Was one enough? Probably, but this is still worth your time.

Rating: 6/10 (7 July 2020)

OK, since I've already watched "The Mummy", I might as well carry on with its sequel, especially since much of the main cast (lead by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz) have returned, and the first one was so much fun. How bad can it be? Well, bad is in the eye of the beholder, and this is extremely enjoyable for what it is in spite of the fact that like most fantasy action films of the past 20 years, it can be just TOO much. Even though this came out before the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, it has some of the elements that made later entries in that series far too complicated even with its simplicity. Convoluted, often confusing, mainly because there's far too much going on, far too many characters, far too much action to get in one sitting, and with hundreds of thousands of movies to watch, who wants to go back and see something again that they didn't get the first time. OK, me, but that's when I need a break from fresh celluloid.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson dominates the first reel of this film as the Scorpion King, an Egyptian warrior who, while on the verge of death, offered himself up to one of the Gods of darkness in exchange for more time to conquer his enemies. That he gets, with the sudden appearance of a tropical paradise in the middle of the desert, and then he's off to battle with the aide of demonic looking monsters aiding him. But when his time is up, it's up, and he's pulled away to fulfill his promise. Centuries go by, and the scorpion bracelet ends up on the arm of Fraser and Weisz's son, and that could open up a great big can of flesh eating beetles and once again destroy the world. The only way to conquer the Scorpion King is to bring back Imhotep, last seen being pulled into the muck after his eternity was pulled out by mysterious beings on a white chariot.
This probably plays better on a digital TV than it did in the theater because by the sounds of things, it is extremely loud, and I like to be in control of the height of my movie watching volume. This takes everything that was good about "The Mummy" and practically quadruples it. That makes it fun in spots, too much to really collect in your movie going memory in most places, yet always keeping your attention. At least there is a story there, and the continuity from the first film to this hasn't been greatly sacrificed outside the return of Imhotep. If you can get past the absurdities, you'll have a good time, but my mind's eye tells me that I'll have to give this another shot again in about five years to catch what I missed the first two times around.