The summer of 2008 broke history, and rebuilt it.
America suffered through a bitter presidential election on the road to a globewrecking financial crisis.
In theaters, cinematic generations were rising and falling.
Credit: Universal
On Aug. 8, 2008, the Beijing Olympics began with an opening ceremony for the ages.
Half of the living human race tuned in and thats a lowball estimate, could be closer to two-thirds.
Roger Ebertsummed up the consensus reaction: China is here, big time.
Universal
It wasalwayshere, of course.
And that franchises box office returns tell the tale of shifting financial realities across the past decade.
(The latter represents an-ever-more-frequent Rubicon crossing: a Chinese box office outgrossing the domestic take.)
Universal
With 1999sThe Mummyand 2001sThe Mummy Returns, writer-director Stephen Sommers pinpointed a jaunty, lighthearted spirit.
Sommers was just a producer onDragon Emperor, leaving writing duties toSmallvilles Miles Millar and Alfred Gough.
Weisz was gone, replaced by Maria Bello with a why-not British accent.
Universal
Director Rob Cohen expelled Sommers throwback camp with diffident over-editing and digital effects that looked old on arrival.
The main thing you notice rewatching the movie is how completely Brendan Frasershowed up, man.
This was, in hindsight, a brutal period for the actor.
He got divorced in the midst of makingDragon Emperor.
And based ona fascinatingGQprofilethis year, he was in the brutal physical shape.
Screw-cap ice packs and downhill-mountain-biking pads, cause theyre small and light and they can fit under your clothes.
I was building an exoskeleton for myself daily.
Its a stunning image to hold in your head the hero ofThe Mummyfranchise, all wrapped up.
Fraser, exhausted from fishing, attacking trout with a revolver.
Fraser, remorseful about hurling a man out of a car, apologetically hurling dollar bills in his direction.
But the most compelling person inDragon Emperoris, well, the Emperor.
Beijing-born Jet Li rose to martial arts cinema stardom in theOnce Upon a Time in Chinafranchise.
The truth is more depressing.
TheDragon Emperorprologue introduces us to Lis never-quite-named Emperor, a warlord seeking immortality.
Its the worst idea any blockbuster has had in the digital age.
Heres a performer renowned for his brilliant physicality; lets turn him into pixel blocks!
We learn some intriguing tidbits about this Emperor, though.
He built the Great Wall.
Hes buried with an army of statues and the bodies of his concubines.
The prologue establishes this man in his long ago time.
But one King had a ruthless ambition, to make himself Emperor by the sword.
The dream comes true.
Kingdom by Kingdom, his army swept away anything in its path… the country was his.
He was now Emperor of all under heaven.
Without ever quite stating whos who, the battle lines get drawn.
Lis Emperor seeks immortality and brutal power.
He executes Zi Yuans lover via equine dismemberment.
In the movies perspective, this soon-to-be-Mummy was already up to no good.
Most famously, he was played by Chen Daoming inHero, a 2002 martial arts epic directed by Zhang.
Herowas, in its time, the most expensive Chinese film ever made.
Herois a complicated story built on unreliable narrators, but the main narrative is straightforward.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang faces down an assassin.
That assassin is played by Jet Li.
Given this context,Dragon Emperorbecomes a hundred thousand times more interesting.
(Any single shot ofHeromakesDragon Emperorlook videotaped.)
If Li himself was trying to subvert the apparent meaning ofHero, I cant imagine a better method.
ButDragon Emperorwas a cross-cultural co-production; the films last credit declares it was Supervised by China Film Co-production Corporation.
In a piece published byVariety, Cohen explained how the co-production negotiation affected the movie.
Theres a nearly magic moment late inDragon Emperorwhen Li swordfights with Yeoh.
Id love to know how the movie played for audiences there.
Certainly, a villain like the Dragon Emperor seems unlikely to appear in a major blockbuster today.
One year after this film, a remake ofRed Dawnwent into production.
It was supposed to be about young Americans battling an invading force of Chinese soldiers.
Its not a bad thing, necessarily, this new economic incentive tonotcast foreigners as national-symbolic demons.
Tom CruisesMummywas a financial disappointment, grossing only $80 million domestically.
It made more in China.
1:The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon EmperorAug.
6:Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2andPineapple ExpressAug.
13:Tropic ThunderAug.
15:Vicky Cristina BarcelonaandStar Wars: The Clone WarsAug.
22:The House Bunny
