Silly, campy, over the top but still fun

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2001)

I really enjoyed the original Mummy a few years ago which was the main reason I came back for the sequel. While I'm not sorry I saw the sequel, I was disappointed in that it wasn't nearly as clever or as well done as the first.
The producers of "The Mummy Returns" didn't even bother to fill in all of those tiny little plot holes. **POSSIBLE SPOILER** Like, how did the Maji character manage to make it to the temple and escape the little pygmie creatures that nailed everyone else? They also never really explained the full Scorpion story very well in the very beginning.
I wasn't expecting to think very deeply about this movie since it's just pure, silly entertainment at its most mindless. Mummy Returns still retains its old fashioned action film appeal and I still enjoyed it enormously. I even liked the campy one liners that I might have found annoying in another movie. Brendan Fraser helped a great deal in making "The Mummy Returns" a fun experience.
The special effects are great and the movie still scares. I was surprised to see so many young kids in the audience with a PG-13 rating.
I'd recommend it but I hope it won't be the best of this summer. I'm betting on either Shrek or AI for that honor.