The Mummy Returns

Remember how badly Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom turned out when Steven Spielberg tried to wedge an impish kid into his successful archeology-action-adventure formula? Well, déjà vu. Just how pathetically contrived and sadly unoriginal is this obviously rushed-into-production follow-up about the first movie's mummy trying to take over the world with another mummy's evil army? Consider these three facts: 1) prim-but-sexy Egyptologist Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) turns out to be the reincarnation of Queen Nefertiti, 2) lantern-jawed adventurer Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) finds out that a tattoo he bears means he was born to be a Medjai warrior, and 3) their ragamuffin 8-year-old son Alex (Freddie Boath) is "The Chosen One" (although what this actually means is not well explained). Shtick dialogue, bad acting, gimmicky sidekicks, less than stellar F/X, lame plot devices; in short, this has everything that gives sequels a bad name. Of course, with all that said, the $200 million-plus boxoffice and sell-through price makes this hard to pass up for popular collections. (R. Blackwelder)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—July 8, 2008—Universal, 2 discs, 130 min., PG-13, DVD: $19.98, Blu-ray: $29.98—Making its latest appearance on DVD, and its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2001's The Mummy Returns (2-Disc Deluxe Edition) features a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras on this two-disc set include audio commentary by writer-director Stephen Sommers and executive producer/editor Bob Ducsay, a 20-minute “Spotlight on Location” featurette, 16 minutes of “Visual and Special Effects Formation” scenes, “Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy” (8 min.), eight minutes of storyboard to film comparisons, “An Army to Rule the World: Part 2” production featurette (6 min.), six minutes of outtakes, an exclusive conversation with costar The Rock (4 min.), the “Forever Might Not Be Enough” music video performed by Live, a sneak peek at the new film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a text “Egyptology 201” feature, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray version is an optional picture-in-picture interactive viewing track with behind-the-scenes footage. Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing sequel.]