The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

For this dreary sequel, Dragonheart director Rob Cohen replaces Stephen Sommers and edges out cheerful extravagance in favor of joyless efficiency. In the film’s prologue, Emperor Han (Jet Li) seeks out witch Zi Juan (Michelle Yeoh) to help him conquer death. Instead, Zi curses Han. Cut to 1946: Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn O’Connell (Maria Bello, subbing for a now-too-respectable Rachel Weisz) are suffocating in their adventureless Oxfordshire life. Meanwhile, son Alex (Luke Ford) has run off to China, where he discovers the, uh, tomb of the dragon emperor. Rick and Evelyn must then find their estranged son and save the world. Fraser seems tired.