This Film Needs a Benny

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2001)

The original was character driven and fun, as well as funny. This one spent much more time and effort on big-budget special effects than character development or humor. This film needed a Benny.
The hot-air balloon idea was contrived, badly written, and poorly animated. The character of Izzy just isn't filled in enough, and that IS a writing problem, not an acting problem. The movie feels like it was thrown together, re-written by a half-dozen studio executives who wanted to mix the original with "The Matrix" and remove everything intelligent. I liked the characters in the first film quite a bit. I missed them. And other than faint glimpses of the original Rick, and even fainter ones of Evie (more of which are shown via Alex than Rachel Weisz), they're not here at all. Great actors given nothing to do but react to special effects, as opposed to (as in the first one) each other.
A good idea squandered-- I liked it, but any director is likely to be surrounded by Yes-men after a success like the original "Mummy."
Worth watching once. The original was worth watching a dozen times. Do what makes you happy.