Where is Meryl Streep? After all, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" seems to have everything else in its mix, including a three-headed dragon, Abominable SnowMEN (only one would have been underwhelming), a gigantic battle featuring a mummified army led by an emperor mummy vs skeletal forces, and fireworks displays galore. Add CGI effects to the max, martial arts superstar Jet Li vs Brendan Fraser's third go as archeologist Rick O'Connell, and mega decibels of noise.

So why couldn't a little Streep "Mama Mia!" been squeezed in?

Brendan Fraser should be reason enough to see this third expedition of the Mummy franchise, and he is. Years have passed (since "The Mummy Returns"), and Fraser's O'Connell is now settling into retirement. He and his adventurist wife Evelyn (now played by Maria Bello) live on an estate with all its splendidly wealthy trappings. Evelyn has written a best seller about their exploits, and frequents book signings. Their 20-something son Alex (Luke Ford) is now the active archeologist, and away at a dig in China. Alex sets the plot into high gear after his discovery of the remains of the two thousand year-old Dragon Emperor.

Flashback, as the movie itself does in its intro, to ancient China and bloodthirsty Dragon Emperor Han (Jet Li) as he assembles his 10 thousand warriors to bloody battle. On the eve of his quest to obliterate his enemies aka the world, Han conflicts with a kung fu kicking sorceress Zi Juan (Michelle Yeoh), and is promptly frozen for eternity, along with his army, within clay moldings. Even his horses are preserved. Which brings to mind the saying about feet of clay, but that is digression.

Flash forward a couple of thousand to post-WWII Shanghai as young O'Connell accidentally awakens the cursed Han and horses where they are now on display in the local museum. It so happens the rest of the O'Connell family, including Evelyn's brother Jonathan (John Hannah), are partying nearby. Director Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious") obviously loves showing Han crack the clay shell from his face and body because it is repeated several times throughout the film. The clay seems to keep growing back. It gives Jet Li dramatic license for traditional martial arts posings, preliminary to high fly kicks and jabs. If you love the slo-mo somersaults and leg thrusts, forgive my not-being-a-fan boredom.

A word about asides. Rick O'Connell, like Indiana Jones from the other franchise, is noted for his wisecracks during fight sequences or extreme danger. Screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar give him too many such lines throughout "Dragon Emperor." Otherwise witty lines fast become belabored and very un-witty. Sophomoric lines like, "Why do I always have to save the day?" adds to the drag.

By this time, Alex has fallen in love with Lin (Isabella Leongas), who happens to be living eternal with her mother, the sorceress. This is at first unbeknownst to Alex. There is also a large jewel involved, one the Dragon Emperor must locate in the Himalayas so he can awaken his sleeping army back at the original desert dig in China. By now, Alex has been kidnapped and his parents must come to his rescue. Incidentally, it turns out that Maria Bella's Evelyn is more adept at martial arts than her character was in previous installments when played by Rachel Weisz.

Mom and Dad O'Connell journey to the frozen Himalayas to rescue their son. During the fights, Han transforms himself into a large wolf-like creature. In fact, he can turn into many hellish creatures, including a three-headed, fire breathing dragon. Did I mention this movie is CGI effects loaded? Then there is the troop of Yeti's (yes, Abominable Snowmen) who miraculously appear to help fight Han. Before long, the action shifts to the China's desert dig again. All central characters are present as Han reawakens his hard clay army to march on the world. The sorceress literally calls up loyalist Chinese who had been murdered and buried under the Great Wall by the emperor. So we get a Ray Harryhausen-like sequence from 1963's "Jason and the Argonauts" (except using CGI instead of stop-motion), wherein the skeletal dead arise to fight the clay heads. It is all done pretty effectively, certainly something only dreamed about in Harryhausen's day.

Almost forgot to include a side trip during the travel itinerary to Shangri-La, a tip of the James Hilton cap to eternal life. There's a lot said about living forever in these mummy movies, which is always used as a plot basis without ever really seriously approaching religious aspects. Eternal life is always treated supernaturally and present-worldly in contrast to an exploration of any spiritual after life. Even mentioning this aspect is too scholarly for fantastic adventure films like "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."

It is no big deal, since we are talking about a mainstream, summer escape movie. This one is a disappointment after the fun first two, but marginally worth seeing. And, if your eardrums can take it, worth hearing.