The Mummy Returns

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2001 Howard Anderson

Story

It is 1933, the Year of the Scorpion. Eight years have passed since dashing legionnaire Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and fearless Egyptologist Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) fought for their lives against a 3000-year-old enemy named Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo).

Rick and Evelyn are married now and have settled in London where they are raising their son Alex (Freddie Boath). When a chain of events finds the corpse of Imhotep resurrected in the British Museum, the mummy Imhotep walks the earth once more, determined to fulfill his quest for immortality. But another force has also been set loose in the world ... one born of the darkest rituals of ancient Egyptian mysticism, and even more powerful than Imhotep. When these two forces clash, the fate of the world will hang in the balance, sending the O'Connells on a desperate race to save the world from unspeakable evil and rescue their son before it is too late.

Review

The task of making a successful and artistically competent sequel to any film is a tricky business, and it is also an endeavor that most films fail to accomplish, with some failing miserably. So when writer/director Stephen Sommers said that he was gonna take his time in crafting a strong enough script for a worthy sequel, I definitely got my hopes up for something that just might be able to defy the odds. Well, I'm certainly glad that I'm not a betting man, because what Stephen Sommers served up with "The Mummy Returns" is quite possibly one of the worst films of the summer, if not the year. It walks right into every Hollywood pitfall that there is, and even discovers a couple of new ones along the way. The recipe for this on is bigger, louder and dumber, and the end result just didn't go down well with me at all. Actually, there are a couple of saving graces along the way, like the double decker bus chase through the streets of London and the pygme mummies, but on a whole there are not a lot of good things I can think to say about "The Mummy Returns."

All of the original cast from the first film are back, in addition to a couple of new faces in the form of The Rock as the Scorpion King, and Freddy Boath as Rick and Evelyn's son, Alex. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz both deliver perfectly fine performances with the material they've been handed, and it was also kind of interesting to see the way their characters had evolved since leaving them at the end of the first film. This time around the physical requirements for Weisz's character has been increased considerably, and all though I liked this aspect prior to seeing it put into play, I just felt they took it way too far in the end. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think this is right film to try to copy "The Matrix" or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" when it comes to martial arts sequences. On a more positive note, John Hannah as Jonathan is a criminal mastermind when it comes to scene-stealing, and is deserving of material a lot better than this. The Rock was also able to leave a favorable impression, and seeing how he's featured (his flesh and blood incarnation, that is) for a total of maybe five minutes during the opening sequence, that alone should be ample evidence of his much talked about on-screen charisma.

When the movie was done and the screen finally faded to black, I found myself with no choice but to sit through the end credits. It was near impossible for me to believe that a cutting edge VFX house like ILM was responsible for the absolutely awful-looking CGI effects that litter this film, but lo and behold, there is was: Industrial Light & Magic. I shriek at the thought of that ridiculous-looking wall of water, and don't even get me started on the final incarnation of the Scorpion King. There are sequences in here that could suck the life out of any film faster than even Imhotep himself could manage. And speaking of the Devil, the only improvement from the first outing is actually the rendering and movements of Imhotep, as he struts about partially decayed during the first hour. For me, however, that really doesn't help much, as I am a firm believer that CGI can never compensate for genuine make-up effects applied in the old fashioned way.

Another big problem I had with "The Mummy Returns", is its stressful and exasperating pacing, as this film has all the subtlety and patience of Mike Tyson on steroids. Come to think of it, that could be kind of fun under the right circumstances, but unfortunately that is not the case here. And last but certainly not least, it is also worth mentioning that the intrigues and revelations that are played out in the course of this film, work about as well as what you'd see on a third rate day-time TV drama.

Image

The anamorphic image, presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, looks stunning. This is a very solid transfer from Universal, and all though there is some minor edge enhancement visible at times, it still does very little to detract from the overall quality. As you'd expect from a movie set mainly in Egypt, it features a strong use of vibrantly warm and flesh tinted colors, but still there is no hint, whatsoever, of smearing in even the brightest and most demanding of scenes. Blacks and shadow detail come off looking perfect, and the image also retains a truly impressive sharpness, making this a very respectable effort, indeed.

Sound

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is a lot more active this time around than in the first film, where the surrounds weren't nearly as aggressive as here. There are constantly sound effects coming at you from all directions, and this mix also comes with a really tight and powerful bass that engages all 5.1 channels quite frequently. Unlike most Universal releases nowadays, there is no DTS track included on this release, so I guess we'll have to wait until the inevitable Ultimate Edition set for that. There is also a French Dolby Digital 5.1 track included.

Features

Maybe I've been spoiled by some of Universal's past DVD releases, but I did not find the extra content on this disc to be up to the same high standards that I've come to expect from a release carrying the renowned Collector's Edition label. The Screen-Specific Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Stephen Sommers and Co-Producer/Editor Bob Ducsay is an engaging and informative session, and there are even a few times when they comment upon some of the on-screen mistakes and improbabilities presented throughout the film. It's not the best Commentary track I've ever listened to, but it is still more entertaining than the movie itself, and it is also one of the few highlights found among the otherwise promotional-heavy extras. The "Visual and Special Effects Information" vignettes offer some insight into the various stages of conception and creation of four of the films key fx sequences. This is a nicely put together piece and is well worth a look.

The "Spotlight on Location" is basically your typical promotional behind-the-scenes featurette, and comes with the usual on-set interviews and so on and so forth. There is "An Exclusive Conversation with The Rock", where he sheds some light on both his character and the forthcoming movie, "The Scorpion King." The first-look trailer for "The Scorpion King" is also included here, and is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The "Unlock the Secrets to the Scorpion King" extra is a DVD-ROM feature with some footage from the making of "The Scorpion King." For some goofs and various on-set shenanigans take a look at the "Outtakes" reel. The "Egyptology 201" section is basically the same as the 101 version found on the Collector's Edition of the first film, and offers some interesting factual information. The Live music video, "Forever May Not Be Long Enough", is your typical unimaginative music video to accompany a major motion picture, and "The Mummy Returns Chamber of Doom" is a 4-minute promo for a new Universal theme park attraction that just looks beyond bad. "A Special Message from Oded Fehr" is in truth an appeal for the Kid's Cancer Connection, and not so much an extra feature. "The Mummy Returns Special Offer" is another themepark promo, "The Mummy Returns" Playstation 2 game trailer is just that, and then there's the usual Theatrical Trailer, Production Notes, Cast and Filmmakers Bios, and some DVD recommendations.

Overall Opinion

The first fourty minutes are fairly entertaining, but after that "The Mummy Returns" just falls flat on its face. This is not a film that I would recommend to anyone, so if you're curious about it, then I'd suggest a rental. The DVD looks and sounds great, but the extra features are not especially impressive.