Factual error: The aircraft used to fly to Shangri-La is a Bristol Beaufighter, a single seat long range fighter bomber. It was not a transport aircraft and could not carry passengers. Some variants of the Beaufighter were two seaters but none at all could be used as small airliners as they do here. It is not possible to simply reconfigure the aircraft as shown here - the centre of gravity, balance and trim would all be thrown out. The resulting jury-built aircraft would be uncontrollable in flight.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Plot summary
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford
In ancient China during the reign of Emperor Han (Jet Li). Han and his companion General Ming (Russell Wong) consult the sorceress Zi Yuan (Michelle Yeoh), seeking eternal life. However, she betrays them, using her powers to transform Han into a terracotta warrior and bury him and his army in clay to contain their evil.
In 1946, British archaeologists Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn O'Connell (Maria Bello) have retired from adventuring. Their son, Alex (Luke Ford), uncovers the tomb of Han, mistaking it for the tomb of the first Emperor of China. Despite their initial reluctance, the O'Connells reluctantly join the expedition to transport the mysterious relic back to Shanghai.
Meanwhile, General Yang (Anthony Wong) of the Chinese military arrives to secure the tomb and recover Han's body. With his troops, Yang captures Evelyn, Alex, and Lin (Isabella Leong), a young woman with supernatural powers and protector of the tomb. Rick gathers a team, including Evelyn's brother Jonathan (John Hannah) and Mad Dog Maguire (Liam Cunningham), to rescue their family.
Arriving at Shangri-La, a hidden, mythical city, the group finds Zi Yuan, who is both immortal and Alex's mother. Zi Yuan explains that the curse killing Han can be lifted by an elixir of eternal life. However, they must retrieve the Eye of Shangri-La, a gem in possession of the Dragon Emperor, before midnight when the curse will be irreversible.
Rick and the team infiltrate the Emperor's palace and manage to steal the gem. During the escape, Lin sacrifices herself to distract the Emperor's forces, allowing the others to flee. They head to the Great Wall of China, where Jonathan decodes the location of the fountain of youth that can create the elixir.
As midnight approaches, the group makes their way to the hidden lake. However, they are intercepted by the Emperor and his army. The O'Connells fight valiantly, and Evelyn kills Yang, but Han captures Alex and forces him to speak the curse that will unleash his army on the world.
Rick confronts Emperor Han and impales him on the Fang of Shiva, a mystical weapon. However, Han transforms into a three-headed dragon, leading to a massive battle. Evelyn retrieves the elixir, and at the last moment, Rick drinks it, giving him temporary immortality.
The O'Connells successfully defeat the dragon and Han's army, destroying them with an avalanche. With the curse lifted, Han's immortality is undone, and he crumbles to dust. Alex, Evelyn, and Rick return to Shangri-La to use the waters of the pool to wish for Lin's revival, ultimately sacrificing Alex's immortal life.
Evelyn and Rick return to the Great Wall, with Jonathan and Lin accompanying them. Rick proposes to Evelyn, and they celebrate their victory, finally able to retire from their adventurous lives.
More mistakes in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Jonathan Carnahan: I hate mummies. They never play fair.
Trivia: The motorbikes with sidecars used in the chase are a playful homage to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy and his dad escape on a motorbike with almost the same configuration.
Question: Why didn't Rachel Weisz reprise her role as Evelyn in the third film?
Answer: I read the reason she didn't want to do it was she had just given birth to her first child and didn't want to leave and do location shooting.
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Answer: Although she initially expressed an interest in returning, she reportedly disliked the script and ultimately chose not to reappear. While the producers initially considered writing the character out, with the story rationale that she had been killed in an air-raid on London during World War Two, it was ultimately decided that this would require too much rewriting and thus the character was recast.
Tailkinker ★