The Mummy Returns

Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for adventure action and violence.

Review by Eugene Kopman <eugene@filmhead.com>
May 9, 2001

It's been two years since the original Mummy came out and I wish it stayed that way. We start with a 10-minute rundown of the Scorpion King (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). After trailers emphasizing The Rock's role in this film, the opening sequence is the only time he appears in the film.

When the story starts, we find out that Rick O'Connell (Brandon Fraser) and Evelyn "Evie" Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) are now married and have an 8-year-old boy named Alex (Freddie Boath). The three are found looking for the Band of the Scorpion King, which they find, almost drowning in the process. The band is also wanted by a curator of the British museum and a reincarnated Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velazquez). They dig up the body of the once again mummified Im-Ho-Tep (Arnold Vosloo) and want to bring him back to life. Here is the catch: the reason for the reincarnation is that they want Im-Ho-Tep to defeat the Scorpion King in order to control the army of Anubis and take over the world. So the O'Connells, along with Evie's brother Jonathan (John Hannah) and the keeper of the secret of Im-Ho-Tep, Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr), must save the day.

The Mummy Returns has many twists and turns with even more inconsistencies in the storyline. The special effects are horrible; they were better in the first one. Stephen Sommers wrote a hilarious screenplay that lived up to the first Mummy, but, as a director, he made too many wrong choices. For example, the classic zoom-out that usually happens at the end of the film was used with about 15 more minutes to go and I knew the movie wasn't over yet.

The Mummy Returns started with definite potential, but turned into garbage. But I will admit it had its entertaining moments.

Here's some merchandise for sale at

The Mummy Returns (2001)	-- VHS
The Mummy Returns (2001)	-- DVD Widescreen Collector's Edition
The Mummy Returns (2001)	-- DVD (Standard Pan&Scan Only)
The Mummy Returns, a screenplay novelization by Max Allan Collins	-- Paperback
The Mummy Returns Scrapbook, by John Whitman	-- Paperback
The Mummy Returns, a junior novelization by John Whitman	-- Paperback
The Mummy Returns: Original Motion Picture Score	-- Compact Disc
The Mummy Returns	-- Game for Game Boy Color

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