Thanks Denizen! We've been waiting for it to come here to go check it out

Peter Jackson goes Mad Max with cities on wheels.

Yup. Saw it while I went to see Last Jedi. Now if Jackson could just get up off his rear and make Tintin 2!!!

YESSS! I want to see Tintin 2 so badly!

Now that you mention it, I'm indeed wondering when it's coming. It's been six years now. Last update dates from May 30 this year and current status is unknown though.

Anyway, this one looks nice too.

X-Men: First Class. About the only one that I haven't seen yet. A solid origins story about the first class of Professor X's Mutant School and the beginning of his rivalry friendship with Magneto set against the background of the Cuban Missile Crisis starring a well known cast: James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender including Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Lucas Till, Oliver Platt and Michael Ironside in supporting roles. While this is officially the fourth X-Men movie, it actually is the first chronologically. The movie was very entertaining but on a downside is that the Blu-ray dvd messed up a couple of times. It had a skipping moment in Magneto's attack on a Russian hideout and at the very end and during the end credits it also happened again. Real shame because the movie was very good. I give the movie and story 4 well deserved stars. I just hope the other movies work out because I bought these some time ago.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The spin-off of the X-Men movies centering around Wolverine. This is actually the fourth X-Men and not First Class as I said earlier but since it's a spin-off, it's actually the first of a new franchise but is the fourth movie made and... jeez continuity. Anyway the movie focuses on Wolverine's origins. As a 12-something year old child in 1844, James Logan discovers his claws coming out for the first time and attacks his mother's lover. On the run with his older brother Victor Creed they fight in the American Civil War, World War I & II and the Vietnam war. Through the years Victor becomes more and more aggressive while Logan has had it with all the violence and retreats to the Canadian mountains to live peacefully in a cabin with his girlfriend Kayla. Victor feels betrayed and begins killing everyone around Logan. Logan participates in an experiment that will give him his infamous shiny claws but breaks out when he finds out what the real plan is. Set out for revenge, Logan continues his search for his older brother in order to kill him and his search leads to Three Mile Island where more mutants are held captive to be experimented on.

In all a not so bad movie but the reception was mixed and also Hugh Jackman himself was disappointed with the movie. He said it didn't do Wolverine justice and somewhere he was right maybe. Also Ryan Reynolds wasn't happy with the way Deadpool was presented. Despite it's shortcomings I could enjoy the movie. 3 stars.

X-Men and X-Men 2: X-Men United.

X-Men. The original first live action movie about Professor X's superhero team. This movie starts with the same scene as First Class for which it was remade. It's 1944 and a young Magneto is on his way to the concentration camps and gets seperated from his parents. In his panic, his mutation takes form and bends the gate of the camp. The movie jumps forward to a not so distant future where Rogue discovers her mutation and nearly kills her boyfriend in the process. In her panic she runs away from home and meets Wolverine. Reluctantly he gives her a ride and are attacked by Magneto's henchman Sabretooth. Rescued by Storm and Cyclops, Rogue and Wolverine are taken to Professor X's mansion that now is a school for mutants. Professor X is convinced his one time friend Magneto plans to take over the world since mutants are mostly not liked by mankind and fears they might suffer the same fate as he nearly did in World War II. Magneto sets up a trap in order to kidnap Rogue and use her powers to power his machine to mutate the powers of several other mutants in New York. It's up to Wolverine, Storm, Grey and Cyclops to save the world.

Comic book adaptations is something I always had difficulties with, especially with first ones. Though as one of the first succesful adaptations this one was good and the start of the superhero era, yet this one is far from the epicness the other sequels had. This movie closes slightly over the 90 minutes followed by an 11 minute end credits sequence. But man, what a closure and what a score by Michael Kamen. This was actually quite a modest succes but decent enough. 3 stars.

X2: X-Men United.

After the succes of the first movie, a sequel came along of course. Bigger, better and badder of course. A mutant named the Nightcrawler attacks the president of the United States wanting to have freedom for the mutants. Professor X and his team are blamed for the crime so he sends Storm and Jean Grey to pick up the Nightcrawler, who appear more friendly than he is violent. Meanwhile Wolverine has found Alkali Lake, the place where he received the admantium but finds it deserted and returns home. Back home he is tasked to babysit the other students while Professor X visits his old friend Magneto who got arrested at the end of the previous movie in his plastic jail cell. It turns out to be a trap by Agent William Stryker who captures him and Cyclops. Stryker sends his team to X's school the same night in order to arrest as many mutants as they can. Wolverine, Rogue, Pyro and Iceman manages to escape and drive to Boston to find Storm and Jean Grey who found the Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler explains he never meant to hurt anybody and they fly back to New York but are stopped by Magneto and Mystique. They decide to work together to take down Stryker and return to dam where X is being held at and is made to believe he should destroy the mutants. Wolverine hunts down Stryker because he is the one responsible for giving him the adamantium skeleton and erasing his memories while the other mutants manages to save Professor X. Later they meet the president in which X urges him to reconsider and find a way to co-exist before the war begins and both species destroy each other.

This one was also pretty good. The first one to pass the two hour time limit and it felt a bit lengthy but also this one is not near the epicness of the later movies. This one dates back to 2003 and that was still the very beginning of the superhero era. But it's worth another 3 stars.

Trivia: The Oval Office used in this movie is the same one that is used for Stargate SG-1.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

The third and originally intended final movie of the X-Men saga. With Magneto on the run and Mystique apprehended, the government has found a cure for what they call the disease of the mutants. Tension between the humans and the mutants rise even though the cure is voluntary, Magneto sees it as major threat and intends to take over the lab with his army of mutants. While this happens Cyclops is still mourning over Jean Grey and drives to Alkali Lake. Xavier sense troubles and sends Wolverine and Storm to find him but instead they find Grey who has been going through a massive change of personality. When Magneto finds out about this he and Charles visits her in parents house where they found her twenty years ago. They find out that Grey has become a more powerful mutant then they have ever seen before and Grey joins forces with Magneto. Magneto gathers his forces to attack Alcatraz which now serves as a medical lab that created the cure. A massive battle occurs with Wolverine in charge of Xavier's troops.

This was the very first X-Men film I have seen at the movies. This one made quite an impression even though it was received as the weakest of all three original movies and some people say it's downright bad or simply destroy it. Maybe it was indeed too much content to squeeze in 100 minutes. Also there had been a switch in directors. Brett Ratner took over from Bryan Singer who opted to do Superman Returns instead. A movie intended for Ratner. A decision Singer now regrets. The cast is pretty much the same of the previous movies and both delivers. Especially Famke Janssen as Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix delivers. Her presence as Dark Phoenix totally dominates the scenes she is in. She is a level 5 class mutant and seemingly able to destroy the world singlehanded. The score is also very good. The main theme and Dark Phoenix' theme are very memorable and makes for a nice mix in the final showdown. Despite mixed opinions I think this one was better then the previous two. 3,5 stars.

I thought X-Men The Last Stand was awful.

Uh-oh. She heard that and now she's getting angry. Run! If you can.

The Wolverine.

Traumatized and haunted by the death of Jean Grey, Wolverine is travelling on his own through the mountains and looking like a caveman. After finding a dying bear who had been shot with an illegal poisoned arrow and locating the hunters in the local bar, Wolverine is interrupted by Yukio, a Japanese woman who was send to find him and bring him to Japan to say goodbye to Yashida, a soldier whose life he saved during the nuclear explosion on Nagasaki. Yashida, now an old man and dying of cancer wants Wolverine's healing ability to live and give Wolverine a mortal live. Wolverine however refuses. In the following night Wolverine appears to be attacked by Yashida's doctor Viper, however he thinks it was a dream. During Yashida's funeral, the Yakuza attempt to kidnap Mariko, Yashida's granddaughter. In the battle and chase afterwards, Wolverine gets severly injured and notices his wounds no longer heal like before. While on the run Wolverine and Mariko find out there is conspiracy to get her since she would inherite everything from Yashida. Eventually they manage to kidnap her and Wolverine and Yukio looks up her boyfriend who may be involved. Wolverine and Yukio returns to Yashida's house and figure out where Mariko is being held at. Wolverine locates her and has to battle with the Silver Samurai whose body armor exists entirely of admantium.

This is the sixth movie in the X-Men universe and the third one I saw at the theatre. The second Wolverine movie and in my opinion the most intense and darkest one so far. It has a great solid but dark storyline. Maybe you can compare this one a bit with Trail To Doomsday. Wolverine, completely on his own in a strange far away country, with very little people to trust, a man he once knew and saved his life dies involving a major conspiracy. The mood of the movie is not as depressing in Trail To Doomsday but it's very hostile and very angry. But that's how I like most of my movies. 4 stars.

I'm sure she is looking at the director who killed her.

I decided to go all out and watch the Resident Evil / Biohazard CGI Trilogy

First off is Resident Evil - Degeneration (Also known as Biohazard - Degeneration)

This is somewhat of a sequel to Resident Evil 2 which features the main characters of the game in a team up to battle against the continuing zombie threat taking over. The CGI series is more true to the video game series than the live action series so in some ways i actually prefer it. Also the character of Leon Kennedy is popular since his first appearance in the series and has generally sustained it. I give this movie 3 stars.

Then i saw the sequel: Resident Evil Damnation.


Leon Kennedy is back. And this time into the Slavic republic against orders to leave when he discovers a new bio-organic weapon used by its very own leaders! I actually enjoyed this one quite a lot and thought it was a great entry in the series. All the movies play out like the games in some way but they are enjoyable to watch and come recommended if you into the genre. This one gets a generous 3 & a half stars.

Lastly, comes Resident Evil: Vendetta.


Third entry teams up Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy against a madman bent on unleashing a new virus upon New York. This one takes place in between the games Resident Evil 6 & 7 and if you havent played the games in sequence might leave you a little lost. (Not too much though). It is a little muscle and brawn in this entry which might look a little silly but still was fun to watch. I give this entry another 3 stars.

So is it the end? Apparently not. The studio have already confirmed that they will be making more. But whether it is a reboot or a continuation remains to be seen. The last game was a hit and the last movie also did well which means that the future is bright for the franchise.

Well, actually, they agreed to take the character in the direction they went.

X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The first real X-Men movie, after The Last Stand, I had seen at the movies. I missed First Class but that was still during those years I had my doubts on comic book adaptations, even on X-Men. Nevertheless, I went to see X-Men: Days of Future Past and boy, does that franchise charges back with a unseen force. The year is 2023 and a devastating world war is raging. The mutants and the human race against the Sentinels. Large robots that are eradicating the human and mutant race. In China, Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine and Storm meet Kitty Pryde in China along with a few other mutants to come up with a last plan in order to win the war. Pryde has the power to send someone's mind back in time and Wolverine offers himself to go back to the year 1973 when the Sentinel were first presented. If he can alter the historical events the war might be prevented, but therefore he needs the help of a young Professor X, Magneto and Beast.

Just as with First Class this movie was set against the background of a major historical event: the Paris Peace Accords to stop the Vietnam war. And this one delivers big time, maybe even bigger than with First Class. Though the movie is mostly story-driven than special effects-driven, I think it's up to you to decide whether you like that or not. Wolverine has like only one fight scene early in the film but there is still plenty of spectacle left. This movie is pretty much a mix between Back To The Future and Terminator. 4 stars.

X-Men: Apocalypse.

Ten years after the Paris Peace Accords and the showdown at the White House, the mutants are living peaceful years but it rumbles in Cairo where in ancient times presumably the very first mutant has been entombed by his worshippers and is now awakening sending earthquakes all over the world. The mutants are going on with their lives. Professor X is leading his school and welcomes new students including a young Cyclops who meets a young Jean Grey, Mystique is in East Berlin where she meets the Nightcrawler and Magneto is now married, has a family and works in Poland. After being awakened Apocalypse meets Storm in Egypt while X's former love Moira who witnessed the whole thing is located by X though she has no recollection of who he is. Apocalypse gathers his new Four Horsemen to take on the world including Magneto to take all the powers of every mutant to destroy the world and captures Professor X. Mystique, Beast, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler and Moira travel to Cairo in order to save him and the world.

This is the longest X-Men film in the entire franchises, clocking down at nearly 2,5 hours. The stakes are higher and there is a lot more destruction and the movie delivers again but not entirely as Days of Future Past did. I don't know where the problem lies exactly: the running time, the themes involved or the story. Still the story was pretty solid and action sequences are astounding. And the movie was succesful enough for another sequel coming next winter. 3,5 stars.

Deadpool.

Another spin-off in the X-Men universe, this time about Deadpool. Wade Wilson is the merc with the mouth, in love with his girlfriend Vanessa when he is diagnosed with cancer. Devastated and heartbroken, he leaves her behind because he doesn't want to burden her with his illness. In his bar, he makes contact with a man who claims they can cure his cancer and give him super powers. At first he declines but decides to do it after all. It turns out they're not really making super heroes but expose him to severe levels of stress to bring out his mutations after being injected with them through terrible torture. Wilson escapes but is left for dead after the lab burns down. Wilson ends up being terribly burned like Darkman and swears to avenge himself by becoming Deadpool and killing everyone that knows something about the people responsible.

This was the actually the first comic book adaption in being the first that appealed to me from the start. First comic book adaptions rarely gets me enthusiastic but Deadpool was a hit from the beginning. While I couldn't remember Deadpool being as funny in Wolverine as he was in this one. Yes, Deadpool is in fact a big child with a big mouth but he is it in such a way that I can't help but laugh. Deadpool has the right balance with humor and being seriously dark at the same time and they don't shy away from anything which is always cool in my opinion. 4 stars.

Logan.

The tenth and (for now) the final movie in X-Men universe. (Three more are coming, this year: The New Mutants, Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Dark Phoenix.) It's 2029 and mutants are on the verge of extinction. There hasn't been a mutant born in 25 years. Logan is now much older, his healing ability isn't what it used to be and his health is deteriorating. Working as a limodriver, he hopes to buy a boat and live on the ocean with an also much older, frail and very ill Charles Xavier. After driving someone to a funeral, Logan is approached by a woman to drive her and a little girl to Eden. He refuses at first but when he finds the woman dead, he takes the girl Laura with him. It appears Laura and the woman were being followed by sinister types who seeks to kill her since Laura isn't just an ordinary girl. And now they found Logan's hideout near the Mexican border. After a brutal fight Logan escapes with Laura and Charles and begins a journey through the United States with the bad guys on their tail. Logan eventually takes Laura to Eden to help her find other mutants who are about to cross into Canada where Logan faces probably his greatest enemy.

After the blast I had with Deadpool in 2016, Logan blew me away through the backwall of the theatre a year later. I knew Hugh Jackman was in his final performance as he wished to say goodbye to the character but this I did not expect. Though it may not be as dark as The Wolverine, this one is the most violent and bloody of them all. A hard R-rating movie in which everything is allowed. This one is considered to be one of the best comic book adaptations of all time and it is well deserved. I also think it is the best one of them all. 5 stars.

And here by ends a ten day journey throughout all the X-Men movies. But as I said three more are coming this year. I think I'm finally getting interested in doing more with X-Men though, to go deeper into it as I've taking a liking to Wolverine, Jean Grey, Mystique and Deadpool. Also the relationship with Xavier and Magneto is something that is worth looking into as well as X's relationship with Mystique.

Anyway this is the final conclusion on the movies and in the actual chronological order.

X-Men: First Class. 4 stars.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past. 4 stars.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine. 3 stars.
X-Men: 3 stars.
X-Men 2: X-Men United 3 stars.
X-Men 3: The Last Stand. 3,5 stars.
The Wolverine: 4 stars.
X-Men Apocalypse: 3,5 stars.
Deadpool: 4 stars.
Logan: 5 stars.

Though I think it don't matter that much since the first three movies are trilogy on it's own. First, Days and Apocalypse stand on it's own and the Wolverine movies stand on it's own. The timeline is inconsistent nevertheless since Wolverine appeared to be on the run for 15 years in the first movie. Though no exact date have been given: 'the not too distant future.' If the movie was set in the year 2000, Wolverine must've had the adamantium in the 80's while the first Wolverine movie was set in the 70's.

Anyway this is the order I like them the most.

Logan.
The Wolverine.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past.
Deadpool.
X-Men: First Class.
X-Men: Apocalypse.
X-Men Origins: The Wolverine.
X-Men 3: The Last Stand.
X-Men 1.
X-Men 2: X-Men United.

Though I'm not exactly sure on X-Men 1 and X-Men 2 yet. Anyway, it's been a great ride. I still intend to see the behind-the-scenes stuff which was very interesting so far and one of the few franchises that I actually wanted to see that. Once that is over, I think I'm going to de-X for a while.

The weekend got me watching my recent copy of Terminator 2 Judgment Day 3D.



Most of you have probably seen T2 about a gazzilion times (Well, I have). So this is a remaster of the original release for 3D release. And of the theatrical version of the movie. Not the extended edition.

Since the days the extended edition was released this has been the only version i have cared to see. So it was a breath of fresh air watching the theatrical version again. Much shorter, to the point and the visual and audio representation is amazing.

Many have argued that this was not remastered to 4K but it was never mentioned that it would be. Cameron himself assisted in this release which almost felt to me like a nice way of saying, "I'm back". Well, sort of anyway. He is assisting in the next Terminator movie and it ill be a direct sequel to T2.

This is still the best of the best in the series and has yet to be matched to this day. For a science fiction classic with all the heart, it still gets a 5 from me.

So I keep forgetting to mention it, but I saw the Last Jedi. And the Greatest Showman!!!! That was an awesome movie with a wonderful soundtrack!

Just saw the last Anaconda and also the first and second movie. Wasn't really impressed by the 1st though even though with familiar faces like: Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight and Owen Wilson.

Hunt For The Blood Orchid was a little better even though the snakes looked rather fake. They didn't air the third movie but they did air the 4th movie Trail of Blood which was terrible and with even faker snakes. Something like Syfy would make. Anyway if you can't hold your horses and wants to see a Mac-actor post-Mac era, you might wanna keep an eye on Linden Ashby and he plays a rather heroic character. Also John Rhys-Davies (LOTR/Indiana Jones) plays a role in it.

Glad you enjoyed the Resident Evil CGI movies denizen. They're a fun watch, even if Vendetta was a bit hard to take seriously. lol

I think Degeneration is my favorite, simply because it has Claire Redfield with her original voice actress. *sigh* I hate Capcom sometimes...

Anyway, got to see Last Jedi today with my sister and a friend. Great movie! A bit long, and some parts I felt were unnecessary. But I don't want to spoil anyone, so if you haven't seen it... Go! Watch it now! lol

I went to see Darkest Hour last night. First movie at the theatre this year. A great view upon Churchill's first month as prime minister of England at the beginning of World War II. Gary Oldman is really one of those rare actors who's appearance you can change completely into someone else. Just look at his performances as Drexl in True Romance, Dracula or Mason Verger in Hannibal. Gary Oldman is Winston Churchill, a character played by several other actors including Bob Hoskins and John Lithgow. For Oldman this role is Academy Award material. The movie itself was pretty good but I think it's a shame they only reviewed the first month of Churchill's tenior. This was a great opportunity to adapt the Blitzkrieg on England in the movie. So this is actually not the Der Untergang on the Allies side even though they did say Western Europe was falling. But where Der Untergang was about the last days of the war, Darkest Hour is about the first days and London wasn't even attacked yet. There are maybe some moments that reminds of the movie Lincoln in which Churchill also seemed to be showing some fatherly aspects towards his civilians. I guess it wouldn't have hurt if the movie was a bit longer and that they added the German attack on England in the movie. But nevertheless, 3 well deserved stars and I sure hope Oldman takes the grand prize home for his role.

Thanks, Jedi. They certainly were a fun watch.

I saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) decides to paint 3 billboards just outside her town with a controversial message directly aimed at her town's police chief after months have passed without any leads to her daughter's murder.

But from there, all hell breaks loose as some secrets are unfolded and truths become known.

Surprisingly, an effective movie that might need time to digest (Not that its explicit or anything like that). Brilliantly played by all its stars. Woody Harrelson brings about a strange but satisfying humor to the story and Sam Rockwell is a pleasure to watch in terms of his acting. I give Three Billboards a generous 4 stars.

Planet of the Apes (1968). Yesterday they showed the original Planet of the Apes on television and the sequels are planned for the following weeks. I have seen the first two original Planet of the Apes movies many years ago. A lot of the first movie stuck though and probably most of all Charlton Heston's most famous line: 'Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape." Interesting is that that movie is now 50 years old. It was a good and entertaining one but not really spectacular. Taylor and three of his fellow astronauts crashes on seemingly remote planet. One of which doesn't survive and they end up in the year 3978. After looking several days for life, Taylor and his two remaining astronauts are being captured like animals by apes on horses and brought to a zoo in a primitive Ape-city reminding Bedrock from The Flintstones. Taylor got seperated and injured tries to explain where he came from but is treated like an animal. Dr. Zira and Cornelius take real interest in him since he is able to talk and they begin questioning their own culture, something their superior Dr. Zaius doesn't appreciate.

This movie and of course with his famous final scene and great characters including the woman Nova has became a classic in the sci-fi genre just as much Alien was in 1979. It's entertaining and not slow paced at all, it stood well against the test of time on that matter, even though some things may look a bit dated now. 5 stars.

Fritt Vilt aka Cold Prey. A Norwegian horrorfilm as there are a dime a dozen made in Hollywood. Five college students are going to snowboard in the Norwegian mountains, unfortunately their fun is cut short since one of them breaks a leg. Too high up the mountain, too far from their car and with no connection on their cells they find a closed down and deserted hotel in the mountains where they spend the night. Only and of course when it's too late they find out they're not alone and find out why the hotel has been closed since the 70's.

Like I said, a dime a dozen are made like this in Hollywood like Texas Chainsaw Massacre for example but the movie was actually pretty decent. Not too much gore but great atmosphere, the hotel corridors can make it feel like a maze and I think you can enjoy the movie pretty good when you're bored and have a bit of a laugh on the Norwegian language. 3 stars.

The Mummy (1999).

When I was about 12 years old my brother took me to this movie that summer. I think it was my most favorite (out of three that summer, the others being: The Faculty and The Matrix) and one of my most watched movies afterwards also one of the first dvd's I owned. The story goes on how Imhotep fell in love with Anck-Su-Namun, the mistress of the Pharaoh. Caught by the pharaoh, they kill him but Imhotep is apprehended and Anck-Su-Namun kills herself in order to be revived by her lover. Imhotep takes her body to Hamunaptra, city of the dead to revive her but there he's caught by the pharaoh's bodyguards and condemned to the Hom Dai. The worst of ancient Egyptian curses and is mummified alive and left to die. Thousands of years later in 1923 Rick O' Connell is fighting off an attack of the Tuareg at Hamunaptra and escapes death at the last moment when a face appears in the sand. In 1926 he meets Evelyn and Jonathan who saves his neck in prison and in return he brings them to Hamunaptra so she can find the Book of Living and he can figure out what was underneath the sand. Along with another group of diggers led by an Egyptologist, three Americans and O' Connells treacherous friend Beni they go back to the city where they find Imhotep's sarcophagus. Despite warnings of the medjai to leave the city they continue digging and open up Imhotep's sarcophagus and is brought back to life by a book that was found by the Americans. Legend has it that if a victim of the Hom Dai is ever brought back to life it would bring the ten plagues of Egypt and sacrifice all those who opened the chest where they found the book to regenerate and become immortal.

I can really enjoy this movie (better then the remake believe me) despite it might be a little cheesy by now, though I think the Scorpion King looks a little bit more silly in the second movie. But this movie is supposed to be simply fun in the first place. And it delivers more than enough actually. It has a very terrific and Egyptian sounding score. Too bad Jerry Goldsmith didn't like the movie himself, which also ended his collaboration with Stephen Sommers. But I really enjoyed the movie as kid and now. 4 stars.

Fritt Vilt II aka Cold Prey II: Ressurection.
Jannicke, the sole survivor of the last movie, has been found in the snowy mountains and is brought to a nearby hospital where she explains the staff and police on what happened in the previous movie. They check out her story and find out she told the truth and five bodies are brought to the hospital. But... is everyone truly dead? This movie picks up where they left off in the previous movie and continues in the same vein as the last one. You might compare these movies to the first two original Halloween movies since it's mostly set in a hospital. Again the movie succeeds greatly in mood but is actually far from original but the mood makes up for a lot. 3 stars.

The Mummy Returns.

The sequel to, well guess... The Mummy of course. Released two years after the first movie, I went to see this as a 15 year old boy and I was so impressed by it that I even went to see it a second time immediately the day after. This is your typical bigger and better movie and it is. There's plenty of action sequences, more than in the first movie. The year is 1933 when we reunite with the O' Connells. Rick and Evy are now married and living in a big mansion in London with their 8-year old son, Alex and Evy's brother Jonathan. On a dig in Egypt they find the bracelet of Anubis that can be used to raise his army to rule of over the world. Only the army belongs to the Scorpion King. Those who would put on the bracelet has 7 days to reach the Scorpion King's golden pyramid in the oasis of Ahm Shere before dying. Meanwhile in Hamunaptra, a major dig is going on led by the curator of the British Museum and a woman named Meela who are looking for Imhotep. They intend to awaken him once again to defeat the Scorpion King when it awakens and take over his army to rule the world. Ardeth Bay, the medjai who once fought on Rick's side, finds out about this and goes to London to warn them. In the following attack they manage to kidnap Evy and later on Alex who is wearing the bracelet in order to awaken the Scorpion King. The O' Connells, Jonathan and Ardeth Bay follows them back to Egypt with the help of Rick's old friend Izzy to find their son and save the world from both Imhotep and the Scorpion King.

Like I said, this one is bigger, better and more fun. It did better at the box office then the first one. Unfortunately it lasted 7 years until the third movie was finally made. Keep an eye out for Alun Armstrong as Mr. Hafez. Anyway the second movie also gets 4 stars from me.

Fritt Vilt III aka Cold Prey III: The Beginning.
This is as you might guess the third Norwegian film about a killer who lives in the snowy mountains. Only this time it's a prequel and it's set before or after, since there wasn't much snow. The movie serves as a prequel to the previous two and is set in 1988. Pretty much the same premise as the previous two but strangely enough keeps some good suspense. 3 stars.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

The third Mummy movie starring Brendan Fraser and John Hannah. It's 1946-1947. The war is over, Rick and Evelyn have retired and settled in their mansion. Their Mummy-fighting days are long over and they're bored. While Evelyn became a famous writer about her adventures, Rick attempts to learn how to fish and enjoy the quiet life. Also due their boredom their marriage seems to hit a lowpoint until the British government asks them for a last mission which is to return the Eye of Shangri-La to China as a sign of goodwill for both nations. Reluctant but still eager they take on the mission and travel to China where they find Jonathan who now owns a nightclub named Imhoteps in Shanghai. Also their son Alex (now about twenty years old) is in China leading a dig and finds the Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Evil Chinese soldiers wants to bring back the Dragon Emperor to make China great again and take over the world but not if Rick, Evy and their new ally Lin can prevent it from happening.

Though I haven't seen this Mummy as much as the previous two since it came 7 years later, I can really enjoy this one. I don't think it was that good the first time I saw it on the release but some things I seem to have forgotten and the movie is pretty solid. This could've been a great movie version to our Mountain of Youth episode. Maybe even better than the previous two. Filmcritic Roger Ebert considers it the best out of all three simply because it was fun and that's what this movie is all about. Yes, there are some changes: new director, new mummy, new Evelyn, but actually they were all for the best. Also the score for this movie was done by Randy Edelman following up Alan Silvestri from the previous movie. I just think it's a pity now they never continued the series with a fourth movie as the text in the final shot says that mummies were found in Peru after Jonathan leaves for South-America. The cast all had signed on for the next one called: The Mummy: Rise of the Azteck but Universal opted to do a reboot instead which actually flopped terribly. But I'm always in for a fourth adventure if they're all returning. Brendan Fraser is hitting the big 5-0 this year but you never know. It doesn't have to be Oscar-worthy but just a simple action/adventure movie with a touch of fantasy in as this one and I think you would have enjoyable movie. I give Tomb of the Dragon Emperor also 4 stars. That's 4 stars for all three movies.

My mom always loved the Mummy movies, and watched them all the time, so I saw them a lot as a kid. Those beetles always scared the crap out of me, and still kinda do.

Scarabs. Just swing out your knife to poke them out of your body or else they burst out your mouth.
They were nice adding to the movie though.

LOL, you are Nnnnottttt helping, MG!

Ironically, my mom just spent the day rewatching them all again. Creepy beetles and all.