30 Second Bottom Line: A mummified warrior returns to face his nemesis and reclaim his lost love. Entombed for nearly 2,500 years, since his last respite in The Mummy, he and his lady love search for the key to The Scorpion King, who has the power they need to control the world. A team of heroes, keeping it all in the family, a la Spy Kids, is determined to keep world order from being taken over by an evil army.
Story Line: The movie begins in 3,067 BC with The Scorpion King (Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. wrestler The Rock) as a battlefield officer. He's been through seven years of fighting, and is the only warrior left alive. He begs to live and agrees to abandon his soul to Anubis; first, so he will not die of thirst in the desert, and then to lead fearsome armies into victorious battles. The Scorpion King's wishes are granted and after resting in his tomb for 5,000 years, he and his sworn enemy Im-Ho-Tep (Arnold Vosloo) are called upon to fight once again. This time the mission is not just to win local military campaigns, but to take over the world and advance the cause of evil.
Fast forward to the Egyptian desert, circa 1930's, Rick and Evelyn O'Connell (Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz) are archaeologists with a precocious eight-year-old son named Alex (Freddie Boath). During their dig, they unwittingly set events into motion to free The Scorpion King. Meanwhile, on the other side of the oasis, the reincarnated Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velasquez) and her band of bandits releases her mummified lover, Imhotep. These two, let loose on the world, would make Hitler look like the tooth fairy.
Evelyn has visions of her past life, when she was Nerfertiti and fought her adversary, Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velasquez). In one illusion she sees a sealed vault, and the combination to unlock it is revealed to her. Inside Evelyn, Rick and Alex discover hidden treasures. One item is a chest with the gold bracelet of The Scorpion King, which locks on Alex's wrist when he picks it up. Removed from its resting place, the bracelet will resurrect The Scorpion King in seven days. It's back to the London Museum with the artifacts!
The thicket of thieves chasing them, led by the gauzy bad guy Imhotep, includes the splendidly robed Lock Nah (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje). They want the bracelet themselves to harness the power of the Scorpion King for their evil pursuits.
This cast of characters, along with Evelyn's brother Jonathan (John Hannah) and Rick's old pilot friend Izzie (Shaun Parkes), take us on a trip of unparalleled action and adventure.
Tell Me More About It: The Mummy Returns starts off in what seems like a rehash of other big budget action films (this one came in at $100 million), aimed at young boys. There are big battle scenes with legions of ferocious dog soldiers, captures and escapes. Hand to hand combat, where enemies look each other in the eye. Furtive and dusty agents of Imhotep scurry along the sides of buildings and pounce on their prey. Combined with a fair amount of tongue in cheek humor, Indiana Jones style, this adds up to a fun ride.
About the time you think the movie is just OK and simply going through the motions, it kicks into high gear and makes you sit up and pay attention. Creative writing and special effects accompany non-stop action. There are imaginative scenes, like floating in an out of the ordinary hot air balloon, sailing across the path of the moon, reminiscent of ET. The creativity intensifies to the point of being almost as mind blowing as when we were introduced to the final battle scenes in the first Star Wars movie over 25 years ago.
The story makes just enough sense to hold your interest and the supporting actors are often as good as the stars. The demographic appeal of this film may be unmatched. Weisz and Velasquez do battle in a female rendition of Gladiator, with a touch of the style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.Freddie Boath is a refreshing new talent for the bubble gum set. The Rock's wrestling fans will not be disappointed with his bigger than life action. The Latino and African-American supporting roles by Agbaje, Parkes and Velasquez are each strong and intelligent, whether on the side of good or evil. It's refreshingly non-stereotypical. With Weisz and Hannah keeping their accents from England and Scotland, they'll give this film an added boost in the European market. After that, throw in Arnold Vosloo from Pretoria in South Africa and another continent has a marketing angle.
Heck, while Brendan Fraser is no Russell Crowe, when you compare The Mummy Returns to Gladiator, using the logic of the Academy Awards, this could be the best picture of 2001. I'm just kidding, but who knows, it could happen.
DVD