Product Details

• Actors: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr
• Directors: Stephen Sommers
• Writers: Stephen Sommers
• Producers: Bob Ducsay, Don Zepfel, James Jacks, Megan Moran, Sean Daniel
• Format: PAL
• Language: Arabic, English
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Run Time: 130 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (524 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009MGKE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,940 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Mummy Returns" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Proving that bigger is rarely better, The Mummy Returns serves up so much action and so many computer-generated effects that it quickly grows exhausting. In his zeal to establish a lucrative franchise, writer-director Stephen Sommers dispenses with such trivial matters as character development and plot logic, and charges headlong into an almost random buffet of minimum story and maximum mayhem, beginning with a prologue establishing the ominous fate of the Scorpion King (played by World Wrestling Federation star the Rock, in a cameo teaser for his later starring role in--you guessed it--The Scorpion King). Dormant for 5,000 years, under control of the Egyptian god Anubis, the Scorpion King will rise again in 1933, which is where we find The Mummy's returning heroes Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, now married and scouring Egyptian ruins with their 8-year-old son, Alex (Freddie Boath).

John Hannah (as Weisz's brother) and Oded Fehr (as mystical warrior Ardeth Bay) also return from The Mummy, and trouble begins when Alex dons the Scorpion King's ancient bracelet, coveted by the evil mummy Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), who's been revived by... oh, but does any of this matter? With a plot so disposable that it's impossible to care about anything that happens, The Mummy Returns is best enjoyed as an intermittently amusing and physically impressive monument of Hollywood machinery, with gorgeous sets that scream for a better showcase, and digital trickery that tops its predecessor in ambition, if not in payoff. By the time our heroes encounter a hoard of ravenous pygmy mummies, you'll probably enjoy this movie in spite of itself. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

A huge popular success, but harder to follow than "Memento," whose story runs backward, or "The Circle," which is in Farsi. It has something to do with cursed tombs and the return of legions of mummies, but the plot is gibberish, the action is garbled, and there is such a superfluity of prancing creatures, devil-eyed villains, and roiling clouds of digital dust that one can only respond to it as a series of random sensations. Call it camp without jokes. Directed by the shlockmeister Steven Sommers. With Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as the married adventurer-archeologist team and the wrestler Dwayne Johnson, known as the Rock, who emerges in all his glory at the movie's end wearing giant crab claws. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun; Oded Fehr Rocks!, October 15, 2001

By 

E.A. Week "reviewer-at-large" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mummy Returns [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Anyone looking for a "great" movie will probably be disappointed, but anyone looking for sheer fun will probably be more than satisfied. Director Steven Sommers took his enjoyable 1999 movie "The Mummy" and expanded it out to an epic scale. The action picks up 10 years after the original; tomb raiders Evelyn and Rick O'Connell (now married, with 8-year-old child Alex in tow) discover another Egyptian artifact (the bracelet of the legendary Scorpion King) that unleashes yet another peril to the world, and once again, Evie and Rick have to stop it.

A contingent of bad guys, however, want in on the action, and they raise Imhotep (the mummy from the first movie) because he's the only one strong enough to take on the Scorpion King. The bad guys are led by a woman named Meela, who claims to be the reincarnation of Anck-Su-Namun, Imhotep's long-lost forbidden love.

Sommers cleverly adds an expanded backstory to the main characters from the earlier film, and while some of it stretches the imagination-- it seems like every character is a reincarnation of someone else-- it's executed in a mostly fun and believable way. In particular, the development of an ancient rivalry between Evelyn and Meela is fabulously well-done, adding considerable dimension to the reasons for Imhotep's horrible punishment in the first film. Arnold Vosloo was great in "The Mummy," but now, teamed up with his long-lost love, he's a thousand times more fun-- creepier, smarter, and yet at times endearingly vulnerable.

Mystical warrior Ardath Bay (the very hot Oded Fehr) also has an expanded role in this film, and helps ground viewers when they are faced with things like multiple reincarnations and hoardes of screaming pygmy mummies. Fehr brings exactly the right touches of appeal, swashbuckling dash, and "exotic" Middle Eastern mystery to the role.

A surprising amount of care seems to have been given to the supporting characters; they have just enough depth but not too much: Evie's brother Jonathan is back, providing much of the comic relief (but he also has some wonderful moments of heroism); little Alex is fun and resourceful without being overly precocious. Special care seems to have been taken with the villains: they are by turns menacing, funny, and *smart*, often a rare thing in the action/ adventure genre. In particular, Bay's rival Lock Nah is well-written and well-acted.

The script isn't exactly Shakespeare, but it's fast, funny, and (mostly) makes sense. The action sequences are spectacularly well-choreographed, and of course, the special effects are impressive. Sommers also allows some wonderful moments of human emotion: the sexual chemistry between Evie and Rick (ditto Meela and Imhotep); Jonathan's concern for his sister and nephew; Evie and Rick's love for their son; Bay's concern for his friends (and his great affection for his wonderful hawk). These little touches make the difference between a mindless action flick, and something that really stays with you after the credits roll.

Oddly enough, the much-touted presence of WWF star "The Rock" as the Scorpion King turns out to be almost negligible: it's a cameo that mostly sets up his own epic "The Scorpion King," due out in 2002. The real heart of this movie are the Evelyn-Rick and Imhotep- Anck-Su-Namun love stories. Without these and the other great characters from "Mummy Returns," it's hard to imagine that the next movie in this franchise could possibly top this one.

So if you're looking for something great, rent "Lawrence of Arabia." If you're looking for a highly enjoyable popcorn flick, "The Mummy Returns," should fit the bill perfectly.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better, Much Better than the original., September 30, 2001

By 

Kit Harris (Usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mummy Returns (Widescreen Collector's Edition) (DVD)

This is not Citizen Kane Folks, It the Mummy for Petes sake. If you have ever seen the original, you will know exactly what you are getting yourself into with the sequel. A sequel in my opinion that is much better than the first film because it at least keeps you on the edged of your seat from the beginning to the end. The acting is very top notch, and the Special Effects are just breathtaking to watch. Brendan Fraser is Great, and so is Arnold Vosloo and John Hannah but the Real achievement in this film Is Rachel Weisz who literally steals the movie from every body with her performance. The fight scene with her and Patricia Velasquez is a sight to behold. If you want to ponder the fate of movie making, and its short comings, dont see this movie. If you want to have a good time with characters you care for and villains you want to see defeated, See this movie, its worth a place in your DVD Collection. Its that good.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New 2-disc Deluxe Edition due out on July 8th, 2008, May 2, 2008

By 

Sanpete (in Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mummy Returns (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (DVD)

The upcoming release of The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor has prompted Universal to release new DVD editions of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. This new Deluxe Edition of The Mummy Returns includes most of the special features from the 2001 Collector's Edition, plus some new features. It will only be available in widescreen format.

The Mummy left most professional reviewers cool to lukewarm at best, and this, the first sequel, left them cold. But audiences still enjoyed it. Like the first in the series, it's a big-budget, big-special-effects horror/adventure extravaganza with George of the Jungle playing an Indiana Jones-type character. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz reprise their roles, he the adventurer and she the Egyptologist, married to each other with a young son in 1933. The same evil mummy-being-thing that bothered them so much in the first film is back, and this time there's an even more terrible force bent on destroying everything. The plot isn't very strong, but there is an army of pygmy mummies. Silly fun, sometimes more silly than fun.

These are the new special features:

-- "An Army To Rule The World Part 2" featurette
-- a digital copy of the movie
-- "Unraveling The Legacy Of The Mummy" featurette (also in the new The Mummy Deluxe Edition)
-- a sneak peak at The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (also in the new The Mummy Deluxe Edition)

Carried over from the 2001 Collector's Edition:

-- audio commentary with director/writer Stephen Sommers and executive producer/editor Bob Ducsay
-- "Visual And Special Effects Formation," on how the special effects were done
-- "Spotlight on Location," a behind-the-scenes featurette
-- a conversation with The Rock, you know, the wrestler/actor, who speaks, about The Scorpion King movie
-- Live's "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" music video
-- "Egyptology 201," text on Egyptian history

The only feature from the Collector's Edition not announced for the new Deluxe Edition that anyone is likely to miss is a few minutes of outtakes/bloopers. (I wouldn't be surprised to see them show up as an "easter egg" (hidden feature).)

The page for The Mummy Deluxe Edition is here.