Better when it sticks to spiders
Arachnophobes and haters of clichés, beware. “7 Guardians of the Tomb” will provide plenty of nightmare fuel with its thousands of CGI-rendered spiders and nearly as many moments that will give audiences feelings of movie déjà vu.
When her brother disappears, scientist Gia (Bingbing Li) joins a group to find him, following her father’s greedy business partner Mason (Kelsey Grammer) and strapping, spider-fearing dude Jack Ridley (Kellan Lutz).
The team is rounded out by more stock characters including fiery redhead Milly (Stef Dawson) and wisecracking Australian Gary (a funny Shane Jacobson). Their search takes them underground in a firestormridden desert in China, where they discover an ancient tomb full of more peril and hordes of arachnids.
Grafting bits of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Mummy” onto its rickety frame, this Chinese-Australian adventure is at its strongest when it displays brief, bonkers moments of ingenuity and weakest when it grasps at seriousness. A scene in a pool with spiders floating in air bubbles inspires delighted cackles, but it’s surrounded by a film that doesn’t know what it is or should be.
“7 Guardians of the Tomb” should be a B-movie blast, but it never seems aware of its own silliness. Fewer sloppy attempts at real emotion and more spider bubbles, please.
“7 Guardians of the Tomb.” In English and some Mandarin with English subtitles. Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes. Playing: Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills.