Brendan Fraser is having a fantastic summer. With two exciting releases at the summer box office, the actor, who is nearing his 40th birthday, hasn’t seen this much on-screen action since the late ’90s.

Fraser rose to fame with roles in goofy early ’90s flicks like “Encino Man” and “Airheads.” He then matured as an artist by playing sensitive characters in “With Honors” and, eventually, “Blast From the Past” and the original installment of “The Mummy” action adventure.

Earlier this month, Fraser brought a 3-D version of Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” to life in family-friendly fashion. On Friday, he stars in a third installment of the action series he’s been a part of since 1999 in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”

Once again, Fraser plays archaeologist Rick O’Connell, but instead of fighting mummies in Egypt, this time he’s taking on a power-hungry emperor in the Far East. The emperor, played by Jet Li (“War,” “The Forbidden Kingdom”), is released from his tomb along with his army, and looks to wreak havoc on the free world. All he has to do is get past Rick and his family.

Michelle Yeoh also stars, as does Maria Bello, who replaces Rachel Weisz as O’Connell’s sassy sidekick and wife. Bello (“Coyote Ugly,” “A History of Violence”) sports a hair color and accent similar to her predecessor’s for the flick, but fans of the series may not be able to get over the loss of Weisz, who reportedly had issues with the film’s script.

Somehow though, a bad script didn’t stop Weisz from her most recent appearance in “Definitely, Maybe” earlier this year. Weisz’s fans can look forward to seeing the actress on screen this fall alongside Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo in “The Brothers Bloom.”

This latest installment of “The Mummy” is directed by Rob Cohen, whose past credits include the action-packed but relatively mindless flicks, “The Fast and the Furious” and “XXX.”

Stephen Sommers, the director of the series’ first two flicks, is currently working with Fraser on “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra,” a throwback to the popular ’80s cartoon, which is scheduled for release next summer.

Movie fans who might not be so keen on escapist offerings may enjoy the harsh reality of “Swing Vote,” an election-themed flick. The presidential candidates are Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper, which almost makes McCain and Obama seem a little normal.

Even worse, the nation’s fate is to be decided by one man, who can best be summarized as a redneck. Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves,” “The Guardian”) plays the man who, after being forced to vote by his overachieving young daughter, finds out there was an error with his electronic ballot, and that he must break a tie in the vote by choosing our next president.

This scary concept makes the hanging chads of our infamous 2004 presidential election look like child’s play. Yet, the media frenzy around one man deciding the presidency is almost believable in our sensation-loving society.

In his typical fashion, Costner is certain to take a scruffy bottom-feeding individual and give him a relatable personality, to the point where audiences will side with the unlikely sociopolitical hero.

Movie Buzz is a column by Mariah Gardner. It appears in The Metro Spirit each Wednesday.