The Mummy Returns (2001)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Stephen Sommers

Writer (WGA):

Stephen Sommers (written by)

Release Date:

4 May 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The most powerful force on earth is about to be unleashed by the two people who should know better.

Plot:

The mummified body of Imhotep is shipped to a museum in London, where he once again wakes and begins his campaign of rage and terror.

Plot Keywords:

King | Bracelet | Scorpion | Son | Ancient Egypt

Awards:

4 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Brendan Fraser	...	Richard 'Rick' O'Connell
Rachel Weisz	...	Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell / Princess Nefertiri
John Hannah	...	Jonathan Carnahan
Arnold Vosloo	...	High Priest Imhotep
Oded Fehr	...	Ardeth Bay
Dwayne Johnson	...	Mathayus the Scorpion King (as The Rock)
Freddie Boath	...	Alexander 'Alex' O'Connell
Patricia Velasquez	...	Meela Nais / Anck Su Namun
Alun Armstrong	...	Baltus Hafez
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Lock-Nah
Shaun Parkes	...	Izzy Buttons
Bruce Byron	...	Red
Joe Dixon	...	Jacques
Tom Fisher	...	Spivey
Aharon Ipalé	...	Pharaoh Seti I

Also Known As:

The Mummy 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for adventure action and violence.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 (cut) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bloomsbury, London, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The title does not appear at the beginning of this film. The title finally is given at the end of the picture, after the headlining credits but before main credits roll. Now common, in 2001 leaving the title off the start of a film was a relatively rare innovation.

Goofs:

Plot holes: If the twelve tribes of the Med-Jai number in the thousands, why weren't they able to stop the excavation of Hamanauptra in the first place?

Quotes:

Rick: [when Mummys appears] Oh, I hate these guys.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 'Mummy Returns' Visual and Special Effect Formations (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Forever May Not Be Long Enough

A Special Effects Extravaganza

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. I rate this one 7/10.