Production Blog

Wooooh I saw the movie today, as it was launched here in Hungary one day before the US release. Oh jeez oh jeezz, it was so greeaaaatttt, for sure I'm going to watch it again this weekend. LOVED it, enourmous job, I didn't feel time flying at all, the movie just consumed me and time ceased to exist. Story, effects, eveything, it was unbelievable. I'm in love with Brendan Fraser :D And Jet Li, he was sooo majestic, really like a real emperor. Congratulations for this wonderful movie for all the cast and crew, terrific job guys!!! And one sidenote: it was strange for the first 20 minutes to see Maria Bello as Evie, but she managed realy well, and if there's going to be a sequel I think she will already be regarded as THE Evie. :) and please please do say there's gonna be a sequel!!!!!!

With love,
Timea
from Budapest

By Timea on July 31, 2008 1:01 PM

Wow!! That was a great way to sum up everything Rob!! I've taken so much of what you have written, both now and in the past, to heart. You're a an awesome individual man, and you don't deserve even a fraction of the bullshit people throw at you. But hey, I guess you can't please everybody. Either way, On Tuesday of next week I will be in my local theater swashbuckling my f*ckin' ass off with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor!! Enjoy your surfing holiday... you earned it damnit. Thanx for starting this blog, it's been a great journey for us all, and I'll be back with my own assessment of TM3 on Tuesday night.

HELLLL YEAAAAAAH!!! GO TEAM COHEN!!!

By CLouDEd_REaLiTY on July 31, 2008 1:27 PM

Dear Rob,

tonight I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for this blog. Here, I found some wonderful friends from around the world and we, the Mummy family, the Mummy Bloggers, the Mummettes, The Cohen Warriors, the people who got on Rob Cohens nervs (and so on) will stay united at our little facebook group.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'll go to the preview on Wednesday the 6th to be one of the first in Germany who can watch it (I hope). Then I'll come back to tell you my critic.

Your words where wonderful! That's the sort of prep-talk only few people are able to do today. And yes sir, I'll go out there and give my best to fulfill my dreams. Feel hugged by

Comen (Corinna M.)

By Comen on July 31, 2008 1:29 PM

Its nice. I am very very big fan of this flim. And i am pretty much sure you ppl gonna break all records. Let enjoy the upcoming flick.

By Mummy3.info on July 31, 2008 2:30 PM

Rob you are a real gentleman. We could all learn from you. I hope that everyone will love this film because our little Mummy family know how much effort you all put in to it. It won't be showing here until Wednesday but I will take my sister to see it ( she expressed a wish to see it after seeing the trailer, which was shown before that 3D film I saw three times). She said it looked good. Now for the sequel can it please be in 3D? I can just imagine being immersed in a Mummy chase. I'm just kidding but that really would be a thrilling experience.
Enjoy your surfing and get some sleep. It seems like you haven't had time for much of that lately.
Whatever anyone else says about you Rob, this little group know you are a man of integrity and great talent. We took the journey with you and this film feels like our baby too. Thankyou for giving us an insight into your world. It has been a positive experience for all of us.
Timea, thanks for your comments. I'm looking forward to Wednesday even more now...I can't wait!!!!!!!!

By maz on July 31, 2008 4:15 PM

Hey Rob! i saw the movie tonight. You are great doing action scenes but... Sorry Rob... The script is too weak! i have a lot to say about it but i won't do it here. That's why i believe in movies that are written and directed by the same person! tomb of the dragon emperor has incredible special and visual fx, great score, sets and action scenes but with all my respect, the writters have failed to make a good story. But it is very entertaining. That's why i liked it. P.S. I hope the dvd comes in a special edition. Bye Rob

By Rui inacio on July 31, 2008 6:06 PM

Oh man...you know Rob...I love you, but lately I´m starting to hate you ...this is the second time that you make me cry, dammit. !!..LOL LOL LOL...( well, of course I don´t hate you, but it´s truth, you make me cry ) well, I´m a pretty emotional chick, what can I say... LOL ...Rob, we, your Mummy Blog Family, have felt really honored sharing this intense Journey with you...and precisely because we know how much effort and care you gave each detail of this HUGE movie, you will have nothing but our immense and sincere admiration ( even though you don´t ask for that ) Condemnation? Well, I don´t think that nobody has the right to do it...it´s because of that, that the whole " the critics lurching inside all of us" thing, has all of us kinda p*ssed off... But you are right : " the world is dense, competitive and usually aligned against you." yeah...it´s a lesson that many of us have already learned...SIGH....but you are right again ... SO WHAT?!!

Be sure that the whole Mummy Family will be here, to share with you our thoughts about the movie...My 2 sons have seen the film today ( it was released today in Argentina...I couldn´t go yet...crappppsssss!!! ) This is what they told me when I anxiously asked:
" So...did you like it? Do you think I´m gonna like it ??? "
" Mom, the movie is amazing...and you are not gonna "like" it...you are gonna DIE ...Are you sure you wanna go to see it with Dad???!!! " ....eerrrr...my young men know about my sort of crush on the leading actor...LOL LOL ...( hey Mummettes...sorry, I´m repeating this little story I already told you on Facebook...)

Anyway Dear Rob...we love and admire you, honestly...This " Creative Journey" was a wonderful,unexpected and unforgettable experience, indeed. You made us really happy !!! THANK YOU, for taking us along with you!!!
We´ll be seeing you again !!
Now, ENJOY THOSE WAVES!!!!

Whooooo-hooooooo !!!

HEELLLLLLL YEEEAAAHH!!! GO TEAM COHEN !!!!!!

DeeDee

By Delilah on July 31, 2008 6:21 PM

Saw loved it, kids loved- much more so than Indy 4-More please........tell me, Rumor has it that 2 more are planned, Please tell me that hasnt changed.......

By j2talj on July 31, 2008 6:25 PM

Saw loved it, the kids loved it - much more so than Indy 4-More please........tell me, Rumor has it that 2 more are planned, Please tell me that hasnt changed.......

By j2talk on July 31, 2008 6:27 PM

Hey Rob and tha mummy family or whoever dat is ahaha

I seen the movie at Universal City! Im a big fan of tha series, but i gotta say i got high expectations for tha movie. Since 2005, ive been googling stuff bout new upcoming Mummy movies and late 2007 when i seen your blog , i was ecstatic. I checked your blog errday , finding sick things and cool stuffs. But when i saw the movie the other day , dont get me wrong ITS REALLY ENTERTAINING. But i gotta give it 3.5/5 stars. It was entertaining , but i didnt really get tha kick dat i was expecting outta it. Yeah some guy said here dat tha script was weak. I gotta agree to that big time.

Well, overall its a pretty okay movie. As my friend says (Hes a critic from Spill.com), he would consider it as a fun `RENTAL`.

GOOD JOB STYLL TEAM COHEN, for `satisfying` my hunger for The Mummy, but not really making me `full`.

..

By Jason B on July 31, 2008 7:02 PM

Hi there,

I've watched the movie. FANTASTIC!!!!!! I've following The Mummy series and the moment I saw Mummy 3's first trailer a few months back, I was drawn to this movie whole-heartedly and tadaaa.... I watched it at 9:30pm, on 01 August 2008 (M'sian time). Yoohoo!!!!

I kept on telling my friends and friends of my friends to go and catch this movie on big screen!

Brendan Fraser is cute! And there's ever awesome Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh (Malaysian! Bravo!) & Isabella Leong.

Good job there, Mr Cohen!

Congrats!

By Joyce Lee, Malaysia on July 31, 2008 7:59 PM

here I am... could it be, that's the entry not was as usual?
anyway...

oh no one stepp nearer by
the movie
the end of our mummy-journey (please not)

These all makes me really blue... *big sigh*

Thanks for the blog, Rob you're so kind to us
thanks for the friendship from my mummy-freaks
thanks thanks thanks

have a great day, enjoy the movie
and don't forget to tell us
one week and my time is coming *yeah*

By Nicole on July 31, 2008 10:54 PM

不錯!
今天我去看了 覺得挺好

By yee on August 1, 2008 12:55 AM

and in english or german?

By Nicole on August 1, 2008 1:55 AM

Wooh cool finally a new post I can try keep up with what everyone is saying on this one,
Thank goodness you said Bye for now Rob I don't think I could handle a Goodbye for good...well not just yet anyway.

Well Rob this does feel like the end of an Era we have all been on such a wonderful journey in the past year or so and we have loved every minute of it.
We have laughed uncontrollably together and even cried together (isn't that right Delilah), we've talked The Mummy and other movies and shared stories from our pasts and presents helping each other however we could whilst getting to know one another while you made our wonderful movie, and now The Mummy 3 Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is not just ours anymore it belongs to the world but to be truthful I don't think to us the longest and closest members of the Mummy family, the Mummettes including Delilah, Maz, Alton, Anita, Ryan, Comen, Steven, KL, Suzie, Nicole, Kate, Kyle and any other members I may have forgotten (sorry) it doesn't matter how the movie is seen by anyone else, how critics and normal people alike think about it we already love the movie without even seeing it because we have such a bond with you and the movie and we will forever see it as the connection to some great friends from around the world and a great insight to film making process and I (and I'm sure I speak for the whole group when I say this) Thank You sincerely from the bottom of my heart for letting us join in this experience with you, I know that this blog has helped me through some hard times in the past few months and I won't forget this place we have made here, enjoy your break surfing Mr Cohen you earned it, and now you can go see your new little babies and spend some quality time with them.

HELL YEAH GO TEAM COHEN....FOREVER!!!!!!
David C
Peace

By David C on August 1, 2008 3:20 AM

I have not seen the movie yet, but I will today as I love the series. The only thing that will dissapoint me is the change in Brendan's leading lady. She was having a baby. Couldn't her filming just waited a little longer? The next thing that dissapoints me is that I made the mistake of reading your blog! Of course, like most of Hollywood, you are an Obama supporter. Too bad that you could not have just kept your opinion to yourself. Politics need to remain out of Hollywood! As soon as you said you are an Obama supporter, you are making me rethink seeing the movie, and if my Husband read that, he would definately not go. But with all of that said, thank you for making this movie and bringing the characters back for another great adventure.

By Kari on August 1, 2008 5:45 AM

This blog has been great experience to read. The journey from day one to the premiere was absolutely fantastic and thanks for sharing it with us. For what I've seen here, this is going to be a huge, really huge movie and hope everyone will go to see it. We all waited, and hoped that the film will be amazing, and you will be satisfied with the results. Now, that all is behind you, it is our turn to enjoy it. So, thank you for making this movie for us, have a great time off and hope to see you soon back in the director's chair with something just as cool as The Mummy 3.

Kamen from Bulgaria

By Kamen on August 1, 2008 6:36 AM

David, I absolutely agree with you...with this wonderful experience Rob made us" a part " of the making process of a huge movie, and ( maybe even more important) he made that a few persons -leaving in very distant places of the World- became friends...how wonderful is that !? Yeah, through the last year, we have been not only supporting this movie, its director, its cast...we have been supporting each other...We certainly laughed like crazy and cried together ( of course that´s right dear,and you are a cutiepie, you know that? ). So we are absolutely entitled to love this great movie, and we won´t forget this wonderful Creative Journey that we had the honor to do with Rob. Never.
( darn...I´m almost crying again...LOL LOL )

DeeDee

HELLLLLLLLLLLLL YEEEAAHHHH!! GO TEAM COHEN !!!

By Delilah on August 1, 2008 6:48 AM

I just came back from a screening of the Mummy 3 and I want to thank you for ending one of the best summers on the worse note possible. It's as if Miles, Bird, Coltrane, Max Roach are jamming on stage and then some tone deaf idiot shows up and starts playing. That's what your "film" is to the line up of films that I just enjoyed for the last three months. Here's hoping you aren't allowed to make movies of this size again. You don't deserve it because you don't have the talent to rise to the occasion. I sincerely can't stand any film you have made with the exception Dragon. Oh and as someone from Asian descent, you're story is insulting and inaccurate. Shame on you!

By Directorsaab on August 1, 2008 8:30 AM

Well, I guess we all wanna thank you Directorsaab? for posting your absurdly insulting and inaccurate post . You reminded us that not everybody is nice and kind...and that many people are -like the World itself, and quoting Rob- dense, competitive and usually aligned against you. SO WHAT?!!!
Let´see...you came, you were impolite, you seem to be so angry...it´s a petty that you couldn´t stay where you were that last three months...
So...shame on YOU !!!

Delilah.

By Delilah on August 1, 2008 9:00 AM

DirectorSaab, way to be constructive in your criticism buddy!! LOL. Why don't you just go watch The Goth Knight on IMAX for the 20th time and quit bitching. Your opinion has the merit of a five-year old... Shame on you!!

By CLouDEd_ReALiTY on August 1, 2008 9:21 AM

Congratulations on finishing the journey.
I've read some reviews on AICN and its interesting to see how so called critics resort to Anglo Saxon base words whilst they struggle for an opinion.
We are all going tonight and we are going to enjoy the movie for what it is..not Shakespeare...but good old thrill ride entertainment.
Best regards.
M.

By martin mercer on August 1, 2008 11:27 AM

I haven't seen it yet, but tomorrow i will!! I cannot wait til then!! I can't believe the day we've all been waiting for is here! I feel so grateful to have shared in this experience with everyone and I hope we will all stay friends! I feel super lucky to have met each and every one of you wonderful people and to have shared my opinions with Mr. Cohen. I truly believe we have created our own little family (even though its not that little! LOL) Rob, Captain, DeeDee, Maz, David, Nicole, KL, and even Sean (LOL) I am soo happy to have met you all! Yu really are all like my brothers and sisters! I am so happy to have found this haven for Mummy fans because if I hadn't I probably would never had known how many people share my same opinions about the Mummy movies (and love for Brendon!!). I think its truly amazing how this blog has brought so many people from all over the world here, whether they visited once or check it religiously (LOL!). It has created a family and I am truly grateful to have all of you included in it! Looking forward to seeing our movie and enjoy those waves!!

Much Love My Mummy Family,
Kate

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!!

GOOOO TEAM COHEN!!!!!!!!!!!

By Kate on August 1, 2008 11:49 AM

Best of luck with this huge baby!! Roger Ebert gave it a great vote and i am glad. I am wishing you huge success and will be in the theater tomorrow night!!

By Lynne on August 1, 2008 11:53 AM

I forgot to proofread again!! I just get so excited and push the post button too soon!

I forgot to include some people in my post!! Comen, Steven, Ella, and everyone in our Mummy family I am so happy to have met you all!!!!

Much Love My Mummy Family,
Kate

By Kate on August 1, 2008 11:54 AM

Good on you martin mercer. At last someone is making sense.
Directorsaab I can only say what I always say to someone who thinks they have the right to be so rude, not everyone has the same tastes as you. So if you have some constructive criticism you want to impart, with a modicum of common decency and good manners, fine. If not, do us all the favour of crawling back in to the hole you so obviously crawled out of.
It may be that the films you have been enjoying recently might not be so well liked by others but, if that was the case, would you expect those others to be as downright discourteous as you feel the need to be. Act like somebody who was brought up, not dragged up!

By maz on August 1, 2008 11:55 AM

*push* (you know for what, right?) ;-)

I'm sooooo proud to be one of the mummettes... *sigh*
I'm now here since almost a half year and it was an exiting time. And I really believe that material criticism is not bad, but missing manners in any case.

It's not obligation that the film pleases everyone. But I hope that all the film pleases, which go into the cinema. Enjoys without prejudices - just for fun!

So time for me to sleep...
good night my mummyfreaks
remains like you are
big kiss

By Nicole on August 1, 2008 1:20 PM

Thanks, Robbie.

You are a class act to the end. Roger Ebert gave the film a solid three stars, calling it the best of all three. That's the only review that matters to me. Not the haters. Congratulations on making the movie you wanted to make, and I hope you succeeded. I will be in the crowd tonight.

It seems like only last week I was reading your first post on here. It's sad for it to end, but all things must. I look forward to the film. I hope I love it! And I know you do, too.

RY

By Ryan on August 1, 2008 1:44 PM

I'll start this off by saying this is my opinion (who else could it be?), and it in know way reflects my opinion who the people behind the work are, but merely the product they put forth. The comments that will follow are merely a what i hope comes forth as constructive criticism and not mindless bashing. I in no way intend this to sound like a trolls rant and I certainly don't say it to be mean or inconsiderate, i merely am offering one persons opinion and I am in no way trying to convince anyone else that this is the correct opinion, only mine.

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, I can continue.

When i had first heard that they were making a third mummy movie, i said "hey, that's pretty cool. Perhaps ill enjoy it more than i did the second one." I really did enjoy the first film, it has its flaws like most films do but its something that i will always watch when its on. The second one i feel that some of the heart that the first film had was pushed aside for more special effects, but again, that's just how i felt.

When i heard that Rob was directing it i started to wonder if i would see this film. Robs films in the past just haven't been my cup of tea. I really enjoyed Dragon: The Bruce lee story and i thought Dragonheart was fun but, as Ive said before, the style he has taken his films in hasn't been appealing to me. However, during one of the first interviews Rob talked about bringing his directing style back to what it was during those early films i previously mentioned, he said the same of the music as well, commenting on how the dragonheart music was still used in today's trailers.

At that, i said to myself, "Alright, hes sold me. Ill go see the film."

So i saw it, and first id just like to point out that i like the idea of the film. I like the idea of taking actual chinese myth (altered slightly) and making a story that can fit in the mummy universe. I like the ideas of using the yetis, the terrocata warriors, the powers the the emperor possesed, the locals, i just generally dug the vibe of what im sure Rob was going for. I know the writers had some good ideas there and i appreciate the attempt at bringing them to light. However there are some things that really brought the experiance down for me. First being the acting.

Brendan was the same as hes always been so no real complaints there. He played Rick well enough and i think he did the best he could with the dialogue he was given. Maria had big shoes to fill and i feel that she just wasn't up to the task. I feel that she is an incredible actress with a lot of talent but i just didn't feel the spark that was there when Rachel did the part. It always felt like a different character, not just in looks but in how she related to everyone. Every actor who is given a part that someone else played always puts their own spin on it but still embodies the character, however i just never felt like that was Eve on screen, just a person with the same name. Hannah was the same Jonathan we all know and love except his one liners were for more cheesy and poorly written than they were in past installments. He really did the best he could with what he was given but the writers seemed determined to make him as awkwardly unfunny as possible. Jet Li was great for the time he was there, but commenting on his acting is like commenting on The Rocks from the second move, hes mostly cg and when hes there in person there is so little of it that you get the feeling that anyone could have played the part. The same goes for Michelle. I think that they both are very talented actors but they really felt unused in this film, much like Chow Yung Fat was in Pirates 3. I understood what they were going for with Alex's character but i really feel that a different actor would have been better for the part. Admittedly his dialogue, like most of the dialogue, was poorly written, but as an actor its his job to sell the character to me; he never did. The love interest for Alex is just kind of there, there really isn't much to say about her. On to the cg.

As a game modeler, i can say that its pretty damn hard to make 3d characters look compelling or real. The uncanny valley is a hard thing to overcome. But to me the cg, which i know rob spent a great deal of time on much like everything else in this film, just seemed like in game cinemas to me, much like the recent cg seen in the incredible hulk. Its passable but at no time did i ever think "my god, that could be real." it just served to grant us a spectacle but its a spectacle that wive seen dozens of times before and when its been done it needs to be done well otherwise it comes off as ho hum. Some really cool effects with Jet Li when hes in clay form though, and the creature designs were fun and creative but again, nothing sold be on believability. Then again, this is the mummy universe, there is a level of suspension of disbelief. things shouldn't always need to look real. And id agree with that assessment, but only when everything in the film serves to enhance each other. In other words, everything needs to feel like its the same part of the the same universe, everything must compliment everything else. Which brings me to the last part of my assessment.

Yetis in the mummy universe should not hold their arms up in a touchdown pose. At no point in this series, which has always taken itself lightly and poked fun at itself, has it ever attempted something as universe breaking as this. And this is just one of the scenes that serves to pull you out of the film and think, "is this part of the same movie?". that, added with action scenes that, while i know took a considerable amount of effort and time to complete, weren't really all that thrilling, really pulls you out of the film. all of the martial arts scenes, or rather the scenes with actors on screen fighting up close, are shot in a way so that you cant see whats going on, much like the fight scenes in Batman begins. Its really an un fun way of watching a fight when you cant see whats happening. And at the same time you have the camera pulling back for you to observe the cg spectacle on screen, however as i pointed out earlier, none of the cg is done so well as to really warrant a wide angle shot.

Ive read numerous interviews with Rob and i can tell hes an incredibly passionate man. I know he cares about his fans and i know he loves what he does. and in the end, really that sounds like a good life. I just wish that the passion he had felt a bit more focused, and bit more on the ball, because i feel that if he could do that then we could have had a truly memorable movie and not just another summer popcorn flick.

again, my 2 cents. i don't think less of someone if they don't agree and i certainly don't think that everyone else should see things my way. Just my assessment of the film. Id love to hear what the rest of you thought though.

By D on August 1, 2008 2:49 PM

D, I'll let you know on Wednesday, which is when it opens in the UK.
I will give you due respect that you weren't wholly negative and didn't give rise to offence. However, I'm not surprised that you are giving negative feedback because you were negative before you saw the film. That's just an observation on my part.
There have been some good, some bad reports from people who have seen the film. I suppose it all depends on what each individual's expectations are. Some people love it and others don't but I suppose it is down to opinion in the end and, of course, personal taste.
Rob certainly put his heart and soul in to this film and I'm sure that everyone else involved in the making of it did too. It will be interesting to see how much it takes at the box office.
The majority of filmgoers are happy with a film if it is entertaining. Not everyone is looking for Shakespeare. Let's hope that the majority show their approval by going to the cinema to see this film. I am pretty sure they will.
I will say what I thought once I've seen the film on Wednesday. I will be honest enough to tell Rob if there is anything I'm disappointed with. Hopefully there won't be anything I'm disappointed with. I'm sure that he would expect us all to be honest in our opinions.
I am sure of one thing though, I have high hopes that I will really enjoy the finished article. The fact that Brendan is in it is obviously going to make the film enjoyable for me, because I am a fan. So I will start from a more positive standpoint than you did.
Roll on Wednesday..... I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

By maz on August 1, 2008 3:22 PM

I would never want Mummy to be Shakespeare, if i wanted that id read Shakespeare, heh. Mummy has always been its own beast but it feels a bit tamer and unfocused in this outing.

But as for being negative, i was never negative about Mummy 3, if you look at the part where i talk about Rob saying how he wanted this one to play out you'll notice that i was excited about it.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it though. :D

By D on August 1, 2008 3:26 PM

Not enough Michelle Yeoh!

By Sun on August 1, 2008 3:47 PM

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww borrring

By jessie on August 1, 2008 6:58 PM

Dear Mummy Family--
Tomorrow, across the country, and soon thereafter, around the world, our film will be open for business. It will be available to fans and trolls alike, to the critics lurching inside all of us, and to some who get paid for their opinions. This is the final leg in a filmmaker's journey. Reviews come in dollars and, sometimes, in sense. This is the hardest part because this is where you have the least control and it's time for the creation to stand on its own, not just in the lobby, but on the screen.

It's important to me that I shared with you this creative journey, that I showed you the work, the joy and the pressures of creating this huge film. This effort has not been unique; it's the energy it takes to create anything small or large.

I'm sure you will all let me know your thoughts after seeing the movie. Whether you like it or not, you, above all people, you, my Mummy Blog Family, know my hopes and dreams for it and the care I gave each detail. I do not ask for admiration and I am not afraid of condemnation. All I ask is that you put as much effort in your own dreams and work as hard on your own hopes in whatever endeavors you pursue.

There's a part of most directors that is a teacher and that is the lesson I want you to master: the world is dense, competitive and usually aligned against you. SO WHAT?!!! You go out there and rip your goals out of its throat. You get up every morning with your intention set, your eyes focused, and your whole heart behind every step you take. Wear your passion on your sleeve and wear it proudly.

I am a long-time Obama supporter because this is how he lives. This is how all my heroes John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Bruce Lee and Frank Sinatra, lived; how Muhammad Ali, Bob Dylan, Berry Gordy, Michael Phelps, Bruce Springsteen and countless others live today: Full-tilt, peddle to the metal, no holds barred, name your cliché just find yourself in that group. The world needs you more than it will ever let on.

There's a big south swell in today so I'm headed out to surf, to kick it on the waves and feel the satisfaction of the long journey being complete. The film is complete, the release is complete, and I am complete within myself.

Thank you for coming along with me.

Bye, bye for now,

Rob
Permalink Comments (33) E-Mail This
Save to de.li.ci.us

Dear Mummy Family--

Tomorrow, across the country, and soon thereafter, around the world, our film will be open for business. It will be available to fans and trolls alike, to the critics lurching inside all of us, and to some who get paid for their opinions. This is the final leg in a filmmaker's journey. Reviews come in dollars and, sometimes, in sense. This is the hardest part because this is where you have the least control and it's time for the creation to stand on its own, not just in the lobby, but on the screen.

It's important to me that I shared with you this creative journey, that I showed you the work, the joy and the pressures of creating this huge film. This effort has not been unique; it's the energy it takes to create anything small or large.

I'm sure you will all let me know your thoughts after seeing the movie. Whether you like it or not, you, above all people, you, my Mummy Blog Family, know my hopes and dreams for it and the care I gave each detail. I do not ask for admiration and I am not afraid of condemnation. All I ask is that you put as much effort in your own dreams and work as hard on your own hopes in whatever endeavors you pursue.

There's a part of most directors that is a teacher and that is the lesson I want you to master: the world is dense, competitive and usually aligned against you. SO WHAT?!!! You go out there and rip your goals out of its throat. You get up every morning with your intention set, your eyes focused, and your whole heart behind every step you take. Wear your passion on your sleeve and wear it proudly.

I am a long-time Obama supporter because this is how he lives. This is how all my heroes John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Bruce Lee and Frank Sinatra, lived; how Muhammad Ali, Bob Dylan, Berry Gordy, Michael Phelps, Bruce Springsteen and countless others live today: Full-tilt, peddle to the metal, no holds barred, name your cliché just find yourself in that group. The world needs you more than it will ever let on.

There's a big south swell in today so I'm headed out to surf, to kick it on the waves and feel the satisfaction of the long journey being complete. The film is complete, the release is complete, and I am complete within myself.

Thank you for coming along with me.

Bye, bye for now,

Rob
Friend's E-Mail
Your E-Mail
Message (optional)

Comments

Wooooh I saw the movie today, as it was launched here in Hungary one day before the US release. Oh jeez oh jeezz, it was so greeaaaatttt, for sure I'm going to watch it again this weekend. LOVED it, enourmous job, I didn't feel time flying at all, the movie just consumed me and time ceased to exist. Story, effects, eveything, it was unbelievable. I'm in love with Brendan Fraser :D And Jet Li, he was sooo majestic, really like a real emperor. Congratulations for this wonderful movie for all the cast and crew, terrific job guys!!! And one sidenote: it was strange for the first 20 minutes to see Maria Bello as Evie, but she managed realy well, and if there's going to be a sequel I think she will already be regarded as THE Evie. :) and please please do say there's gonna be a sequel!!!!!!

With love,
Timea
from Budapest
By Timea on July 31, 2008 1:01 PM

Wow!! That was a great way to sum up everything Rob!! I've taken so much of what you have written, both now and in the past, to heart. You're a an awesome individual man, and you don't deserve even a fraction of the bullshit people throw at you. But hey, I guess you can't please everybody. Either way, On Tuesday of next week I will be in my local theater swashbuckling my f*ckin' ass off with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor!! Enjoy your surfing holiday... you earned it damnit. Thanx for starting this blog, it's been a great journey for us all, and I'll be back with my own assessment of TM3 on Tuesday night.

HELLLL YEAAAAAAH!!! GO TEAM COHEN!!!
By CLouDEd_REaLiTY on July 31, 2008 1:27 PM

Dear Rob,

tonight I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for this blog. Here, I found some wonderful friends from around the world and we, the Mummy family, the Mummy Bloggers, the Mummettes, The Cohen Warriors, the people who got on Rob Cohens nervs (and so on) will stay united at our little facebook group.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'll go to the preview on Wednesday the 6th to be one of the first in Germany who can watch it (I hope). Then I'll come back to tell you my critic.

Your words where wonderful! That's the sort of prep-talk only few people are able to do today. And yes sir, I'll go out there and give my best to fulfill my dreams. Feel hugged by

Comen (Corinna M.)
By Comen on July 31, 2008 1:29 PM

Its nice. I am very very big fan of this flim. And i am pretty much sure you ppl gonna break all records. Let enjoy the upcoming flick.
By Mummy3.info on July 31, 2008 2:30 PM

Rob you are a real gentleman. We could all learn from you. I hope that everyone will love this film because our little Mummy family know how much effort you all put in to it. It won't be showing here until Wednesday but I will take my sister to see it ( she expressed a wish to see it after seeing the trailer, which was shown before that 3D film I saw three times). She said it looked good. Now for the sequel can it please be in 3D? I can just imagine being immersed in a Mummy chase. I'm just kidding but that really would be a thrilling experience.
Enjoy your surfing and get some sleep. It seems like you haven't had time for much of that lately.
Whatever anyone else says about you Rob, this little group know you are a man of integrity and great talent. We took the journey with you and this film feels like our baby too. Thankyou for giving us an insight into your world. It has been a positive experience for all of us.
Timea, thanks for your comments. I'm looking forward to Wednesday even more now...I can't wait!!!!!!!!
By maz on July 31, 2008 4:15 PM

Hey Rob! i saw the movie tonight. You are great doing action scenes but... Sorry Rob... The script is too weak! i have a lot to say about it but i won't do it here. That's why i believe in movies that are written and directed by the same person! tomb of the dragon emperor has incredible special and visual fx, great score, sets and action scenes but with all my respect, the writters have failed to make a good story. But it is very entertaining. That's why i liked it. P.S. I hope the dvd comes in a special edition. Bye Rob
By Rui inacio on July 31, 2008 6:06 PM

Oh man...you know Rob...I love you, but lately I´m starting to hate you ...this is the second time that you make me cry, dammit. !!..LOL LOL LOL...( well, of course I don´t hate you, but it´s truth, you make me cry ) well, I´m a pretty emotional chick, what can I say... LOL ...Rob, we, your Mummy Blog Family, have felt really honored sharing this intense Journey with you...and precisely because we know how much effort and care you gave each detail of this HUGE movie, you will have nothing but our immense and sincere admiration ( even though you don´t ask for that ) Condemnation? Well, I don´t think that nobody has the right to do it...it´s because of that, that the whole " the critics lurching inside all of us" thing, has all of us kinda p*ssed off... But you are right : " the world is dense, competitive and usually aligned against you." yeah...it´s a lesson that many of us have already learned...SIGH....but you are right again ... SO WHAT?!!

Be sure that the whole Mummy Family will be here, to share with you our thoughts about the movie...My 2 sons have seen the film today ( it was released today in Argentina...I couldn´t go yet...crappppsssss!!! ) This is what they told me when I anxiously asked:
" So...did you like it? Do you think I´m gonna like it ??? "
" Mom, the movie is amazing...and you are not gonna "like" it...you are gonna DIE ...Are you sure you wanna go to see it with Dad???!!! " ....eerrrr...my young men know about my sort of crush on the leading actor...LOL LOL ...( hey Mummettes...sorry, I´m repeating this little story I already told you on Facebook...)

Anyway Dear Rob...we love and admire you, honestly...This " Creative Journey" was a wonderful,unexpected and unforgettable experience, indeed. You made us really happy !!! THANK YOU, for taking us along with you!!!
We´ll be seeing you again !!
Now, ENJOY THOSE WAVES!!!!

Whooooo-hooooooo !!!

HEELLLLLLL YEEEAAAHH!!! GO TEAM COHEN !!!!!!

DeeDee
By Delilah on July 31, 2008 6:21 PM

Saw loved it, kids loved- much more so than Indy 4-More please........tell me, Rumor has it that 2 more are planned, Please tell me that hasnt changed.......
By j2talj on July 31, 2008 6:25 PM

Saw loved it, the kids loved it - much more so than Indy 4-More please........tell me, Rumor has it that 2 more are planned, Please tell me that hasnt changed.......
By j2talk on July 31, 2008 6:27 PM

Hey Rob and tha mummy family or whoever dat is ahaha

I seen the movie at Universal City! Im a big fan of tha series, but i gotta say i got high expectations for tha movie. Since 2005, ive been googling stuff bout new upcoming Mummy movies and late 2007 when i seen your blog , i was ecstatic. I checked your blog errday , finding sick things and cool stuffs. But when i saw the movie the other day , dont get me wrong ITS REALLY ENTERTAINING. But i gotta give it 3.5/5 stars. It was entertaining , but i didnt really get tha kick dat i was expecting outta it. Yeah some guy said here dat tha script was weak. I gotta agree to that big time.

Well, overall its a pretty okay movie. As my friend says (Hes a critic from Spill.com), he would consider it as a fun `RENTAL`.

GOOD JOB STYLL TEAM COHEN, for `satisfying` my hunger for The Mummy, but not really making me `full`.

..
By Jason B on July 31, 2008 7:02 PM

Hi there,

I've watched the movie. FANTASTIC!!!!!! I've following The Mummy series and the moment I saw Mummy 3's first trailer a few months back, I was drawn to this movie whole-heartedly and tadaaa.... I watched it at 9:30pm, on 01 August 2008 (M'sian time). Yoohoo!!!!

I kept on telling my friends and friends of my friends to go and catch this movie on big screen!

Brendan Fraser is cute! And there's ever awesome Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh (Malaysian! Bravo!) & Isabella Leong.

Good job there, Mr Cohen!

Congrats!
By Joyce Lee, Malaysia on July 31, 2008 7:59 PM

here I am... could it be, that's the entry not was as usual?
anyway...

oh no one stepp nearer by
the movie
the end of our mummy-journey (please not)

These all makes me really blue... *big sigh*

Thanks for the blog, Rob you're so kind to us
thanks for the friendship from my mummy-freaks
thanks thanks thanks

have a great day, enjoy the movie
and don't forget to tell us
one week and my time is coming *yeah*
By Nicole on July 31, 2008 10:54 PM

不錯!
今天我去看了 覺得挺好
By yee on August 1, 2008 12:55 AM

and in english or german?
By Nicole on August 1, 2008 1:55 AM

Wooh cool finally a new post I can try keep up with what everyone is saying on this one,
Thank goodness you said Bye for now Rob I don't think I could handle a Goodbye for good...well not just yet anyway.

Well Rob this does feel like the end of an Era we have all been on such a wonderful journey in the past year or so and we have loved every minute of it.
We have laughed uncontrollably together and even cried together (isn't that right Delilah), we've talked The Mummy and other movies and shared stories from our pasts and presents helping each other however we could whilst getting to know one another while you made our wonderful movie, and now The Mummy 3 Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is not just ours anymore it belongs to the world but to be truthful I don't think to us the longest and closest members of the Mummy family, the Mummettes including Delilah, Maz, Alton, Anita, Ryan, Comen, Steven, KL, Suzie, Nicole, Kate, Kyle and any other members I may have forgotten (sorry) it doesn't matter how the movie is seen by anyone else, how critics and normal people alike think about it we already love the movie without even seeing it because we have such a bond with you and the movie and we will forever see it as the connection to some great friends from around the world and a great insight to film making process and I (and I'm sure I speak for the whole group when I say this) Thank You sincerely from the bottom of my heart for letting us join in this experience with you, I know that this blog has helped me through some hard times in the past few months and I won't forget this place we have made here, enjoy your break surfing Mr Cohen you earned it, and now you can go see your new little babies and spend some quality time with them.

HELL YEAH GO TEAM COHEN....FOREVER!!!!!!
David C
Peace
By David C on August 1, 2008 3:20 AM

I have not seen the movie yet, but I will today as I love the series. The only thing that will dissapoint me is the change in Brendan's leading lady. She was having a baby. Couldn't her filming just waited a little longer? The next thing that dissapoints me is that I made the mistake of reading your blog! Of course, like most of Hollywood, you are an Obama supporter. Too bad that you could not have just kept your opinion to yourself. Politics need to remain out of Hollywood! As soon as you said you are an Obama supporter, you are making me rethink seeing the movie, and if my Husband read that, he would definately not go. But with all of that said, thank you for making this movie and bringing the characters back for another great adventure.
By Kari on August 1, 2008 5:45 AM

This blog has been great experience to read. The journey from day one to the premiere was absolutely fantastic and thanks for sharing it with us. For what I've seen here, this is going to be a huge, really huge movie and hope everyone will go to see it. We all waited, and hoped that the film will be amazing, and you will be satisfied with the results. Now, that all is behind you, it is our turn to enjoy it. So, thank you for making this movie for us, have a great time off and hope to see you soon back in the director's chair with something just as cool as The Mummy 3.

Kamen from Bulgaria
By Kamen on August 1, 2008 6:36 AM

David, I absolutely agree with you...with this wonderful experience Rob made us" a part " of the making process of a huge movie, and ( maybe even more important) he made that a few persons -leaving in very distant places of the World- became friends...how wonderful is that !? Yeah, through the last year, we have been not only supporting this movie, its director, its cast...we have been supporting each other...We certainly laughed like crazy and cried together ( of course that´s right dear,and you are a cutiepie, you know that? ). So we are absolutely entitled to love this great movie, and we won´t forget this wonderful Creative Journey that we had the honor to do with Rob. Never.
( darn...I´m almost crying again...LOL LOL )

DeeDee

HELLLLLLLLLLLLL YEEEAAHHHH!! GO TEAM COHEN !!!
By Delilah on August 1, 2008 6:48 AM

I just came back from a screening of the Mummy 3 and I want to thank you for ending one of the best summers on the worse note possible. It's as if Miles, Bird, Coltrane, Max Roach are jamming on stage and then some tone deaf idiot shows up and starts playing. That's what your "film" is to the line up of films that I just enjoyed for the last three months. Here's hoping you aren't allowed to make movies of this size again. You don't deserve it because you don't have the talent to rise to the occasion. I sincerely can't stand any film you have made with the exception Dragon. Oh and as someone from Asian descent, you're story is insulting and inaccurate. Shame on you!
By Directorsaab on August 1, 2008 8:30 AM

Well, I guess we all wanna thank you Directorsaab? for posting your absurdly insulting and inaccurate post . You reminded us that not everybody is nice and kind...and that many people are -like the World itself, and quoting Rob- dense, competitive and usually aligned against you. SO WHAT?!!!
Let´see...you came, you were impolite, you seem to be so angry...it´s a petty that you couldn´t stay where you were that last three months...
So...shame on YOU !!!

Delilah.
By Delilah on August 1, 2008 9:00 AM

DirectorSaab, way to be constructive in your criticism buddy!! LOL. Why don't you just go watch The Goth Knight on IMAX for the 20th time and quit bitching. Your opinion has the merit of a five-year old... Shame on you!!
By CLouDEd_ReALiTY on August 1, 2008 9:21 AM

Congratulations on finishing the journey.
I've read some reviews on AICN and its interesting to see how so called critics resort to Anglo Saxon base words whilst they struggle for an opinion.
We are all going tonight and we are going to enjoy the movie for what it is..not Shakespeare...but good old thrill ride entertainment.
Best regards.
M.
By martin mercer on August 1, 2008 11:27 AM

I haven't seen it yet, but tomorrow i will!! I cannot wait til then!! I can't believe the day we've all been waiting for is here! I feel so grateful to have shared in this experience with everyone and I hope we will all stay friends! I feel super lucky to have met each and every one of you wonderful people and to have shared my opinions with Mr. Cohen. I truly believe we have created our own little family (even though its not that little! LOL) Rob, Captain, DeeDee, Maz, David, Nicole, KL, and even Sean (LOL) I am soo happy to have met you all! Yu really are all like my brothers and sisters! I am so happy to have found this haven for Mummy fans because if I hadn't I probably would never had known how many people share my same opinions about the Mummy movies (and love for Brendon!!). I think its truly amazing how this blog has brought so many people from all over the world here, whether they visited once or check it religiously (LOL!). It has created a family and I am truly grateful to have all of you included in it! Looking forward to seeing our movie and enjoy those waves!!

Much Love My Mummy Family,
Kate

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!!

GOOOO TEAM COHEN!!!!!!!!!!!
By Kate on August 1, 2008 11:49 AM

Best of luck with this huge baby!! Roger Ebert gave it a great vote and i am glad. I am wishing you huge success and will be in the theater tomorrow night!!
By Lynne on August 1, 2008 11:53 AM

I forgot to proofread again!! I just get so excited and push the post button too soon!

I forgot to include some people in my post!! Comen, Steven, Ella, and everyone in our Mummy family I am so happy to have met you all!!!!

Much Love My Mummy Family,
Kate
By Kate on August 1, 2008 11:54 AM

Good on you martin mercer. At last someone is making sense.
Directorsaab I can only say what I always say to someone who thinks they have the right to be so rude, not everyone has the same tastes as you. So if you have some constructive criticism you want to impart, with a modicum of common decency and good manners, fine. If not, do us all the favour of crawling back in to the hole you so obviously crawled out of.
It may be that the films you have been enjoying recently might not be so well liked by others but, if that was the case, would you expect those others to be as downright discourteous as you feel the need to be. Act like somebody who was brought up, not dragged up!
By maz on August 1, 2008 11:55 AM

*push* (you know for what, right?) ;-)

I'm sooooo proud to be one of the mummettes... *sigh*
I'm now here since almost a half year and it was an exiting time. And I really believe that material criticism is not bad, but missing manners in any case.

It's not obligation that the film pleases everyone. But I hope that all the film pleases, which go into the cinema. Enjoys without prejudices - just for fun!

So time for me to sleep...
good night my mummyfreaks
remains like you are
big kiss
By Nicole on August 1, 2008 1:20 PM

Thanks, Robbie.

You are a class act to the end. Roger Ebert gave the film a solid three stars, calling it the best of all three. That's the only review that matters to me. Not the haters. Congratulations on making the movie you wanted to make, and I hope you succeeded. I will be in the crowd tonight.

It seems like only last week I was reading your first post on here. It's sad for it to end, but all things must. I look forward to the film. I hope I love it! And I know you do, too.

RY
By Ryan on August 1, 2008 1:44 PM

I'll start this off by saying this is my opinion (who else could it be?), and it in know way reflects my opinion who the people behind the work are, but merely the product they put forth. The comments that will follow are merely a what i hope comes forth as constructive criticism and not mindless bashing. I in no way intend this to sound like a trolls rant and I certainly don't say it to be mean or inconsiderate, i merely am offering one persons opinion and I am in no way trying to convince anyone else that this is the correct opinion, only mine.

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, I can continue.

When i had first heard that they were making a third mummy movie, i said "hey, that's pretty cool. Perhaps ill enjoy it more than i did the second one." I really did enjoy the first film, it has its flaws like most films do but its something that i will always watch when its on. The second one i feel that some of the heart that the first film had was pushed aside for more special effects, but again, that's just how i felt.

When i heard that Rob was directing it i started to wonder if i would see this film. Robs films in the past just haven't been my cup of tea. I really enjoyed Dragon: The Bruce lee story and i thought Dragonheart was fun but, as Ive said before, the style he has taken his films in hasn't been appealing to me. However, during one of the first interviews Rob talked about bringing his directing style back to what it was during those early films i previously mentioned, he said the same of the music as well, commenting on how the dragonheart music was still used in today's trailers.

At that, i said to myself, "Alright, hes sold me. Ill go see the film."

So i saw it, and first id just like to point out that i like the idea of the film. I like the idea of taking actual chinese myth (altered slightly) and making a story that can fit in the mummy universe. I like the ideas of using the yetis, the terrocata warriors, the powers the the emperor possesed, the locals, i just generally dug the vibe of what im sure Rob was going for. I know the writers had some good ideas there and i appreciate the attempt at bringing them to light. However there are some things that really brought the experiance down for me. First being the acting.

Brendan was the same as hes always been so no real complaints there. He played Rick well enough and i think he did the best he could with the dialogue he was given. Maria had big shoes to fill and i feel that she just wasn't up to the task. I feel that she is an incredible actress with a lot of talent but i just didn't feel the spark that was there when Rachel did the part. It always felt like a different character, not just in looks but in how she related to everyone. Every actor who is given a part that someone else played always puts their own spin on it but still embodies the character, however i just never felt like that was Eve on screen, just a person with the same name. Hannah was the same Jonathan we all know and love except his one liners were for more cheesy and poorly written than they were in past installments. He really did the best he could with what he was given but the writers seemed determined to make him as awkwardly unfunny as possible. Jet Li was great for the time he was there, but commenting on his acting is like commenting on The Rocks from the second move, hes mostly cg and when hes there in person there is so little of it that you get the feeling that anyone could have played the part. The same goes for Michelle. I think that they both are very talented actors but they really felt unused in this film, much like Chow Yung Fat was in Pirates 3. I understood what they were going for with Alex's character but i really feel that a different actor would have been better for the part. Admittedly his dialogue, like most of the dialogue, was poorly written, but as an actor its his job to sell the character to me; he never did. The love interest for Alex is just kind of there, there really isn't much to say about her. On to the cg.

As a game modeler, i can say that its pretty damn hard to make 3d characters look compelling or real. The uncanny valley is a hard thing to overcome. But to me the cg, which i know rob spent a great deal of time on much like everything else in this film, just seemed like in game cinemas to me, much like the recent cg seen in the incredible hulk. Its passable but at no time did i ever think "my god, that could be real." it just served to grant us a spectacle but its a spectacle that wive seen dozens of times before and when its been done it needs to be done well otherwise it comes off as ho hum. Some really cool effects with Jet Li when hes in clay form though, and the creature designs were fun and creative but again, nothing sold be on believability. Then again, this is the mummy universe, there is a level of suspension of disbelief. things shouldn't always need to look real. And id agree with that assessment, but only when everything in the film serves to enhance each other. In other words, everything needs to feel like its the same part of the the same universe, everything must compliment everything else. Which brings me to the last part of my assessment.

Yetis in the mummy universe should not hold their arms up in a touchdown pose. At no point in this series, which has always taken itself lightly and poked fun at itself, has it ever attempted something as universe breaking as this. And this is just one of the scenes that serves to pull you out of the film and think, "is this part of the same movie?". that, added with action scenes that, while i know took a considerable amount of effort and time to complete, weren't really all that thrilling, really pulls you out of the film. all of the martial arts scenes, or rather the scenes with actors on screen fighting up close, are shot in a way so that you cant see whats going on, much like the fight scenes in Batman begins. Its really an un fun way of watching a fight when you cant see whats happening. And at the same time you have the camera pulling back for you to observe the cg spectacle on screen, however as i pointed out earlier, none of the cg is done so well as to really warrant a wide angle shot.

Ive read numerous interviews with Rob and i can tell hes an incredibly passionate man. I know he cares about his fans and i know he loves what he does. and in the end, really that sounds like a good life. I just wish that the passion he had felt a bit more focused, and bit more on the ball, because i feel that if he could do that then we could have had a truly memorable movie and not just another summer popcorn flick.

again, my 2 cents. i don't think less of someone if they don't agree and i certainly don't think that everyone else should see things my way. Just my assessment of the film. Id love to hear what the rest of you thought though.
By D on August 1, 2008 2:49 PM

D, I'll let you know on Wednesday, which is when it opens in the UK.
I will give you due respect that you weren't wholly negative and didn't give rise to offence. However, I'm not surprised that you are giving negative feedback because you were negative before you saw the film. That's just an observation on my part.
There have been some good, some bad reports from people who have seen the film. I suppose it all depends on what each individual's expectations are. Some people love it and others don't but I suppose it is down to opinion in the end and, of course, personal taste.
Rob certainly put his heart and soul in to this film and I'm sure that everyone else involved in the making of it did too. It will be interesting to see how much it takes at the box office.
The majority of filmgoers are happy with a film if it is entertaining. Not everyone is looking for Shakespeare. Let's hope that the majority show their approval by going to the cinema to see this film. I am pretty sure they will.
I will say what I thought once I've seen the film on Wednesday. I will be honest enough to tell Rob if there is anything I'm disappointed with. Hopefully there won't be anything I'm disappointed with. I'm sure that he would expect us all to be honest in our opinions.
I am sure of one thing though, I have high hopes that I will really enjoy the finished article. The fact that Brendan is in it is obviously going to make the film enjoyable for me, because I am a fan. So I will start from a more positive standpoint than you did.
Roll on Wednesday..... I can't wait!!!!!!!!!
By maz on August 1, 2008 3:22 PM

I would never want Mummy to be Shakespeare, if i wanted that id read Shakespeare, heh. Mummy has always been its own beast but it feels a bit tamer and unfocused in this outing.

But as for being negative, i was never negative about Mummy 3, if you look at the part where i talk about Rob saying how he wanted this one to play out you'll notice that i was excited about it.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it though. :D
By D on August 1, 2008 3:26 PM

Not enough Michelle Yeoh!
By Sun on August 1, 2008 3:47 PM

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww borrring

By jessica on August 1, 2008 6:59 PM

POST A COMMENT

By jessica on August 1, 2008 7:00 PM

Rob, tell you I just finished watching the film and all I can say is, "Whoa that was amazing! Perfect aim". I really liked it. Especially how the title of THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE... appears, just the way it was in the first film.

However some things left me a bit bothered. First, that even though Simon Duggan did a reat job, I think that he should have adapted his look to Adrian Biddle (May he rest in peace) from the previous films. I was also disappointed that Bob Ducsay didn't return to edit and only to produce, he's great. And I think this film made quite the same mistake as the second, as the second just focused in adventure and action rather than in the mummy that was in the film, this film just focused in action and wars and guns...

But the story is excellent and it looks like the previous ones, not a different film, same humour, same adventures. And I didn't bother with the Weisz/Bello change, but of corss I would have enjoyed to see Rachel Weisz return, as well as Freddie Boath. And I wish to see Weisz and Boath back in the Mummy 4!

And Randy Edelman's score: Awesome! I mean his score sounded like Jerry Goldsmith from The Mummy. As Al Silvestri took some of Goldsmith's score as the basis of his score, Randy took the aspects than Silvestri didn't. And I say that I sometimes heard the Mummy 1 and 2 's main themes. He Probably at least heard the other scores. John Debney from Scorpion King did a better job in this one than in the Scorpion King.

So, great job. Even if it looks like a Stephen Sommers film, it's completely yours. I even hope Steven liked it too. I liked it the same as Returns with The Mummy (1999) my favourite. Thanks for this film! Hope to see you involved in the Mummy 4!

By Daniel on August 1, 2008 7:52 PM

Spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen it yet.

Hi, Rob. I went to see it today! man, I wished it were longer. I wanted to see more raw Jet Li!! He wasn't it in for long.. most of his stuff like,,, 75% of it was CG Jet Li. It was good that he only spoke Chinese though. It's about time american audience get used to watching a movie with subtitle.

Brendan Fraser was pretty good! I didn't like the actors who played his son and his love interest... Their scenes together were too melodramatic to me. I felt like watching a korean soap opera.

The story was all simliar to the first one. The only difference here was the story took place in China and the bad mummy was Jet Li. So, there wasn't anything so unpredictable...

Chase scene in Shanghai was pretty cool! that was very enjoyable and the best part in the film.

There was something wrong with the timing and the editing... I found funny moments not funny. Their unique sense of humor was just left hanging in the air and didnt strike enough. Brendan Fraser coulda been funnier than that. Maria Bello was fine... Rachel Weisz is much better, I thought. But, Maria sounded a little like Rachel, I was surprised.
Jonathan, too, couldve done much better job but he as well as Jet li were wasted...

I cracked up a lot watching the first two and this one I smiled only a little.

The avalanche part was crazy! That was awesome as it was in Triple X.

The score was pretty good. Some of them really stood out and had cool badass melody to it.

Fight scenes were choreographed nicely but wasnt shot all that great. Editing-wise, I didn't like all the little slow mo here and there.

Yeti was cool, but i was a lil confused that they understood what Lin said in Chinese... lol
Creatures were cool. Three-headed dragon was nicely CGI-ed but the transformation looked fake.
What was the 2nd monster that Jet Li transformed into? I had no idea what that was. I was guessing its another mythical Chiense monster.

Overall, enjoyable but it was missing some unique sense of humour that i felt from the first two. Good action adventure but I felt you can do better than that. I hope to see more from you in the future!

Thanks for reading.

By Yaz on August 1, 2008 8:53 PM

I just saw it.

I liked it alot. :-)

RY

By Ryan on August 1, 2008 10:40 PM

Horrible music. You don't even use an Oconnel theme in the movie - I eman, at all!. The idea was ok, but script was to weak, and director was weak I must say. Oconnel is on screen like for 15 minutes. Johantaan even less, for about 2 minutes overall. Eve was terrible, and her scenes at Oconnel's mannor... wow this was just... nevermind. My girfirend was laughing thru entire movie - not becouse movie was funny, but becouse it was just silly. I was shame. I love two previous movies, love Oconnel character, and I must say only Brendon tryed to do something in this movie. And fact that his character is the only thing that was left from previous movies is not too much. So sorry, but film just sucks. A lot. Better luck next time, but plz, don't touch this franchise again.

By Oconnel on August 2, 2008 12:19 AM

one more thing to add;

Mr Rob! Nice dancing there in the end! I gotcha! lol

By Yaz on August 2, 2008 1:10 AM

Could it be that the blog needs a small break? Looks strange, not like before. Is this only with me like that?

Once again... Please our mummy-killer named B R E N D A N F R A S E R. Not Brendon Frasier and so on.... Did that arrive?

The opinions over this film gape completely. That gives discussion material. But please no offenses! And many of us did not see this film yet. More respect and it fits already.

By Nicole on August 2, 2008 2:02 AM

Hi Rob & Mummy family. It's been a long time since I've posted a comment her but I have been following TM:TOTDE probably just as much as you all have. You know, the tv spots, interviews, books, comic, soundtrack, the Beijing/Olympic/Mummy promo. The whole nine yards. So when yesterday morning finally came - it all felt so surreal! It's finally here! After a year of anticipation I finally get to see it. So, what did a big Mummy fan think, a guy who has all the stuff, watched the 2 previous movies over and over... I don't know!

Sorry Rob but I do know you were interested in what everyone thinks and I'd like to just take a few minutes to write about your film just as you have for the past year (much to all of our chagrin). While I was watching the movie, engrossed in all of it's set pieces (amazingly incredible and well done) and thinking of the natural beauty China has I was a little unsure of what I was watching. Was this Mummy 3, was this even the reboot I had anticipated for oh so long? It was certainly different than I expected but not so much so to disappoint.

Whenever you "obsess" over a movie for over a year, the film you eventually see will either let you down or exceed your expectations. I just wasn't even sure what to think while I was watching. I knew I was enjoying what I was seeing but it was very different than the first 2 that I had to just view this one as a standalone film, as a reboot, a refreshing start, The Mummy 3.0!

The special effects were definitely amazing! The yeti were my favorite. They were really well designed and were similar to the college football players you had talked about in the Making of book that came out. They were real memorable and very adorable. I cared for them and didn't want to see The Emperor kill them! The terra-cotta mummies, the Emperor cursed and regenerating, etc were all well done.
The cast was great (I did miss Rachel Weisz) but not completely so that I did not take to Maria Bello. Maria was a great combination of humour, strength, and beauty. She was a good choice for Evy and I'd have no problem seeing her return for a follow-up. I would have preferred you to cast Jessica Biel, especially since you worked together on "Stealth". Luke Ford was great, Isabella Leong was great. And now for the 3 powerhouses - Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, and Jet Li!

I just love Michelle Yeoh (Zi Yuan)!!! She is so beautiful and so intelligent in whatever she does. She has incredible grace (in reading lines from a script to fighting with swords). I knew she was going to die but when she gets thrown off the cliff I wanted to scream!!!! I thought that was done very well with a nice homage to asian cinema. You know, the sensation of her being killed. But I didn't want to see her killed. I would have enjoyed even more if she fought Jet Li in the fisticuffs tradition. Seeing her fight using swords was good but a real faceoff between the two would have been breathtaking!

Brendan Fraser - Great man! I really liked how you maintained humour, drama, and action in the film Rob and no onw is better than Mr. Fraser! When he's fly fishing or even playing with the 3rd Eye of Shanri-La - that was funny. Wow, he was buff in this! I enjoyed his fight at the end. But he got his ass kicked to much and by the time you could really see his training in Krav Maga, it was too quick. They had defeated the Emperor.

and, Jet Li - The KING! Having him in this was great. I'm glad he was your only choice. NO ONE else should be the Emperor even though most of the scenes with the Emperor you couldn't see his true form. Jet Li is the best.

Okay, maybe I do know. I really enjoyed The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. I would like to see it again. Just really while I was watching it I was a little unsure. It just felt different. I guess that was a success for you - to separate it from the first 2 but to still call it The Mummy. You did a great job! And I look forward to whatever is up your sleeve next. Thank you Rob for everything you've done for us fans! Be well.

Peace and love to all you Mummy fans!
Steven B

By Steven on August 2, 2008 4:56 AM

I summarize that once...

"Brendan Fraser - Great man! I really liked how you maintained humour, drama, and action in the film Rob and no one is better than Mr. Fraser! "

yes yes yes
good boy

By Nicole on August 2, 2008 8:09 AM

Hi Steven. Where have you been? It's nice to see you back.
I'm glad you enjoyed the film.

By maz on August 2, 2008 9:41 AM

I loved working on this film! This was my 1st feature film after
working in animation for 17 years.

I am very thankful I was part of the film for over 7 months.

By Kevin on August 2, 2008 10:53 AM

Well, other than point out the current score over at Rotten Tomatoes, 10% (Fresh 11, Rotten 102), so that Maz can attack me for trolling, I have a question for Rob if you're reading the blogs still.

One of the common threads of the reviews I've read, and here on the blog as well actually, is the fact that the movie has far too much "shaky cam" and the action scenes are filmed too close and cut so quickly that you can't see what is going on. That, along with excessive CGI, is another one of my major beefs with movies these days and even "The Dark Knight", a movie I loved, suffers from action that is shot too close.

So my question is why this continues to be done? I realize that sometimes it's the only way to cover a scene where the actors or stunt performers aren't up to the challenge, but when, as others have pointed out, you have loving, sweeping shots of CGI why can't the same care and attention be given to a good fight scene? Is it the old cliche that modern audiences have really short attention spans (aka, the MTV generation) or is it truly an artistic choice?

By The Mummy on August 2, 2008 11:55 AM

I won't shoot you for asking a question.

By maz on August 2, 2008 12:55 PM

I'm no filmmaker, though Ive talked to a few, and the general consensus as to why the action is shot close is because the director wants to make the audience feel like they are a part of the fight.

I think is disorienting and brings me out of the fight but that's just me.

By D on August 2, 2008 4:56 PM

Hi Everybody

I'm glad to see there are some actual disscussions going on of the film, I am dissappointed some people did not like what they saw but that is there opinion and as long as they say it in a nice none rude way no we won't shoot them (will we mazzie).
I have not yet seen the movie it will be at least another week before I do, so I need to be careful what I read here I have already found out too much by reading this tonight..my own fault really.
The only thing I can really say is I think people are just too judgemental, I mean I understand reviewing a movie but serious everybody How the hell can you all enjoy any movie not just this one if you read into every little detail with a fine tooth comb. I am readng all the post here and its all the CGI was like...and the camera shots were like..and the story line was like...of course you are not going to enjo movie if you study over it while you watch it, the only peolple meant to do this are the people making it and the people reviewing it, why anyone else would go into soo much detail is way beyond me.
To really enjoy a movie you are soposed to sit back,relax and let the movie flow, the whole point is Entertainment and if you are entertained the movie has done its job, forget the CGI, forget which way the camera is going...forget there even is a camera and enjoy its hard not to be critical when being so pecise. I understand this may be a very childish way of looking at the subject and may seem less passionite but I do love movies and I think it is because I look at them in this way I enjoy most movies I watch, I can disect a movie like you are all doing when I want to but whats the point it spoils the experience intended in my opinion. The thing is I can always tell when someone looks at movies as I do they say it was good, bad, alright or boring these opinion just come to you anything else and your just lookin for things to say.
I am very sorry for the ramble I hope you all understand my point in the respectful way it was intented as for now I will shoot off to bed talk to you all later.

HELL YEAH GO TEAM COHEN!!!!
Peace
P.S. welcome back Steven plz stick around bro

By David C on August 2, 2008 8:13 PM

Hey David C, I understand, to a point, what you are saying and yes, one should attempt to sit back and enjoy a movie but you can only do that so far.

You are correct, you shouldn't notice the camera but when you can't make sense of what is happening on screen, like in many of the action scenes in today's movies, then the camera does draw attention to itself and draws you out of it. There were some action scenes in the last two "Bourne" movies that I ended up giving up trying to follow the action and waited to see who won at the end.

Similarly, the same goes if the story is good but if it simply doesn't make sense, or the characters do something "out of character", then that takes you out of the film. CGI is a great tool in the right place, but so many movies now seem to be in the "CGI for CGI's sake" mode. Call me old fashioned but I find it much more exciting to see a character fighting a flesh and blood actor than a CGI stand in. And what a more perfect film to have an actor than a movie about Mummies.

If I'm paying hard earned money to see a film, then I do have a right be be judgmental. Being a filmmaker, I do watch movies to study the technical side however I will generally only do that on the second viewing. On the first, I will do as you suggest, sit back and just enjoy the experience.

So why am I being so hard on this latest Mummy movie before I've even seen it? Well, it's based purely on the track record of the director, and the trailers I've seen so far. Is that fair? I think so.

By The Mummy on August 2, 2008 10:02 PM

I was so excited about this movie until i saw it, there was no chemistry between rick and evie, maria ruined it for me but jet li and michelle were good poor script aswell.

By Kelly on August 2, 2008 11:15 PM

I think David has a point. Most of us go to the cinema just to be entertained. I can see that there are times when a viewer can get confused as to what is happening or frustrated because they want to see more of the fight action ( I may have that problem because I used to do Karate myself), but I do think you (the mummy) should see the whole film first before you make comment. If you go into a cinema feeling negative about the film you are not viewing it with an open mind. I may find things that I don't like in the film. If I do I will tell Rob. However, I have no doubt that I will feel entertained. I don't think I've ever seen a film where I didn't find something I wasn't happy with so why should this one be different? But if It entertains me I shall be satisfied.
Your comment about Rob's directing style is just your own personal opinion and may not the held by a lot of other people. Everyone's tastes are different. It shouldn't stop you going to see this film with a completely open mind. Who knows, you might shock yourself and really enjoy the experience.

By maz on August 3, 2008 4:06 AM

Hi Rob, although i may not have commented on any of your updates throughout this website i have read and took in every last one of them.

The Mummy 3 hasnt yet been released here in the UK yet but the day it opens i will be there to see the hard work you guys have put into this installment.

When i first started reading your updates on the site i felt as if i was going on the journey too, my dream is to make another film and unfortunately the light at the end of the tunnel has now vanished for me and i doubt i will ever be able to live that dream.

But from reading these blogs it has taken me through each step of production and taught me so much, and i cant wait to see this film!

By Glenn, UK on August 3, 2008 4:06 AM

Hello everyone! Thanks for welcoming me back.

I'm really interested in how well TM:TOTDE did in it's 1st week. I know it was #1 on Friday but on one site I just read it said that estimated have it coming in at #2. I am real glad that The Dark Knight is doing as well as it's doing but I would like to see The Mummy succeed. It really comes down to the numbers in determining whether or not we will all see the O' Connell's once again. That's what I enjoyed the most out of it's ending. You know, mummies found in Peru. It doesn't really scream sequel and it does provide definite closure for this story and the O' Connell's. But, they always could do another one set in Peru or even elsewhere. It just, for me, was a funny ending for an entertaining movie.

So, since all of us fans have probably seen it all by now. How do you see this movie in comparison to the 1st and "Returns"? I liked this one MORE than the 2nd but I think the 1st is still my favorite.

peace,
Steven

P.S. Have any of you read TM:TOTDE making of book that was advertised on this blog? I'm reading it and I think it will enhance my viewing of the Mummy when I see it again. I really want to see it again for a 2nd time. I think I will enjoy it even more.

P.S. (again) Sorry, but I never commented on how funny I thought the line was "Hey, that's my favorite blue shirt!" that Rick says to Evy. And she says "I've always hated that shirt"

By Steven on August 3, 2008 6:40 AM

Well... it had to be our lovable DAVID C ( Hi there, little Bro, I love you !) the one who could express EXACTLY what I feel about movies ( not only about this movie) and the way that a lot of persons use to " dissect" them, instead of simply " enjoy" them...First off, I couldn´t go to watch the movie yet, so, I´m not reading completely this board , cuz I want to judge the film by myself. Actually, I started to read some reviews
( of course, having in mind that most of the so called " movie critics" will try to destroy TM3...they don´t seem to like "popcorn" movies...oh no, they like a more dramatic, serious, dark, depressing and heartrending movie,I don´t know, maybe Iranian or Croatian cinema , whatever, something that makes you think about the irredeemable crappiness of the Human Race, something that leaves you in a state of "dang... I should kill myself...I don´t deserve to live..." when you leave the Cinema...it´s like " you must not to have fun when you go to the theater...you have to suffer, dammit, do it !! "LOL ...sorry, I know I´m exaggerating, but I always felt like this about movie critics...) Anyway, I knew that many critics would bash the movie even before they saw it ( one honest guy at Comingsoon " confessed" this, in his preliminar review )..
.I know that when you have a profession you use to analyze exaggeratedly any thing that it´s related to your area ( it happens to me, always)...but you must trust in other people instincts ad let them ENJOY what they are doing...Even more if we are discussing anything related to " arts". They seem to think that they have the right to tell you " STOP... you CAN¨T enjoy this movie, this song, whatever. Can´t you see it´s crap, you inane? "... Nobody can tell me what kind of music, which actor,which director, which painter, I must love...And when I read all those critics, that are dissecting, tearing apart a movie, analyzing it part-by-part, I always wonder ...how the hell can they enjoy anything, if instead of take a look at the" whole" thing, they are just paying attention to pulling apart its pieces, and trying to find which one is worst...?? I don´t know, I´m just a regular moviegoer...I couldn´t care less about the opinion of the so called critics ( they can irritate the hell outta me, of course, but, honestly, I like or dislike a movie, no matter what they say ) ...As Rob said, they are moved but a lot of interests ( $$$$´s interests, so many times, for sure) That´s why I don´t use to read movie reviews. This time I did... ( because of our " emotional" relationship to this movie ) and I´m in awe...cuz, as you read the critics, the bad points for some people are good points for others, and you can see they really wanna " hurt" the movie,mentioning things that really are senselessly stupid.( i´m sure that they must do it with a lot of movies)
One of those pseudo critics said " I´m glad that this movie is so bad, cuz I KNEW and I WANTED that it would be so bad "...and I´m not talking about the usual bashers on IMDB- who, BTW, must be pretty busy, changing again their screen names to post and destroy the movie, cuz with their former screen-names, they had sworn by God, that they won´t see this crap !! _LOL LOL LOL )...Oh anyway...there´s no chance to this " critics" to keep me away from enjoy this ( or another) movie...I know the same goes for a lot of us...

I LOVE YOU ALL MUMMETTES...( I guess that this Monday, or Tuesday I will be able to go watch the movie... otherwise... impatience will finally kill me ...SOB SOB )

HELLLL YEAAAHHHH !! GO TEAM COHEN !!!!

DeeDee

By Delilah on August 3, 2008 7:50 AM

Don't tell us anymore Steven. We can't see it in England until Wednesday. I'm glad you liked it though and that you chose to come back and post here. Captain Cloudy was asking where you were in the last few days (on Facebook). We all wondered where you were.
Now all we need to know is where is Suzie?

By maz on August 3, 2008 7:52 AM

Hey, I honestly wanna apologize if I sounded rude about Iranian and Croatian cinema...I didn´t want to despise it, I´m absolutely aware that many people like those kind of movies, and it´s OK to me...I just wanted to state that I use to prefer big Hollywood´s movies...but I didn´t want to offend anybody who likes other kind of films...So, sorry if I bother anyone...I didn´t mean to do it, honestly. My apologies !.

DeeDee

By Delilah on August 3, 2008 8:26 AM

You seem to think that critics feel that their opinions mirror what everyone else should think. When ever anyone gives their opinion on this blog every seems to respond with "well thats just your opinion." I'm sorry to say this but really, who else's opinion would it be?

I think that when someone says they like this or that, they are saying that THEY like this or that, they are judging the rest of the world and saying that everyone should like or dislike what they like, they are merely stating their opinion and no one else's. That even goes for right now, this is how I have always viewed when someone gives an opinion, that doesn't mean that everyone thinks the same way, but i think that most of the people ive met, online or off line, view it the same way.

Also, when it comes to tearing apart a movie piece by piece i can assure you there is a reason. When judging any piece of art, be it visual or aural, you take in the piece as a whole. Once you've consumed it you may find that their is a piece that isn't sitting well with you. Maybe its the chorus in a song, maybe its the perspective in a painting, maybe its the cgi in a movie. There is something that keeps you from enjoying experience and being wholly satisfied. A critic will tell you, in their perspective of course, what piece didn't sit well with them.

Also, as far as disecting a film takes all the fun out of it. Ill agree with this statement for a film like the mummy, which doesnt try to be anything more than what it is. But how about a film like Pan's Labyrinth? You could take the film for what it is and maybe youll enjoy the story, and maybe you wont. Or you can read between the lines and figure out what each piece means, how the story relates to todays world, what is the story saying about adulthood, youth, imagination, innocence, love. Sometimes a film is put out to simply be, you are suposed to revel in its absurdity. A film can do this incredibly well if it knows what it is trying to be, however it seems that most critics didnt view mummy 3 as this kind of film. They saw that it attempted to be this kind of film but didnt quite pull it off. So, at that point, they start to point out what the film could have done to achieve what they feel it attempted to do.

In the end, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, only what you think. However, your opinion will always come under attack no matter what your stance is, so its up to you to decide if you want to explain your reasoning, especially if you post on the net where everyone challenges you no matter where you go. Does this mean that you must always explain your actions? No. But everyone has a reason they like or dislike something and a lot of people out there want to know why.

Again, just my two cents. No one else's. The point of this post was to say that everyones opinion is there own and the above is just my opinion. My view on life.

By D on August 3, 2008 8:42 AM

second paragraph should say "aren't judging the rest of the world"

By D on August 3, 2008 8:44 AM

Well the Mummy may not have beat the Dark Knight in the U.S. (even though it was a close call), but it whooped all kinds of ass internationally... over 59 million dollars worth in 28 countries so far!! You win some, you lose some I guess. :)

I'm just glad TM3 is finally out... and at least it did better than The Scorpion King. LOL. I'm wondering though, will the $42,450,000 estimate TM3 made in the U.S. actually be a higher number once the actual B.O. numbers come out later on. The Dark Knight had alot more theaters than TM3 but I still think it may be closer to the #1 spot than projected.

Oh, and I've actually sorta kinda watched the movie now too. LOL. I'm not gonna go into any details on the plot n' stuff until everyone in the Mummy Family has seen it, but I will tell you all this... It was pretty f*ckin' sweet!! It had the best efx, best score, and best opening prologue of all the Mummy movies IMHO!! I had alot of fun with it!! The more detailed review shall come next week some time. I gotta watch it a second time to really catch all the different details and whatnot. OK, gotta go!!

HELLL YEAAAH!! GO TEAM COHEN!!

By CLouDEd_REaLiTY on August 3, 2008 10:27 AM

The word is out: The Mummy is #2. I do hope that The Mummy does well financially in it's overall run. It will no doubt surpass it's cost worldwide (domestic + international) but domestically I'm really unsure. I hate to think this way but it seems that this may be the last time we will be seeing the O' Connell's on the screen. I am glad that it had a satisfying ending.

I will return,
Steven

P.S. I really loved Michelle Yeoh in this movie. She's great!

By Steven on August 3, 2008 12:14 PM

Hey Rob, or Mr. Cohen, or whatever you prefer. haha, I'm an aspiring filmmaker (junior at LUHS in Wisconsin) and I really enjoyed xXx and The Fast and the Furious, really cool movies! Me, myself, didnt really like this one too much, but it is a summer blockbuster, and you delivered in the blockbuster department! The action were really intense, and Jonathan was hilarious! I do all my editing in FCP, and i know how tedious it all can get, just on a less grand scale. btw, i love finding new ways to shoot scenes, which i noticed you did in the fast and furious, really awesome!

I can't think of anything cool to write here,
Jory Federighi

By Jory Federighi on August 3, 2008 12:38 PM

ay , im not a big The Mummy fan , altho for some reason i got tha dvds for Mummy 1 and Mummy Returns. I gotta say dat i really liked this 3rd one , well i liked tha 1st one better. This one cudve been better , but not worse. cant believe the critics panned it so bad , giving it bad reviews. well i know someone who knows this critic from this magazine and it gave it 1.5/5 stars, it sucked so bad.

well, i already watched tha film twice lol one on friday and one today cuss my cuzins wanted to watch it.

some of us thought dat itd coulda been better ,but most of us gave it positive tinggs. even most of tha people on tha theatre gave remarks. they gave it thumbs up.

well ,
i really hope dat if U guys make a mummy 4, PLEASE. ASSURE ME DAT ITS GONNA BE REALLY GOOD , AND THAT YOU WILL PROVE THE CRITICS WRONG THIS TIME.

Big ups to Team Cohen. and is that weird guy in here says , ``HELL YEAH ``

lol

By carl smith on August 3, 2008 8:53 PM

Muito fraco! A atriz principal não era a mesma dos filmes anteriores - isso fez uma grande diferença. Não gostei da mudança e acredito outras ´pessoas também não!

By Roberto Barreto on August 3, 2008 9:07 PM

Its very disappointing that the movie wasn't good enough for me because the original EVY ( Rachel Weiz ) was not there. the tandem really made a mark to the audience basing it from the first two movies of THE MUMMY...

I hope you understand, but still Maria Bello was not good enough to replace Rachel. If you can be considerate enough...many people would agree that nothing can replace Rachel Weiz performance in the Mummy movie series ....

Good day,

By Rob on August 3, 2008 11:26 PM

I saw the movie the first day it came out. It was really good but the beginning was a little boring.. I must say I miss the real Evelyn O'Connell (Rachel Weisz) she was the WOMAN on the first two movies.. the new one isn't that bad it just that Rachel Weisz is the best for the movie.. so anyways I can't wait to have it in my collection of DVD's already.. Good Job Rob!!

By Josuam on August 4, 2008 5:02 AM

Waiting for wednesday to see it - as much as I am a mummy fan, the critics aren't being too kind (11% on rottentomatoes) least its Orange Wednesday and I pay half price for my ticket :P

Is Rob going to comment on the critics comments or is he going to shy away?

By Domboy on August 4, 2008 5:07 AM

Hey everyone!!! I saw TM3 on August 2!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!!!!! Sometimes though it was weird to see Maria Bello, but she did an awesome job!! =) I hope if there is a TM4 Rachel will be in it!! Excellent job Mr. Cohen!! You did an amazing job!!

Much Love My Mummy Family,
Kate

By Kate on August 4, 2008 1:58 PM

Awww Dang!! I just checked the actual B.O. numbers for TM3 and they are actually lower than projected... by about $2 million. That Sux. : ( It's still making that Foreign B.O. money though, so not all is lost. I guess foreign moviegoers are less driven by aimless movie critics and blindingly negative fanboy buzz than the folks in the U.S. Oh Well, I still really liked the movie and will be purchasing it on DVD!!! As I said before... You win some, you lose some, so f*ck it. What's next on the slate Rob?? I'm ready to direct my positive energy at your next project.

HELLL YEAAAHH!! GO TEAM COHEN (No Matter What, Damnit)!!

P.S. Glad you liked it Kate. I'm guessing the general consensus amongst the Mummy Family will be thumbs up!!

By CLouDEd_REaLiTY on August 4, 2008 3:29 PM

Hey Guys,
I love the discussions that are going on people are giving actual opinions and not TROLLING lol.
First off Delilah huni I love you too we do get each other don't we.
I'm glad you and Maz understood along with the other guys.
Overall you all got my opinion movies are there to enjoy, altough you are right D if someone wishes to they can dissect a movie and understand the ambiguity of it if they wish because although I have never seen Pans Labyrinth there are many movies out there that do go deeper if a person wishes to understand it more and I feel you have understood me this movie never did say it was going to be the best ever or that it would surpass the originals Mr Cohen said he would respect the other movies and if that is so I am very happy, I think that another problem the critics have ot that a lot of people can not see past is that this is a continuation of another movie and when that happens or if a movie is a remake they are constantly compared to the originals and because a person has already seen and come to love the original they dub the new on as no good an example I have is my uncle, he always goes on about how Tora, Tora, Tora is better than Pearl Harbor (now I do not want to open a can of worms here) but I always wonder if he had seen Pearl Harbor before Tora, Tora, Tora which would he like more, and that is the difficulty with older generations a lot of the movies being made today are remakes and comparisons happen and in my mind comparisons blur opinions.
As for the critics themselves Delilah I agree with you I do not listen to them as a matter of fact I don't read them anymore I have not read one review of TM3 and I do not intend to they are paid to nit pick and this is very off putting.
Maz I know huni it is not fair on us we can not see the movie until Wednesday, so slow your horses down there Steven bro the whole family have not seen it yet the worst thing is I go to France for a week on Wednesday and I doubt I will be able to see the movie before I leave so it will have to wait until I come back on 13th booo ok everyone I gotta go now I will try write again tomorrow and say see ya before I go on my holidays but for now.
Talk to ya all later,
HELL YEAH GO TEAM COHEN!!!!!
Peace
David C

By David C on August 4, 2008 4:05 PM

I have considered the first two Mummy movies as not only really well-done stories with great pacing, appetizing twists and turns, edge-of-your-seat fun and great performances, but as being a cut above in intelligence for the way they treat fans of the golden years of Saturday-morning serials. In my opinion, those two movies hold their ground equally on all counts in comparison to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Last Crusade.
Since you've taken SUCH care in crafting these tales, I feel someone (not sure who) lost sight of the promise to uphold the wonderful legacy which the franchise has established in constructing this 3rd installment. Although I'm sure I will warm to the film more throughout what will most likely be multiple viewings upon its DVD release, I would offer here a few simple points I believe are in keeping with the integrity of that original vision:
1) Either bring Rachel Wise back or have her killed off-frame and mourned for the beginning of #4. This has less to do with the talents of the current Evie than the fact that ANY franchise which has such a strong central character should refrain from trying to simply substitute a "pod clone" for the only person who will ever able to be Evie in the eyes of Mummy fans world -wide. It could have been SO juicier to have a new love interest as a rival "mummyioligist," opening up all kinds of potential richness of competition in the overall plot line. This actress is NOT Evie and it's not HER fault, but rather the result of a misled decision to keep the character alive... and end up costing the magic of the chemistry, heritage and storyline to fall upon using the "easy way out."
2) The credibility of 38 year old Rick's son Alex being a 20 year-old really strains the plot line. How interesting to have Choi's role be a 13 year old immortal girl who still has the opportunity of a romantic pull for a 13 year old Alex (which would have been a more credible genesis from his 9 year old Mummy II appearance.)
3) WATCH THE CONTINUITY ! ! ! When the dragon emperor is "mummified" he has his arms raised and hands clawing the air above him in rage. When he is found, he is holding the reigns of the four horses drawing a funeral chariot... NOT where we left him. That was SUCH a "huh?" that it REALLY felt like neither my intelligence as a moviegoer nor my devotion as a fan to this series was being respected.
4) In considering the 4th installment, I would urge you to pick Peru, as there are SO MANY wonderful possibilities for incorporating not only the Inca culture but a rich and magical host of other pre-Incan cultures, such as:
* the Nazca, who buried their dead in fetal positions as mummies in grid-formed graves, had the art of hot-air smoke ballooning, sent their dead kings on "journeys to the sun" and devised all those amazing large-scaled drawings which could only have been truly appreciated from an aerial perspective
*the Uros of Lake Titicaca, who constructed their floating cities and watchtowers on massive beds of reeds, which could be moved in defensive positions if a threat arose.
*the Chimu who built Chan Chan, the largest Pre-Columbian city in South America;
*the Mohica who built the twin cities of Huaca del Sol and Huaca del Luna and were renowned for their exquisite gold filament work and magnificent pottery.

... and so many others!

That being said, the Yeti and Dragon were wonder-fully inspired and contributed that same old familiar sense of magic to the storyline that had been brought to the first two. I am looking forward to a continuance and adherence to the brilliance and inventiveness in plot set against and driven by the archaeological fabric of the great civilizations of our world that you managed to establish in the first two ... and perhaps upon closer examination, in this third one as well.

By Peter Donoso on August 4, 2008 4:09 PM

Hey Mummy Family !!!

Oh I´m so happy...!! I´m going tomorrow to watch the TM3 !! YEESS!!! I can´t wait !!
Cloudy dear,you are right BTW, about the Foreign BO...well, in my country, at least, this movie is first at the BO, indeed...and the critics are really good ! They are giving a B+...
Anyway, who cares about them...Just enjoy the movie !!
I´m gonna copy a few words from a Brendan´s interview ( The Guardian ),by Ryan Gilbey. Ryan says:
"I am invited to sit in on what is known as a round-table interview: seven or eight international journalists competing with one another to see who can ask the most banal questions......An Austrian reporter wonders about escapism. "Look," Fraser interrupts, suddenly impatient... " ( and these are the words that I really wanna borrow from Brendan )

"We should all enjoy ourselves. Remember fun? Well, fun's good. Fun's back. "

Yeeeesssss....that´s it !!! FUN !. I can´t wait to get my fair share of FUN tomorrow.... So

HELLLLLLLL YEEEAAHHH!!! GO TEAM COHEN !!!!

( and of course, no matter what !!!...like it was through all the last year !!...damnit !!!! LOL LOL )

DeeDee

By Delilah on August 4, 2008 4:21 PM

David, enjoy your holiday. DeeDee enjoy the film tomorrow. I'll be able to see it on Wednesday. Can't wait.
David I agree that it is good to see some people coming here to make constructive criticism and some to say they loved the film.
I never listen to the critics, who are paid to pull a film apart because I never agree with them. I'm keeping an open mind.
Peru sounds like a good location for the next Mummy film. I hope it gets made soon.

By maz on August 4, 2008 5:10 PM

I honestly hope to hell there isn't another Mummy movie, and if there is, you are no longer behind the camera. I'm amazed you were even able to edit the film at all because of all the goddamn close up, shaky cam shots of the action scenes. Enough already! Pull the camera BACK and LOCK DOWN your shots when doing these sequences! WE CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! It doesn't give more energy to the scene if we can't SEE the scene.

It's not stylistic. It's Yeti shit.

By Jake Obannon on August 4, 2008 5:54 PM

p.s. Rachel Weisz is laughing somewhere right now.

By Jake Obannon on August 4, 2008 6:01 PM

Hey everyone!, check out this link here about the mummy 4 !, i found it on the mtv movie blog website!, here is the link so click here http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/08/04/mummy-4-to-re-locate-to-latin-america-with-new-twist-says-director/ . Well enjoy the link to this site with exciting info about the mummy 4. Let me know if it works when you click on it!..................
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Sean~
=)

By sean on August 4, 2008 9:26 PM

Well, well, well... I guess that this board is visited by a lot of brilliant movie directors...They all seem to be ( eerr... or they seem to think that they are...) better than Rob...I mean, they all are giving a LOT of advices about how Rob should have shot his movie and how much better they could have done it...Please, do share with us your amazing productions guys...We will surely enjoy your films...I mean, you seem to know EVERYTHING about production, shooting, CGIs, casting...and you even seem to know HOW to do it...

Anyway...I won´t even ask about what is Ms. RW laughing at, cuz I suspect that she doesn´t even know about the stupid comments of her fans, who are involving her in their disrespectful opinions ( I wanna believe that she is a nice Lady and she wouldn´t endorse some impolite comments that her so-called fans has been doing about her colleagues, right? ) ( hmmm....I was about to ask if she is laughing at any of her last movies but...nope... I won´t...She has nothing to do with this )
BTW...how comes that, if you like something ( a movie, a director, an actor) many people think that they have the right to come and treat you very unkindly, saying " how can you like that? That´s sh*t !!"... and then, when you reply and treat those people in the same way, they say:
" I´m entitled to have my own opinion, you are not, cuz I´m right, but you are wrong !!...this is MY opinion and it is MINE, and I can say it cuz it is MY opinion... blah blah blah..." ???
It´s the same here, or on IMDB boards ( TM3, Brendan´s board) ... a lot of persons have been saying terrible things about the movie, Rob, the whole cast, and Brendan ...when the fans go and support them, we always have to hear some long speech about why WE are totally wrong and why we shouldn´t give a damn about all what we like...So, they have the right to hate...we don´t have the right to love, uh?...

Well, guess what, bashers/ haters/" know-it-all" people...if you come here with your bigoted " You should do the things like I THINK they should be done" nasty attitude...we really won´t give a damn about what YOU think.

Come fairly...leave your opinion with no taunting...and we will be glad to talk with you. Of course, this just MY opinion. LOL

OK. End of my rant...

See ya tomorrow Mummy Family !!
HELLLLL YEEEAAHHHHH !! GO TEAM COHEN !!

DeeDee.

By Delilah on August 4, 2008 9:45 PM

Hey Mr. Rob Cohen i hope you make another movie i like it !!!!!! it was great and if u do another one it would b great Mr. Rob Cohen.
If u do make other one make another one in mexico against the Aztecs or something like that !!!! That would be crazy !!!!!!!!!!!!
and then with the spacial effects it would b better then the 3rd one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the actors of them mummy thanks 4 making this movies !!!!
i hope u read it Mr. Rob Cohen

Peace
Raul Molina

By Raul on August 4, 2008 11:42 PM

Jake Obannon, I'm with you completely. Directors: pull back, let us see the results of all the training that the actors have taken and is usually mentioned over and over in movie promo pieces. Check out some of the older Jackie Chan films with long uncut takes of amazing fight scenes, just as an example. I just spent 14.5 hours wandering around on stage shooting a major festival concert and I think I got some great closeups, but all in moderation.

And Delilah, if my comments about Rob's directing are, as you say, bigoted then it's simply based on my opinion of his past films. I'm sure he's a great guy, and would be fun to surf with. But I think it's time he did something else, or perhaps tackle a project smaller in scope.

By The Mummy on August 5, 2008 12:39 AM

*push*
Thanks DeeDee, that's what it is... my words ;-)))

If there really a Mummy4 I think the swiss mountains are perfect for that. Cause we have some "Ötzis" under the ice.

Love to my mummyfreaks (have to wait till friday)
and the rest, don't forget the manners

take care

By Nicole on August 5, 2008 2:07 AM

If there are fight scenes in this movie, which the viewer can't see clearly, because of the camerawork, you can be sure that I will be frustrated by it. If I am I will relate the point to Rob, so that he will be aware of the fact. However, I will not indulge in childish taunts like the people who think they know better than Rob.
the mummy, while I respect some of your criticisms, I would dearly like you to post a link to one of your films so that we could look at it and see if we like your style of camerawork and editing. Or are you all mouth and no trousers (English expression). Could you take the kind of criticism you are raining down on Rob?
I would challenge Jake Obannon in the same way. Presumably you have made some films, which have earned billions of dollars. We would dearly like to see them. Let's see if you can take what you give..... downright rudeness!!!!!!
DeeDee Enjoy yourself today. You've earned the break.

By maz on August 5, 2008 2:48 AM

Hey Rob,
Just saw the movie last night. Wanted to let you know it was a fun ride, with a few bumps along the way. Enjoyed seeing everyone again and I enjoyed how you shot the film. It felt very at home with the other two. I had a slight problem with the Yeti "field goal" and the return of the Chinese general and hench-woman just to be accidently crushed by the big wheels. Felt, if you brought them back, them should have given Eve a bigger fight. I loved how you tried to get the relationship of the O'Connells to be a focus in the film.
Thanks

By David on August 5, 2008 8:25 AM

Comen? huhuuuuu
gehst du wie ich am Freitag?
Hoffe du hast dich etwas erholt von deiner Mammut-Arbeit!
Wie lange musst du auf die Ergebnisse warten?

Hey DeeDee wish you a great time in the cinema
take care, don't exaggerate it :-)
we need a fast report

it's for you too maz
big hug

By Nicole on August 5, 2008 10:03 AM

He visto la momia 3 y me he llevado una gran decepción.
¿Donde esta Rachel Weisz, (Evelyn O´conell)?. Rich es un estirado rico, y ¿donde esta la únion de la mitologia egipcia que unía a esta familia en las dos primeras películas?.
Stephen Somers, no habria defraudado así a su publico.
Faltan tantos diálogos míticos de estas películas, las miradas de complicidad de la familia O´conell.
Estoy muy disgustadad con el resultado.
Aunque la historia fue entretenida, no tiene nada que ver con lo que esperaba de la Momia 3, tenia que haber sido grandiosa, y no ha sido asi, que lastima.
Se ha quedado pequeña con respecto a las anteriores que la preceden.
Espero que haya una continuacion, con Rachel Weisz y el resto de componentes que encadenan esta saga de La Momia, y que supere las espectativas.
Respecto a los efectos especiales, puestas en escena y demas no puedo decir, nada.
Pero si piensan hacer una Momia 4 ,que lo creo, espero que sea mejor.
Un saludo.
De una española que habla por varios y no solo por si misma.

By Beatriz (España, Madrid) on August 5, 2008 10:05 AM

woooooohoooooooo look at this...
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/00zq3hr9Wyd0v/340x.jpg
sweet couple :-)))

By Nicole on August