Bigger doesn´t certainly mean better

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2002)

In the sequel to the very successful summer-hit of 1999 "The Mummy", director Stephen Sommers has made everything bigger and, according to himself, better. I can´t say that I agree with "The Mummy Returns" being better than its predecessor, but this is still fun stuff.
Several years after their first adventure, Rick and Evelyn are back in Egypt to hunt for treasures. This time they have their ingenious son with them. After some trouble, they get home to London, but they´ve brought something with them that they shouldn´t have taken. Very soon an old friend of theirs is resurrected and the fun begins.
In "The Mummy Returns", lots of the comedy from part one has been removed in favor of more special effects. Because there are lots of those here. Too many, I would say. Sure, they are great to look at (except for one certain effect towards the end, shame on you ILM), and helps the movie to keep the pace up. But it feels like Stephen Sommers should have trusted more on his actors, and less on the effects.
The film has its moments, the Scorpion King not being one, and the fun rarely stops. The actors do a good job with the material they have, and it´s nice to see the beautiful actress Patricia Velasquez in a bigger role this time around. This is one of the better sequels I´ve seen in a long time.

3/5