4/5
Action-packed entertainer
by Anil Bhat (Chicago, IL)
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.
5/5
Great Fun; Oded Fehr Rocks!
by E.A. Week (Boston, MA USA)
Anyone looking for a "great" movie will probably be disappointed, but anyone looking for sheer fun will probably be more than satisfied. Director Steven Sommers took his enjoyable 1999 movie "The Mummy" and expanded it out to an epic scale. The action picks up 10 years after the original; tomb raiders Evelyn and Rick O'Connell (now married, with 8-year-old child Alex in tow) discover another Egyptian artifact (the bracelet of the legendary Scorpion King) that unleashes yet another peril to the world, and once again, Evie and Rick have to stop it.
A contingent of bad guys, however, want in on the action, and they raise Imhotep (the mummy from the first movie) because he's the only one strong enough to take on the Scorpion King. The bad guys are led by a woman named Meela, who claims to be the reincarnation of Anck-Su-Namun, Imhotep's long-lost forbidden love.
Sommers cleverly adds an expanded backstory to the main characters from the earlier film, and while some of it stretches the imagination-- it seems like every character is a reincarnation of someone else-- it's executed in a mostly fun and believable way. In particular, the development of an ancient rivalry between Evelyn and Meela is fabulously well-done, adding considerable dimension to the reasons for Imhotep's horrible punishment in the first film. Arnold Vosloo was great in "The Mummy," but now, teamed up with his long-lost love, he's a thousand times more fun-- creepier, smarter, and yet at times endearingly vulnerable.
Mystical warrior Ardath Bay (the very hot Oded Fehr) also has an expanded role in this film, and helps ground viewers when they are faced with things like multiple reincarnations and hoardes of screaming pygmy mummies. Fehr brings exactly the right touches of appeal, swashbuckling dash, and "exotic" Middle Eastern mystery to the role.
A surprising amount of care seems to have been given to the supporting characters; they have just enough depth but not too much: Evie's brother Jonathan is back, providing much of the comic relief (but he also has some wonderful moments of heroism); little Alex is fun and resourceful without being overly precocious. Special care seems to have been taken with the villains: they are by turns menacing, funny, and *smart*, often a rare thing in the action/ adventure genre. In particular, Bay's rival Lock Nah is well-written and well-acted.
The script isn't exactly Shakespeare, but it's fast, funny, and (mostly) makes sense. The action sequences are spectacularly well-choreographed, and of course, the special effects are impressive. Sommers also allows some wonderful moments of human emotion: the sexual chemistry between Evie and Rick (ditto Meela and Imhotep); Jonathan's concern for his sister and nephew; Evie and Rick's love for their son; Bay's concern for his friends (and his great affection for his wonderful hawk). These little touches make the difference between a mindless action flick, and something that really stays with you after the credits roll.
Oddly enough, the much-touted presence of WWF star "The Rock" as the Scorpion King turns out to be almost negligible: it's a cameo that mostly sets up his own epic "The Scorpion King," due out in 2002. The real heart of this movie are the Evelyn-Rick and Imhotep- Anck-Su-Namun love stories. Without these and the other great characters from "Mummy Returns," it's hard to imagine that the next movie in this franchise could possibly top this one.
So if you're looking for something great, rent "Lawrence of Arabia." If you're looking for a highly enjoyable popcorn flick, "The Mummy Returns," should fit the bill perfectly.
4/5
Despite thin plot, this Mummy still entertains
by Hazen B Markoe (St. Paul, MN United States)
When THE MUMMY came out 2 years ago, many critics savaged the film as being not up-to-par with the old Boris Karloff classic and being an Indiana Jones rip-off. In fact, it was a fun-filled and enjoyable movie that never pretended to be more than what it was: a fun popcorn movie with action and thrills. In the sequel, THE MUMMY RETURNS, the same thing applies. Despite a thin plot with basic cardboard characters, this flick packs enough action, fun, and special effects to satisfy any action junkie. The battles on the double-decker bus ,the Anubis army and the Scorpion King bring fond memories of the great Ray Harryhausen films. Brendan Frasier is again solid as the adventurer, Rick, while Rachel Weisz gets to show a little range of emotion as Evie. The rest of the cast is as good as last time, while the Rock does a fine job in his cameo appearance as the Scorpion King. If you're looking for a critical masterpiece, search elsewhere. This is a movie meant to be viewed in a spirit of fun and, in that regard, this film is highly recommended.
3/5
It Is What It Is
by Reviewer
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.
4/5
New 2-disc Deluxe Edition due out on July 8th, 2008
by Sanpete (in Utah)
The upcoming release of The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor has prompted Universal to release new DVD editions of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. This new Deluxe Edition of The Mummy Returns includes most of the special features from the 2001 Collector's Edition, plus some new features. It will only be available in widescreen format.
The Mummy left most professional reviewers cool to lukewarm at best, and this, the first sequel, left them cold. But audiences still enjoyed it. Like the first in the series, it's a big-budget, big-special-effects horror/adventure extravaganza with George of the Jungle playing an Indiana Jones-type character. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz reprise their roles, he the adventurer and she the Egyptologist, married to each other with a young son in 1933. The same evil mummy-being-thing that bothered them so much in the first film is back, and this time there's an even more terrible force bent on destroying everything. The plot isn't very strong, but there is an army of pygmy mummies. Silly fun, sometimes more silly than fun.
These are the new special features:
-- "An Army To Rule The World Part 2" featurette
-- a digital copy of the movie
-- "Unraveling The Legacy Of The Mummy" featurette (also in the new The Mummy Deluxe Edition)
-- a sneak peak at The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (also in the new The Mummy Deluxe Edition)
Carried over from the 2001 Collector's Edition:
-- audio commentary with director/writer Stephen Sommers and executive producer/editor Bob Ducsay
-- "Visual And Special Effects Formation," on how the special effects were done
-- "Spotlight on Location," a behind-the-scenes featurette
-- a conversation with The Rock, you know, the wrestler/actor, who speaks, about The Scorpion King movie
-- Live's "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" music video
-- "Egyptology 201," text on Egyptian history
The only feature from the Collector's Edition not announced for the new Deluxe Edition that anyone is likely to miss is a few minutes of outtakes/bloopers. (I wouldn't be surprised to see them show up as an "easter egg" (hidden feature).)
The page for The Mummy Deluxe Edition is here.
Checkout Now
RSS Feeds
