The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Blu-ray

By Samantha Clark -- Video Business, 12/10/2008

In this high-def version of the third Mummy installment, the titular monster is all the more, well, monstrous. His roar reverberates out of the subwoofer, and his smoldering (and we mean that in the actual fire sense) eyes pop off the screen. Featurettes comprise the majority of the special features, but all seven of the behind-the-scenes ones (three on the Blu-ray disc and four on the digital copy DVD) are different edits of the same interviews. Yes, each offer their own footage, but they all have the same feel and viewers will recognize the same bits in a few places. Notable are the one that shows the development of the movie’s locations and special effects, and the “Legacy of the Terra Cota” entry, which looks at the history of that part of the movie’s story. It’s a shame the editors didn’t branch away from interviews with the actors and crew and instead get some face time with historians. Universal’s standard U-Control also is offered with various fun pop-ups.

Shelf Talk: That this special effects-filled action adventure will do well on the home market is a no-brainer. Universal priced its Blu-ray and two-DVD versions only $5 apart (BD more), so fans might decide to pony up the extra. The disc also will be offered in a Trilogy set with the first two movies for $94.98.

Adventure, color, PG-13 (violence), 112 min., BD $39.98, reviewed on PlayStation 3, 118-inch Carada screen and Sony VW60 projector
Extras: featurettes
Director: Rob Cohen
First Run: W, Aug. 2008, $102 mil.