While digging for artifacts among the Pyramids, they unearth a golden bracelet that shows the path to the Scorpion King s secret oasis, the resting place of Annubis army. Alex, now with the bracelet stuck on his wrist, is kidnapped and used by Imhotep to find the Scorpion King for the ultimate fighting challenge. But you know that something good will always happen in the nick of time in The Mummy Returns , which sucks the life out of any suspense generated by a thrilling piece of cinematic action. The mini-cliffhangers also take time away from explaining the presence of several characters. And Sommers borrows more freely from other films, particularly those in the Steven Spielberg canon.
Raiders is a given influence.
Bloodthirsty pygmy mummies brought Gremlins to mind. The London-based basement cult is familiar from Young Sherlock Holmes . From that standpoint, the film could be a lot worse. Plus, Brendan Fraser is rarely hard to watch. He s got a strong movie star presence and he can actually act.