After I finally watched 1999 version of The Mummy, I really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to seeing The Mummy Returns once I found out that it was being made. I have seen the movie several times and still really enjoy it.

Some of the things I mention about The Mummy Returns would be spoilers for people who haven’t seen The Mummy yet.

The Mummy Returns started off much like the first movie by having a short segment set in ancient Egypt. This time, the Scorpion King was introduced. He was a warrior who gave his soul to the god Anubis. No one had ever found any proof that the Scorpion King had existed.

In 1933, Rick and Evelyn O’Connell were exploring a tomb with their young song Alex. Rick and Evie discovered the bracelet of Anubis and an artifact that indicated that the Scorpion King had been real. At the same time in Hamunaptra, someone was excavating and looking for Imhotep. Meela, the woman involved in the project, knew a lot about Imhotep and where to find certain things.

Back in England, Imhotep was revived and Meela revealed that she was the reincarnation of Anck Su Namun. She and Imhotep had a plan for him to battle the Scorpion King for control of the army of Anubis. They needed the bracelet to find the Oasis of Ahm Shere, the place where the Scorpion King was supposed to be. Alex ended up wearing the bracelet, so he was kidnapped. Rick, Evie, Jonathan, and Ardeth Bay set off to try to rescue Alex and prevent Imhotep from defeating the Scorpion King.

The Mummy Returns is set about nine years after the events from The Mummy. The plot was very connected to the events in the first movie, so certain things will make more sense if the movies are watched in order. This movie really built on what had happened and been established in the first movie. Things had changed a bit for Rick and Evie, but they were still essentially the same characters. Jonathan had changed even less and was still looking for a way to find a fortune with little effort. Imhotep was back with a different main goal, though he did still want to bring back the soul of Anck Su Namun so they could finally be together. I did notice a few inconsistencies with a few things from first movie. It was mostly with the things read from the book of the dead. In the first movie, Evie just read a few lines and that was enough to being Imhotep back. In this movie, the man doing it read several more lines. Maybe that was because there seemed to be an actual ritual going on.

Things from the time that Imhotep and Anck Su Namun lived were shared again throughout The Mummy Returns. This time it was also introduced that Evie had a past life in ancient Egypt and that Rick also had a connection as well. Evie started to have dreams about ancient Egypt like she had been there. She eventually figured out that she had been Princess Nefertiri, daughter of Pharaoh Seti I and she had also known Imhotep and Anck Su Namun. I know that some people didn’t care for that aspect of the movie, but it didn’t bother me. I do remember people saying that Evie being Princess Nefertiri contradicted the fact that she had been the reincarnation of Anck Su Namun. That was never said in the first movie. Imhotep just decided that Evie would make a good sacrifice for the ritual to bring Anck Su Namun back to life. In this movie, Meela knew she was the reincarnation of Anck Su Namun and she was willing to go through the ritual to bring back Anck Su Namun’s soul. Some viewers will not care for all the past life stuff going on in this movie.

The Mummy Returns had a lot of the same type of action that had been used in the first movie. Once again Rick and Evie had to battle Imhotep and various other undead beings before the final confrontation with the Scorpion King and the army of Anubis. There was a chase fairly early in the movie that involved a double decker bus that I thought was entertaining. There were more fights that added a bit of violence that didn’t get very violent. Several things were created with special effects that were done well for the most part. The Scorpion King made another appearance late in the movie and it was very clear that he was created with CGI. Those effects didn’t look that good. The movie was rated PG-13, so there are things in it that aren’t meant for younger children to see.

I thought that there was a good amount of humor throughout The Mummy Returns, much like there had been in the first movie. That really helped to make the movie fun overall. Rick and Evie both said and did some things that added humor. Once again Jonathan provided much of the humor with the way he reacted to things. This time he was aided by Alex at times. The two of them had some very funny exchanges. Some of the things done for laughs were a bit silly, which might bother some people.

The relationships between Rick and Evie and Imhotep and Anck Su Namun were important to the overall plot of The Mummy Returns. It was made very clear that Rick and Evie were very much in love and happy in their marriage. There weren’t any sex scenes, but Rick and Evie were shown kissing frequently. Imhotep and Anck Su Namun’s love was forbidden when they originally lived. They were still in love once they were resurrected. They were also shown kissing a few times. The love that both couples shared was put to the test by the end of the movie.

Rick and Evie were very much like they had been in the first movie. It wasn’t said for sure, but it seemed like they had been exploring other tombs around Egypt in the years that had passed between the movies. Evie was more respected as an archeologist than she had been in the first movie. I really liked seeing them again. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz were really good in their parts again.

Jonathan was also back. He wasn’t as successful and was still hoping to find his big treasure. He might have been living off Rick and Evie. I still liked John Hannah in the part. Alex was Rick and Evie’s young son. He was just as intelligent as his mother and he could be as mouthy as his dad or uncle at times. He was adventurous like his parents, which did get him into some trouble at times. I could see bits of his parents as well as Jonathan in him. Alex was a good kid who wasn’t annoying. Ardeth was back to help stop Imhotep.

Not much was shared about Meela other than her being the reincarnation of Anck Su Namun and how she was determined to bring him back. She didn’t seem like that nice of a person. Patricia Velasquez had more to do in this movie since Meela/Anck Su Namun was around more. Imhotep wasn’t just focused on being reunited with Anck Su Namun. He also wanted to gain control of the army of Anubis to take over the world. The Scorpion King was only shown in a few short scenes, so Dwayne Johnson didn’t have much to do. I think the character was shown more as a CGI creation than as a real person. Several other people were working with Imhotep and Meela. Those characters weren’t developed or that important to the overall plot.

Main Cast

Freddie Boath - Alex
Oded Fehr - Ardeth Bay
Brendan Fraser - Rick
John Hannah - Jonathan
Dwayne Johnson - Scorpion King
Patricia Velasquez - Meela/Anck Su Namun
Arnold Vosloo - Imhotep

Stephen Sommers - Director

DVD Information

I first saw The Mummy Returns in the theater. It was actually the first movie that I went to see on opening day. Since I enjoyed the movie so much, I decided to pick up the DVD once it was released. My copy has the widescreen version of the movie. I’m thinking that there is also a full screen version as well. The extras include a commentary, outtakes, a music video and some featurettes on the making of the movie. One of those focused on the special effects. Something called Egyptology 201 shared more information about ancient Egypt. I did think that as well as the featurettes were interesting.

I really enjoyed The Mummy Returns. It was a fun adventure movie like the first one that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. People who enjoyed The Mummy may also like this one.

The Mummy ~ The Mummy Returns ~ The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ~

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older