Product: The Mummy Returns [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 4.0
Imhotep Rises Again
While the story is original, the villain is not. Again, we have people (though this time intentionally though, besides to raise the Army of Anubis, why they really want him to kill the Scorpion King, except for the reincarnated Anck-su-namun, is never explained). And again, he must suck the life out the people who opened his chest, though again intentionally compared to the first film and it isn't as long and drawn out. Though I must say, in the end, I feel a little sympathy for Imhotep as his love, the only reason for him to live, abandons him. Kudos to Arnold Vosloo for that little moment. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are back again as well and still have an amazing chemistry (which you can tell when Evelyn dies and Rick is heartbroken over it). This time, they're married and have a son named Alex, whose not as annoying as some of the other kids in movies I've reviewed. Must be something about the new millenium that all of a sudden, kids can act. John Hannah is also back and is still the comedic relief but the character comes into his own I think when he fights Anck-su-namun for his sister and recreates the scene from the first film while Alex reads from the Book of the Dead. Oded Fehr and Patricia Velásquez also return from the first film though I find Velásquez' character a little annoying at times though she is a legitimate threat towards her enemies and then loving towards Imhotep (until the end), so the actress really knows how to switch emotions when called for (unlike some actresses I could name). The action sequences are executed really well. The double-decker chase/fight, the pygmies (a scary yet funny scene at the same time) and the fight with Anubis' army being my favorite sequences as you can hardly tell that CGI is going on. The music is also handled really well, I think even better than the first film, with the rousing action cue being my favorite.