Time: 129 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Medium level violence
Cast:
Brendan Fraser as Rick O’Connell
Rachel Weisz as Evelyn O’Connell / Nefertiri
John Hannah as Jonathan Carnahan
Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep
Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay
Patricia Velásquez as Meela Nais / Anck-su-namun
Dwayne Johnson as Mathayus of Akkad / The Scorpion King
Director: Stephen Sommers

I rewatched 1999’s The Mummy, I still really enjoy it and it definitely works as a throwback to classic adventure flicks, while being solid and memorable in its own right. Its follow up, The Mummy Returns, is also fun, even if it is a notable step down from its predecessor.

The Mummy Returns may have a larger scale and has the addition of Dwayne Johnson, but it is generally a rehash of the original movie and more of the same, down to having the same villain. The story isn’t as strong, is a bit more convoluted, and the constant presence of the son of the main characters is a little annoying. It also leans harder on the comedy, which is considerably more hit or miss here. At the same time, it retains the fun tone and adventure feel of the previous movie.

The strongest part of the movie is the main cast returning in Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and John Hannah, who are great as always and keep the movie at least largely enjoyable to watch, with Weisz particularly shining. On another note, it is genuinely refreshing that the two romantic leads of the first movie remain together in its direct sequel instead of being suddenly and conveniently separated.

Stephen Sommers returns to direct the sequel to his Mummy movie, and a lot of his strengths still shine through here, especially with the fun and well constructed action set pieces and production designs. The Mummy Returns however falters with its dodgy visual effects, which have somehow aged considerably worse than its predecessor. The climax is the strongest example of this, with a particular CGI character looking straight from a PlayStation 2 cutscene.

The Mummy Returns is a bit messy and doesn’t work as well as the first movie (especially with the visual effects), but it is still a lot of fun, with some entertaining set pieces and a reliable cast.