Special effects were good; the plot was not

Rating: 3/10 (6 May 2001)

If you like to see state-of-the-art 21st-century special effects injected into a farcical plot with poorly written dialogue, then The Mummy Returns might be just the movie for you. The special effects saved this movie from a disaster worse than the one the characters in the film face. As in the first installment of The Mummy back in 1999, The Mummy Returns packs a punch with a lot of exciting special effects. However, that is where the similarity ends. Whereas The Mummy had some semblance of a plot, the plot of The Mummy Returns is used like a clothesline to display the special effects. The entire concept is far-fetched: "We didn't learn our lesson last time when we unleashed the most dangerous mummy of all-time. Why don't we unleash one that is even more dangerous that we conveniently forgot to mention in the first movie?" In addition, we see characters appearing, going places, and doing things that have no logical explanation for them. As bad as the plot was, it looked like Shakespeare compared to the dialogue, which appears to have been written by a 7-year old watching Saturday morning cartoons. A sample: "I really hate mummies." Wow, what insight into the character's mind! This movie would make excellent fodder for a future Mystery Science Theater 3000 show. Here's my recommendation: if you want to see a lot of amazing special effects with little else, go see The Mummy Returns. If you want to laugh at a completely incomprehensible plot and crude dialogue, go see The Mummy Returns. This movie is a 3 at best.