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The Mummy Returns (Widescreen Collector's Edition) Customer Reviews (25 - 27 of 35 Reviews)

The sequel that exceeds the original. FULL SKULL BABY!

THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001, PG-13= Adventure Action, Brief Mild Language, and Some Disturbing Images)

The Cast: BRENDAN FRASER, RACHEL WEISEZ, FREDDIE BOATH, JOHN HANNAH, ODEH FAHR, PATRICIA VALASQUESZ, and DWAYNE JOHNSON.

The Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Sequel

The Plot: This film picks up in 1933, ten years after the first film. After finding an ancient bracelet worn by the "Scorpion King", Evelyn and Rick O'Connell's son puts on the bracelet. In doing so, vicious villains are after him, and the O'Connell's must get their son to an ancient temple before the bracelet kills the young boy. So back for the ride come, big brother Jonathan and Odeh Fahr.

What Works: The excellent action/adventure, wonderful adventrous plot, positive visual effects, and the way it ties into the first film very well. The humor, acting and directing remains just as good as the first film.

What Doesn't: The rather poor visual effects for the Scorpion King in the near-end of the film.

Reality Check: Why would Rick and Eevie go back to that temple if they knew what could possibly go wrong? And what ever happened to all the gold and jewelry riches they had brought home with them in the first one?

The Catch: The film has some of the old re-caps of the first film, mostly including dialogue like a scene in the beginning when they're inside the temple and Eevie finds the bracelet, she says: "It's just a box. What danger could there be from opening a box?"- Eevie

"Yeah just like what could happen from reading a book."- Rick So you see, there are some repeats which could possibly put the audience in predictable boredom. But this is the perfect Friday night family flick.

OVERALL: "This very entertaining action film, is possibly the best sequel of the summer, if not the year! With the charm of the first and more action-adventure, this could possibly be one of the best films of the year!"

Action-packed Entertainment - a True Sequel FULL SKULL BABY! empty skull, sniff.
I tend to rate a movie on it's 'see again' factor - I'd watch this one again and again... I've rarely seen a sequel that follows on so beautifully from where the original left off. It's 10 years later and the O'Connells have a son, Alex, who has a relentless tendency to get into trouble - kind of like his mother, really.

Okay, so there are a few 'seen-it, 'been there, done that' moments, but despite this, "The Mummy Returns" manages to pack in the action and keep your eyes glued to the screen. Best points: the story behind the murder of Pharaoh Seti I in the first movie involving Evy, Imhotep and Anck Su Namun - nice follow on there; the FANTASTIC battle between Anubis's army and the Medjai in the desert - great SFX! And the moment of Anck Su Namun betrayal - one of those rare times your heart goes out to the bad guy.

Most importantly, the movie is about FUN. Yes, there are things that defy reality, the plot isn't water-tight or rock-steady - so what? It's an action-packed, entertaining, SCI-FI movie with memorable characters, great actors that makes brilliant use of special effects and doesn't take itself too seriously. What more could a die-hard movie buff ask for?

Great Fun; Oded Fehr Rocks! FULL SKULL BABY!
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.

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