Welcome to Reel People. It’s a place where, you guessed it, real people like yourselves spout off on new movie releases. It works best if you - yes, we mean you - jump into the forum link below and tell us what you think of the movie, too.

This week, we’re watching The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

What I Liked: There were plenty of cool effects and stunts in the third installment of the Mummy franchise. Maria Bello as the Evelyn character was a good choice to replace the unfortunate loss of Rachel Weisz. I enjoyed Alex O’Connell (Luke Ford) and Lin (Isabella Leong), they were nice additions to the cast. Jet Li was a great choice to play the emperor and his character started out strong.

What I Disliked: The film had plenty of action but the plot was thin. It started off well with the discovery of the emperor’s tomb and all the booby traps but after the first third of the film it really turned into a fight scene that never ended and I almost fell asleep. I was so excited that Jet Li was playing the villain but was very disappointed with his lack of screen time, also complicated by his mummified appearance for half the film and his shape shifting into various monsters. He only had a couple good fight scenes, but overall his talents were wasted and his character could have been played by anybody. Luke Ford is only thirteen years younger than Brendan Fraiser so to be playing his son was a stretch and they really looked silly standing next to each other. I felt that the love story between Alex O’Connell (Luke Ford) and Lin (Isabella Leong) fell short and lacked development. Brendan Frasier’s chemistry with Maria Bello was not as strong as the chemistry he had with Rache l Weisz.

Would I Recommend?: I’d save your money, stunts and effects aren’t enough to carry this one.

Score: 5 out of 10

- Nick Conrad

What I Liked: Indiana Jones meets Lord of the Rings meets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. This movie contains elements of each of these movie genre and kept my interest despite the complex maze of fantasy, historical elements of China, the himalayas intertwined with legends and lore of the eastern hemisphere. The movie sets and atmospherics completed the illusion and didn’t have a studio back-lot feel. The plot and story--line was able to keep the movie light and enjoyable with references to pop culture and the occasional situational humor. Also the film has a pleasant touch of romance.

What I Disliked: The fight scenes seemed to be blurred by CGI and camera effects making it hard to appreciate the martial art talents of Jet Lee, Michelle Yeoh and the others.

Would I Recommend?: Yes if nothing else but to see how this story manages to combine so many elements of Chinese culture and history, such as the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty, Terracotta Army and Shangri-la.

Score: 7 out of 10

- Michael Ritenour