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.

15 of 17 found the following review helpful:

Better, Much Better than the original.  Sep 30, 2001
By Kit Harris
This is not Citizen Kane Folks, It the Mummy for Pete�s sake. If you have ever seen the original, you will know exactly what you are getting yourself into with the sequel. A sequel in my opinion that is much better than the first film because it at least keeps you on the edged of your seat from the beginning to the end. The acting is very top notch, and the Special Effects are just breathtaking to watch. Brendan Fraser is Great, and so is Arnold Vosloo and John Hannah but the Real achievement in this film Is Rachel Weisz who literally steals the movie from every body with her performance. The fight scene with her and Patricia Velasquez is a sight to behold. If you want to ponder the fate of movie making, and it�s short comings, don�t see this movie. If you want to have a good time with characters you care for and villains you want to see defeated, See this movie, it�s worth a place in your DVD Collection. It�s that good.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

New 2-disc Deluxe Edition due out on July 8th, 2008  May 02, 2008
By Sanpete
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.

18 of 22 found the following review helpful:

PURE ENTERTAINMENT...  Aug 14, 2004
By Lawyeraau
This is a razzle, dazzle, knock you out of your seat with special effects, kind of movie. It is non-stop entertainment, and a worthy sequel to its predecessor, "The Mummy". Even though the plot is thin, and character development is almost non-existent, I still thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Archaeologists Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evie (Rachel Weisz) have tied the knot since the original movie and have an eight year old son, Alex, adorably played by Freddie Boath. While on an archaeological dig in Egypt, they recover a special, golden bracelet which conveys special powers to the person who wears it. Alex, not knowing this, puts on the bracelet which had, at one time, belonged to the Scorpio King, played by wrestler, The Rock.

Evie's brother (John Hannah deliciously reprises his original role) is mistaken for Rick, as mysterious emissaries try to kill him in an attempt to recover the bracelet on behalf of the evil Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo reprising his original role). As Evie and Rick continue to do battle against these evil, murderous emissaries, the mysterious and devastatingly attractive, Medjai warrior, Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr also reprising his original role), joins them in their battle against evil.

In this sequel, past and present collide, and reincarnation adds its own interesting, little twist to the plot. For my money, Oded Fehr walks away with the movie, as Ardeth Bay is such a compelling character: sexy, swashbuckling, and mystical, all rolled into one. He is definitely my favorite character. I hope that we will see even more of him in the next sequel. (Who are we kidding? Of course, there will be another sequel!)

The only negative thing that I have to say about the movie has to do with the animation of the Scorpion King at the end. It is too cartoonish. I found it jarring and distracting, as it did not seem to fit with the other graphics used throughout the movie which were great. It made me give the movie four stars, rather than the five I would probably have given, had this concept not been so annoying. It was unnecessary to have this cheesy looking animation, as it detracted from the movie and downgraded its overall quality.

Still, see this movie. It is escapism at its best, as well as pure entertainment.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Best movie ever!!!  Feb 14, 2006

Even better than the first. Scorpions, actions, and a lot of hottie footage. Great special effects better than those in Ylopeze!! Better than Ylopeze in general. Yuh-BUH!

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