Nearly but nearly

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2001)

This is much more of an action film than the 1999 "The Mummy" and it so nearly matches or beats that film...but it doesn't for me.

What are great are the battles, the interplay between Jonathan and Alex, the scenery both real and CGI, the British Museum resurrection of Imhotep, the O'Connells, Izzy, Ardeth Bay, the balloon, the Rock in battle, Imhotep's rejection by Anck-su-Amun and the general whoosh of action whose pace never lets up.
There are lots of good touches like all the mummies in the British Museum coming to life at the same time or Izzy filling in some of O'Connell's past misdeeds and a few cheesy cliches like the dirigible floating across a huge moon a la E.T.
What let it down were the lack of a real narrative once the bracelet was off, the Rock looked in perfect health when supposedly close to death in the desert, the awful CGI of the Scorpion King ( whoever thought that was close to flesh colour needs a new colour chart ) and those terrible pygmy mummies at the oasis where the fight just went on and on and on.
It was fun but it could have been greater :-) and I don't think the Rock can carry the third film on his own :-(