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| The Mummy Returns (2001)
  
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, The Rock, Arnold Vosloo Director: Stephen Sommers Rating: PG-13 Category: Action  |
"The Mummy Returns," the long-awaited sequel to 1999's "The Mummy," hit theaters in the spring in hopes of revisiting its predecessor's success by resurrecting the dead more times than John Travolta's career. It's been eight years since Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) plundered ancient Egyptian pyramids and incurred the wrath of mummy Im-Ho-Tep (Arnold Vosloo). They have since married, raised a precocious little tyke, Alex (Freddie Boath), moved into a London manor and headed back to stir the mystical relics of a forbidden tomb. You would think these two would finally learn to read the top of the chest before opening it the second time around. Nope.
A London curator has resurrected Im-Ho-Tep. There to welcome the mummy is his love and a group of lackeys set to intercept and destroy the godly Scorpion King (The Rock), who awoke when Alex put a bracelet from the tomb around his wrist. The film struggles to toss in jokes whenever possible and is made into an all-you-can-eat buffet of special effects where everything tastes the same. We see the same magic as in "The Mummy," such as the face in the sand effect. The action in this sequel is much better, though, with a notable hand-to-hand combat sequence between two women warriors and a scene that features mummies on a double-decker bus careening through the streets of London.
Wrestling fans alike will get excited about The Rock's appearance, but don't hold your breath. It is barely a cameo, stretching a mere five minutes in the opening sequence. All in all, "The Mummy Returns" provides a lackluster script with big names and big money. With only good action to offer, this film is entertaining, but nothing compared to the original.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com