The summer movie season officially starts with the new mummy movie, The Mummy Returns. I'll admit, I was a naysayer to the first one that came out two years ago. Honestly, I thought it was lame. So I wasn't expecting much from the sequel, cause everyone knows sequels are never as good as the first ones, right? Wrong. At least not in this case. The Mummy Returns is every thing the first one wasn't.

I thought The Mummy was ruined by it's cheap jokes. They seemed to come at the wrong time, during the action, and it would take away from the action going on. It didn't take itself seriously, so I didn't take it seriously. I thought it was silly, and not in the good way. I didn't laugh during that one, and I thought the action was ruined by the cheap laughs.

The second one is different however. First off, the action is better. I'd say there is twice as much action in The Mummy Returns.

Action High Points: There's a neat chase after our hero's escape a museum. It involves undead creatures who run like monkeys and a double-decker bus.

There's a scene where the bad guys, and the good guys are being tortured by weird pygmy like creatures who squeal. It's hysterical how odd this part of the film is.

Then there is a great cat fight between the two women. A cool fist fight between Brendan Fraser and the bald mummy guy. Then another cool fight between Fraser and the Scorpion king, played by the Rock.

As if that wasn't enough, there's also a braveheart-like battle, but instead of Scotsman, it's Arabs and weird dog creatures.

So, there's a plot right? Well yeah, but I'm not going into explaining it. Make sure you've seen the first Mummy, and you should ease right into this film.

The acting: Brendan Fraser shows he can do action as well as anybody, but he's still no Indiana Jones. Rachel Weisz is as cute as a button, and she's got more lines and is more enjoyable in this, than she was in the original. John Hannah is funny, but not too funny. Which is good, he's not just a dorky side-kick. Arnold Vosloo, the bald guy who plays the Mummy, is creepy as hell. And he does a hell of a job speaking in that weird Egyptian language. And last, and most certainly least, there's The Rock. He's ok I guess. I'm looking forward to seeing The Scorpion King, but he's just not that big of a deal in this one. He's certainly not bad, but he's nothing to write home about.

I've heard a lot people say they thought the CGI was ugly. Well, it's not breathtaking or anything, but it's not that bad. It's certainly good enough for a Mummy movie.

The summer movie season has begun, and as far as summer movies go, The Mummy Returns is a winner.




Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12