Product: The Mummy Returns [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 3.0
Good, but not so much as the first one
There are a few cases in film history where a sequel is actually better than the original. "The Mummy Returns" is not one of those cases. But it's not completely bad either. Its basic problem is a question of balance. The original was famous because of its clever mix of action and comedy. In this case, whether you believe it or not, there's just too much action and too much comedy. As for the plot, with its tale of ancient reincarnations, duels of fate, supernatural armies, lost cities and even more magical artifacts than the first movie, it's just too ambitious to be taken seriously. The biggest flaw of the movie is, therefore, its excess.But in spite of this problem, some characters take an interesting twist. The leader of the Magi (Odeh Fer) turns out to be an even more amazing hero than he was in the first movie, and the character of Evi (Rachel Weisz) is no longer the naive, bookish girl that she was before. Now she evens wields swords, daggers and guns just like his husband Rick. Some new characters, like Ank-Suna-Mun (Patricia Velásquez) and the Scorpion King (The Rock) are also welcomed. This time, however, Imhotep is not as cool as he was before. You can even say he's kind of weak. I think that losing your immortality forces you to play it safe for a while.The producers also put a lot of special features on this edition, even more than they did in the first movie, but even they get old, because the first movie already covered the special effects aspect too well. In conclusion, you should watch it if you liked the first one, but you should know that, this time, they just pushed things to far.