The Mummy Returns

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

When The Mummy opened in May of ’99, the buzz around The Matrix was still going strong and the hype machine for The Phantom Menace was steamrolling everything in its path. Yet this “little” movie, a tongue-in-cheek melding of classic horror and Indiana Jones, charmed its way into becoming a whopper hit. Faster than you could say “Ghostbusters 2,” the entire cast and crew were re-signed for the inevitable sequel. Unable to sneak its way to hit-dom like its predecessor, The Mummy Returns had to come back bigger, funnier, and more popcorny than ever. Fortunately, it does.

The Mummy Returns reminds us of what we love about the summer movie season: A big-budget CGI orgy that’s shallow but likable, cheesy but fun, and overblown but impressive. The entire original cast returns (even the guy who played the Pharoah in the original—remember him?), and they seem to have even more fun in their roles this time around. Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) are now married and—in true Indiana Jones–sequel fashion—have a precocious little rugrat tagging along. Joining the mayhem is none other than WWF superstar the Rock playing the “Scorpion King,” a warrior so badass he makes Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) crap in his toilet paper digs. Our only complaint is that he’s not in it long enough to really deliver the goods (he barely has time to raise the “Pharoah’s Eyebrow” before disappearing for most of the story). But, The Mummy Returns follows the sequel playbook to a T in that it gives you exactly what you liked about the original, only kicked up a notch. In fact, we found ourselves enjoying this a little more than the first movie. So check your cynicism at the door and have fun, it’s worth the ride.

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