everywhere and always can figure out a way to talk to them, using diverse technologies that surrounds them, such as surveillance cameras, cell phones, electronic billboards and much more. The reason why they are chosen and also why they have to do what they are asked to do is revealed slowly during the first part of the movie.

Once we learn the identity of the Big Brother group and even why they are giving specific orders to our two protagonists, the story still continues, with more details and reasons being revealed still. Other important characters are played by Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie and Michael Chiklis.

The end is somewhat predictable and a little ordinary, but I found the story interesting enough to find myself wanting to know more and got a few surprises along the way. I guess it makes you think about where technology is possibly taking us and makes you ask yourself "what if they could do these things?" or perhaps "how much of this can they already do?".

The movie has good visuals, nice action scenes and plenty of stunts. A nice pop-corn movie, I would say! PG 13 for violence and language. Shia LaBeouf is climbing his way to the top of the action stars domain and this movie is another good step for him.

Movie review; Step Brothers

It took me a while before I decided to go see Step Brothers. I'm not sure why, because it looked like something I would like. I like Will Ferrell and the trailer was funny, so it looked like a safe bet. But it seemed there was always something that I wanted to see first. But I finally did and it was worth the wait! I had a lot of fun watching this movie and I laughed a lot. You do have to take into consideration that this is a movie that is anything but politically correct, just in case you are are easily offended and don't like that feeling. Because this is a comedy, I didn't have issues with that aspect of the movie.

As the title indicates, this is the story of two step brothers, who get in this situation when they are fully grown adults. Like, 39-40 years old. But they both still are living at home with a parent and not even considering the maturity aspect of their live. The other step brother is played by John C. Reilly and is a perfect match to Ferrell's type of comedy. Living together is very hard at first, but eventually turns into a good friendship, before turning bad when their parent gets a divorce, but then by the end, things starts getting better once again. The parents are played by Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins.

Most of the movie is around the immaturity of both main characters, separately as well as together. You can easily deduct this from the trailer, but it gets worst. You generally want the trailer to be "G", so that you can air it anytime during the day. Not the "R" it got in the U.S. or even the 13+ it got here in the Quebec province (I guess we get our maturity faster!).

If you like Ferrell and/or Reilly type of comedy, you will enjoy this movie like I did. If you can't stand immature comedy, then obviously, go see something else... ;-) Fortunately for me, my taste in comedy is quite diversified.

Movie review; Burn After Reading

When I saw the trailer for Burn After Reading, it seemed like this would be a fun movie to watch. And it was! Very funny, from beginning to end. It is written & directed by the Coen brothers, Ethan & Joel, has a very good story and a great cast. The main characters are played by Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Richard Jenkins, as well as J.K. Simmons and David Rasche in smaller but very funny roles.

The humour is often a little dark, mixed with violence, but I found it very funny and laughed out loud several times and particularly in the last scene. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that ended with everyone in the theatre laughing so much during the last few minutes.

The basis of the story is that a gym employee (Pitt) gets his hands on a CD that contains documents from a CIA agent and decides to blackmail him, although he only sees it as a normal reward that is due to him and his partner (McDormand) in the transaction that will possibly follow. The CIA agent (Malkovich) sees it as pure blackmail and doesn't like it at all. What follows are misunderstandings, drama, back-stabbing, fights, conversations and of course, comedy.

The trailer is a good indication of what this movie is about, but unlike some other movies, there is still a lot of situations & jokes that are not revealed, so there is a lot of surprises to be seen. Once again, leave the kids at home and rent them a Disney movie while you watch this one.

Movie review; Bangkok Danderous

Basically, Bangkok Dangerous is an Asian movie starring an American, Joe, played by Nicolas Cage. It is actually a remake of an all-Asian movie from 1999, which I didn't see. Joe is an hired assassin and about to retire, after "one last job". We know how this usually end, don't we? I expected more from this movie, although I don't think it's as bad as many seems to think it is.

Things starts right for Joe, but unexpected events starts messing up his plans after he starts getting "soft", relatively speaking. He finds a girl he likes and takes a local guy he hired under his wing. The problem is, he's breaking his own rules. Maybe it was caused by his dreams of retiring?

There's a few good action scenes and the story is not bad. A bit of humour and a bit more violence. I can't really recommend this movie for most people, so you may want to wait and rent it when it comes out on DVD...

Movie review; Babylon A.D.

Babylon A.D. takes place in a not too distant future, where a mercenary gets a special job, which consist in delivering a package in the U.S. What is special about this is that the package is a young and mysterious girl. The story is somewhat average and the ending is kinda missing. I'm just not sure if I don't get it or if there is nothing to get.

On the positive side, there is a lot of action in this movie, along with decent special effects. It stars Vin Diesel in his usual tough guy type of character, along with Mélanie Thierry as the girl he needs to bring in the U.S. and Michelle Yeoh as her protector and mentor. So you can expect fights, chases, guns and many explosions along the way.

It definitely has a style of it's own and lots of potential. Too bad it doesn't quite reach it's full potential... It may not be a revolutionary sci-fi movie, but it's an entertaining action flick. As you probably guessed by now, there is a lot of violence, so leave the kids with the babysitter.

Movie review; The House Bunny

Once upon an evening, I was in the mood for a sexy light comedy. Oddly enough The House Bunny had just been released! It's the story of a House Bunny (a girl that lives in the Playboy Mansion) who gets kicked out and realize she doesn't know much about the "real life". Many scenes are at the real Playboy Mansion, I believe. The real Hugh Hefner is in the movie, with some of his real life "girlfriends", that part I'm pretty sure. What attracted me the most to this movie is the star, cute and funny girl Anna Faris, who was in all the Scary Movie movies, amongst other things.

It's not the funniest movie ever, or even of the summer, but it has many funny scenes. It also has a morale, I guess, but that's not the most important point of this type of movie, I would say.

Despite it's subject, it's more a PG movie then an adult one. You'll see sexy girls, but that's as far as it goes, in case you were looking for something else... So, a cute movie, with it's moments, but not much more. Not the type of movie that needs to be seen on the big screen, although I didn't regret doing so.

Movie review; Tropic Thunder

I usually never go see war movies, unless it's Sci-Fi or a comedy. Tropic Thunder definitely falls in the later category. Very funny movie, starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black & Robert Downey Jr. Three different actors, but they work great together. Nick Nolte, Brandon T. Jackson and Jay Baruchel also have a strong presence and Tom Cruise has a fairly short role, but it's much more then a cameo. Talking of cameos, there are many short ones in this movie, so don't blink!

I laughed a lot during this movie. It's about actors that are sent in a jungle to experience more realistic conditions of war, so they can better understand their roles. Of course, they get stuck in a much more real war then they intended. It's a movie within a movie type of scenario at the begining, but 'their' movie is no longer going on, until the end of 'our' movie, but they think they are, at least most of them... Did I lose you? Many very funny situations, some of them a bit controversial in real life, but let's face it: Who would expect a politically correct story from this?

Regarding Tom Cruise, you have never seen him like this, I guarantee you that! Actually, with the heavy makeup, he's hardly recognizable. If I didn't knew he was playing that character, I just might have not noticed he was in the movie until I would have seen his name in the credits.

There is some violence, but mostly in a humourous way, of course, strong language and mature subjects. Not a family movie, you have been warned. But if you are mature (at least legally), like to laugh and haven't seen it yet, I think you will enjoy Tropic Thunder.

Movie review; Star Wars: The Clone Wars

There wasn't supposed to be anymore big screen Star Wars movies, but I guess that didn't include animation films... But don't be mistaken, this is a Star Wars films, including major characters, story continuity and look. Most voices are from different actors then from the movies, except for Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels and Christopher Lee.

If you saw the first Clone Wars cartoon from a few years ago, you will be in familiar territory. There's a unique style to the characters' look, which is quite interesting, but I found that the animation was a little rough sometimes, not as smooth as it could have been. But that wasn't enough to spoil it for me. I liked this movie, with it's story and style. It's funny, fits perfectly in the Star Wars theme and we get to discover new characters. Possibly because it's a cartoon, the tone is much lighter then the movies in this time period, despite the fact that they're in a war.

If you didn't know, there is two TV series coming based on Star Wars. One will be live action and one will be a cartoon. The Clone Wars is basically the pilot for the cartoon one, but they will probably be able to finance the series with this big screen version. I don't think Marketing ever sleep at Lucasfilm...!

I don't know why people don't seem to like this movie. Maybe they were expecting too much from a cartoon. Maybe I'm not normal. Maybe a little bit of both. I don't care. Your loss. :-P

Movie review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is the third "The Mummy" movie starring Brendan Fraser. While the first two took place where you would expect to find mummy's, this one takes place in China. Some will take issues with this, but I don't. Living-dead creatures don't actually exist, after all. Right??? ;-)

Has it was said before by Rick O'Connell, our hero and again this time, "Here we go again!". Bringing the story to China was one way of making something old new again. Somewhat. I wouldn't call it entirely new, but it does bring new elements to the story, between battles with decayed walking corps. It also brings Jet Li as the Dragon Emperor and Michelle Yeoh as Zi Juan, a witch who once magically imprisoned the Emperor and, due to a certain digging expedition, will need to do deal with him again. But this time, he must be killed, so he can't come back again. I won't tell you if this succeed, as I do not want to insult your intelligence...

Evelyn O’Connell is back as Rick's wife, but is played by Maria Bello this time around. I guess Rachel Weisz was not interested in another easy blockbuster movie. On the other hand, John Hannah is back as Jonathan Carnahan, who happens to have moved to China to get away from those darn mummy's... New to the main cast is Luke Ford, as Alex O'Connell (Rick's son) and Isabella Leong, as Lin (Zi Juan's daughter). Both kids are following their parent's path in live, respectively.

I liked the movie for what it is, a fun summer ride with great special effects (while not always perfect) and a comical undertone. As can be seen in the trailer, there is a lot of mummy's to be seen, as well as a few Yetis. If this movies makes enough money, then there could be a fourth one coming, but I think it may be a good idea to keep it as a trilogy, before they start to spread this franchise too thin... We'll see.