Too much of a good thing can become tiresome, even outstanding special effects. The Mummy Returns blasts your eyes and ears with flash and dash for two hours, probably about a half an hour too long and at a relentless pace. On reflection pretty much all of the good bits are in the first reel, but that’s no accident.
The Mummy Returns and returns and returns. There’s too much noise and pace. The special effects are clever, we’ve come a long way from Karloff’s 1932 Mummy film, but that 1932 Mummy was much more frightening. But this latest episode isn’t meant to scare, just give thrills. And if you don’t like loud films it would be best to stuff Mummy wrapping in your ears.
It’s 10 years since mild mannered Indiana Jonesish Rick (Brendan Frazer) and his librarian squeeze did battle with fiends in The Mummy. Now they have a young son in tow and of course the beast is unleashed again.
Off to Egypt they go on a ship suspended beneath a balloon (really), in the company again of the foppish Jonathan (John Hannah). The very dashing Ardeth (Oded Fehr) makes up the Arab contingent and Arnold Vosloo returns as the infamous Imhotep.
The son (Freddie Boath) is almost inoffensive. There’s a fun scene where he repeatedly asks his captors how much further, how much further. The highlights include a fight between the two women played by Rachael Weisz and Patricia Velazquez. There was some real friction and interest between their characters, but if you want to see this sort of thing in its real glory see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
An early battle between the goodies and four Mummys in London was terrific (but even that went on for too long). The creation of an oasis and the sudden appearance of a holographic image was memorable.
There were no doubt plenty of other great moments, the big battle scene towards the end is spectacular, but by the time that occurs there’s been enough. Rock from one of those T.V. wrestling programs has a small, growling part, but that meant little to me.
Brendan Fraser as always was strong and likeable but The Mummy Returns is just popcorn fare. A little space and subtlety would have worked but that’s no way to kill Mummys.
3 Popcorn Flys