Friday Night Double Feature: Monster Bashing 101

I was looking forward to seeing The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor this weekend, hoping it was a decent continuation of a light, yet fun franchise. Let’s be honest, the movies owe more to Indiana Jones than they do Boris Karloff’s original Mummy picture, but for what they are they are highly enjoyable pulp.

Unfortuantely, somewhere along the way, the third Mummy picture lost sight of what made the first two movies so enjoyable. Most audiences were even willing to overlook that horribly rendered CG Rock of The Mummy Returns because the rest of the movie was so much fun. Tomb of the Dragon Emperor takes itself too seriously, with too much focus on troubled family relationships and even a horrendous love story tossed in for good measure.

Rather than catching Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, do yourself a favor and take in a Double Feature of two of Stephen Sommers more fun endeavors. Sure, they aren’t serious films, but they’re a hell of a lot better than the third Mummy picture, and the perfect way to spend a Friday night.

The Mummy

What better place to sart a double feature than with Sommers’ first Mummy flick. The first movie turned Brenden Fraser into a convincing action hero to rival the legendary Indiana Jones - in fact, I know a couple of people who were convinced Indy’s franchise should have gotten a reboot with Fraser in the lead. Rick O’Connell is the perfect swashbuckling hero here, funny, suave under pressure - just as quick with his weapon as he is with a snappy comeback. Unequalled in the sequels, the chemistry between Fraser’s O’Connell, Rachel Weisz’s Evelyn Carnahan, and even sidekick to the villain Beni (Kevin J. O’Connor) keeps this story moving through weaker points and despite having an almost unbeatable foe. Imhotep was never rivaled by the other entries in the Mummy movies, although Sommers created an equally vile enemy with another of his movies…

Van Helsing

Yes, that’s right, I’m recommending Sommers’ Van Helsing as part of a Friday Night Double Feature. I know a lot of people didn’t think too highly of Hugh Jackman’s monster fighter, but you have to give Sommers credit. He basically took all of the classic monster movie villains - Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein’s monster, among others, and then played a giant game of “What if” with them. The result is highly entertaining, if not the most compelling story. Sure, the whole hokey relationship between Dracula and Van Helsing is pretty messed up, but I still like the movie. Maybe it’s just Kevin J. O’Connor, who repeats his success as a henchmen here, playing second fiddle to Dracula. If Jackman isn’t enough for you, however, there’s always the lovely Kate Beckinsale, all corseted up and ready for adventure. Frankly, what we need more than another Mummy movie is an excuse to bring O’Connell and Van Helsing together to really take on the classic monsters. Now there’s a sequel I’d be read to see.

Other adventures better than Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, and - if you don’t mind stepping outside of Sommers’ realm - Monster Squad

Enjoy our Double Feature suggestions? and maybe we’ll use them in a future column.