Not surprisingly, this falls short of the first movie.

Rating: 5/10 (18 July 2001)

Unfortunately, this movie was what I expected it to be, going into it. Like The Mummy, this movie has really great special effects. But what it lacks is the quirkiness, campiness, character interplay, and overall energy that the first movie has.
The Mummy Returns, like its predecessor, has the theme of grave danger to the world in the awakening of an immortal, evil power. But this time, the evil power is that of the Scorpion King, and at his command, the evil army of Anubis. Whosoever can best the Scorpion King in battle will gain control of his armies, and subsequently world domination.
But that's the problem here. We have this all-powerful enemy with his armies to contend with. In addition, there is the evil group of people who resurrect high priest Imhotep, with the idea that he will defeat the Scorpion King and thus take over the world. And intertwined through the whole mess is our band of heroes, who are consigned to thwarting these efforts, but who throughout the movie seem merely resigned to do so, without any of the sense of urgency that should surround such an undertaking. Indeed, Brendan Frasier's character makes a couple of comments to that effect: "You know, a year ago, this would have completely freaked me out." In this installment, the villains don't really seem all that immortal or all-powerful. In spite of whatever powers they may wield, they're presented as not much more than another enemy to thwart. It doesn't help that Imhotep is presented as being in collusion with all of these "mortals." Come on! In the first movie, we get this presentation of Imhotep as this all-powerful force to be reckoned with, someone who has no need of conspiring with other individuals to get what he wants. He is far too mortalized here.
In addition, the character interplay just doesn't have the dynamic that it does in the first movie. Frasier and Weisz's characters just don't have the excitement and energy that they have in the first movie. John Hannah is very funny, as he is in the first installment, and as such is a redemption to the movie. But the part of comic relief in such a movie is supposed to be just that: a relief from the tension and excitement of the rest of the film. Unfortunately, that just doesn't exist here.
And that's the fatal flaw of this movie. It violated premises that it could ill afford to violate, in that it was boring and lacking in anticipation. There were moments that were obviously meant to suprise, catch you off guard. Unfortunately, you could see them coming a mile away. In addition, the characters were as uninspired as the plot, and as such all the special effects in the world couldn't save it. The "here we go again" mentality of the film could have stood up, if the film itself were not so derivative of the first film, and at the same time lacking in any innovation to make it distinct.
I give it 5 out of 10 stars. It can be a somewhat entertaining watch, but it doesn't hold a candle to the first film.