A solid sequel with almost nonstop action

Rating: 7/10 (19 September 2016)

This sequel opens in ancient Egypt and shows a warrior known as 'The Scorpion King' raise an army and set about conquering the known world. Eventually he is defeated and as he is about to die in the desert he prays to Anubis; he gives him a new army and he takes Egypt but is then taken by Anubis.
The action then moves forward to 1932 and explorer Rick O'Connell and his wife Evelyn are searching a site in Egypt; Evelyn had strange visions that led her to the Bracelet of Anubis. They return to London with it and their son Alex puts it on; it locks onto his wrist and shows him a vision of Ahm Shere, in Egypt. Meanwhile a cult has raised Imhotep; hoping that he can defeat the Scorpion King and take command of his army to do that they kidnap Alex and take him to Egypt; along the way Alex is told that he has seven days from the moment he put the bracelet on to get to Ahm Shere or he will die. His parents, along with his uncle Jonathan and Ardeth Bay, set off in pursuit and before the time limit is up they come across a variety of dangers and ultimately must confront the risen Scorpion King.
Fans of the first film will almost certainly enjoy this; the plot is fairly ridiculous but that doesn't matter as the action barely stops from start to finish. The action is pretty good for the most part although some of the CGI is certainly showing its age; unfortunately this includes the Scorpion King himself. The central cast are pretty good; Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have a good chemistry as Rick and Evelyn and John Hannah provides some good laughs as Johnathon. Shaun Parkes also provides some funny moments as Izzy, the pilot of a dirigible who has had bad experiences when working with Rick in the past. Overall this is a solid 'Boys' Own' adventure with little material that could offend and thrills that are suitable for older children and adults wanting good silly fun.