This is a pathetic sequel to the first film, The Mummy (which was much more fun). It is also a film which make several references to older films in some scenes oh! so cliche (the jet airship?!?). The scriptwriters obviously did not care about making any sense when writing this junk. Alex's mother would worry but not the father?!?!?! Oh pleeease. The kid seems to have been, at first, a copy of Ramses Peabody (see the Amelia Peabody series written by Elizabeth Peters); however this dissolves after his meeting with the mummy.

A film as full of oh! so phony special effects as possible. Some scenes even look like video games. It is so incredibly gory too.

The two stars I give for making me laugh from beginning to end, and for its unbelievable stupidity throughout the story.


PURE ENTERTAINMENT...   August 14, 2004
 17 out of 21 found this review helpful


This is a razzle, dazzle, knock you out of your seat with special effects, kind of movie. It is non-stop entertainment, and a worthy sequel to its predecessor, "The Mummy". Even though the plot is thin, and character development is almost non-existent, I still thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Archaeologists Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evie (Rachel Weisz) have tied the knot since the original movie and have an eight year old son, Alex, adorably played by Freddie Boath. While on an archaeological dig in Egypt, they recover a special, golden bracelet which conveys special powers to the person who wears it. Alex, not knowing this, puts on the bracelet which had, at one time, belonged to the Scorpio King, played by wrestler, The Rock.

Evie's brother (John Hannah deliciously reprises his original role) is mistaken for Rick, as mysterious emissaries try to kill him in an attempt to recover the bracelet on behalf of the evil Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo reprising his original role). As Evie and Rick continue to do battle against these evil, murderous emissaries, the mysterious and devastatingly attractive, Medjai warrior, Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr also reprising his original role), joins them in their battle against evil.

In this sequel, past and present collide, and reincarnation adds its own interesting, little twist to the plot. For my money, Oded Fehr walks away with the movie, as Ardeth Bay is such a compelling character: sexy, swashbuckling, and mystical, all rolled into one. He is definitely my favorite character. I hope that we will see even more of him in the next sequel. (Who are we kidding? Of course, there will be another sequel!)

The only negative thing that I have to say about the movie has to do with the animation of the Scorpion King at the end. It is too cartoonish. I found it jarring and distracting, as it did not seem to fit with the other graphics used throughout the movie which were great. It made me give the movie four stars, rather than the five I would probably have given, had this concept not been so annoying. It was unnecessary to have this cheesy looking animation, as it detracted from the movie and downgraded its overall quality.

Still, see this movie. It is escapism at its best, as well as pure entertainment.



Action-packed entertainer   May 6, 2001
 15 out of 16 found this review helpful

If you like non-stop action and great special effects then 'The Mummy Returns' is worth watching. Wrestling fans will be pleased to see 'The Rock' cast as the Scorpion King. Female fans of Oded Fehr, the Israeli actor, will be delighted to see him cast again as the dashing Egyptian horseman and fighter Ardeth Bay.

Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evie (Rachel Weisz) are married in this sequel and have a young son who does a good job of keeping the villains on their toes. Evie is supposed to be a reincarnation of Nefertiti, the Pharaoh's daughter. Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), the Pharaoh's high priest, and Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velazquez), the priest's paramour, are brought back to life to fight the Scorpion King and take control of the army of Anoubis, the dark god of the underworld.

Some movie buffs have expressed reservations about the historical inaccuracies in both 'The Mummy' and 'The Mummy Returns'. However, these inaccuracies are not offensive to Egyptian Culture. This movie is merely a work of fiction. Some scenes and dialogs may seem to be cliched. Several scenes are a rehash of 'The Mummy'. The characters in the movie jokingly admit to the 'same old end of the world' plot.

Even with all its cliches, this movie is worth watching.


It Is What It Is   May 9, 2001
 14 out of 16 found this review helpful

If you've seen the trailer for this movie, you're probably expecting fast paced adventure, non-stop action and a special effects extravaganza with just enough story to keep it all interesting. And if that's what you're hoping for, you certainly won't be disappointed; because that's exactly what you get in "The Mummy Returns," written and directed by Stephen Sommers. The story begins in Egypt, where Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife, Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) discover an ancient bracelet that had once belonged to a warrior known as "The Scorpion King (The Rock)," who, back in the day, had sold his soul to the god, Anubis, for control of his armies and domination of the world. Now, it seems, The Scorpion King's resurrection is imminent, and if he succeeds and once again raises the armies of Anubis, he could very well take over or destroy the world. Followers of Im-Ho-Tep (Arnold Vosloo), however, who are privy to this information as well, decide to resurrect their dark leader so that he can face The Scorpion King, defeat him, take control of Anubis' armies and conquer the world himself, putting them in control. But the key to the whole plan lies with who has control of the bracelet at the time of The Scorpion King's resurrection. And the O'Connells have taken it back home with them to London.

So the adventure begins in earnest, moving from Egypt to London, then back again to Egypt. Along the way, there's plenty of mummies, fighting, and bugs, but very few surprises, except for one scene near the end when something quite unexpected happens. The story itself gets somewhat lost in the muddle, but it doesn't really matter; plot is fairly insignificant in a movie like this, as long as it maintains at least a thread of credibility and can give the action some context. And that it does, so all is well and it allows you to get on with what this movie is really all about, which-- simply put-- is having a good time.

With shades of "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars" abounding, the real success of this movie lies in the fact that it never pretends to be anything other than what it is or what it was meant to be, and that is an entertaining, fun movie. It's visually explosive, from the sweeping, desert vistas of the converging, battling armies, to the mummies and assorted demons and creatures generously sprinkled throughout. And the hand-to-hand combat scenes between Evelyn and Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velazquez) are especially thrilling. The one element of the film that doesn't seem to work too well has to do with a particular mode of transportation to which the O'Connells must resort upon their return to Egypt, and which ultimately plays a significant part in the outcome of the whole adventure. It's something that seemingly would have been more appropriate in "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" or "Peter Pan."

As far as the performances, suffice to say that the actors involved all do their jobs well; after all, in a movie like this you're not going to find anyone struggling with "The Method." Fraser strikes a handsome, heroic pose-- call him a poor man's Indiana Jones-- and Weisz is becoming as Evelyn. Most importantly, they all walk the walk and talk the talk, and Sommers keeps them on track and wisely avoids allowing any lapses into "camp" or tongue-in-cheek character interpretations, which makes this a solid, fun-filled, action-adventure movie that is what it is.

The supporting cast includes John Hannah (providing some comic relief as Jonathan Carnahan), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lock Nah), Freddie Boath (Alex O'Connell) and Obed Fehr (Ardeth Bay). As with most sequels, you'll get more out of "The Mummy Returns" if you've seen the original, which had more of a story and, of course, would give you the background of the characters. But even on it's own and taken at face value, this movie is a feast for the senses, and just a lot of good fun. Just don't go in expecting anything more than what the trailer promises; if you can do that, chances are you're going to enjoy the movie and have a good time.