Not as good as the original

Rating: 7/10 (11 May 2001)

This movie, while not bad, was nowhere near as exciting and entertaining as the original film. I found the heavy reliance on digital special effects, a staple now in Hollywood, to detract from the heart and spirit of the original picture, which used them liberally as well (but not nearly as much as here). The characters were the same, but they did not seem to be having the same feel to the them as they did in the first movie. The film's nature was darker as well, not as tongue-in-cheek as the first picture. The reason I liked the Mummy so much was its blend of high-octane action, great stuntwork, good special effects, and a light touch of comedy. Here everything is CGI special effects in overdrive, much in the same vein as the Jurassic Park films. Also, the darker nature of the film made it seem less interesting than the first one did. Once again, I point out that it wasn't all bad. Some of the new characters were very interesting, and some of the returning ones had their moments, but this film will not go down in my books as an instant classic, like the first one did.