The Mummy Returns
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| The Mummy Returns | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for The Mummy Returns |
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| Directed by | Stephen Sommers |
| Produced by | Sean Daniel James Jacks |
| Written by | Stephen Sommers |
| Starring | Brendan Fraser Rachel Weisz Arnold Vosloo John Hannah The Rock |
| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
| Cinematography | Adrian Biddle |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures (Domestic) UIP (International) |
| Release date(s) | May 4, 2001 (USA) |
| Running time | 130 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $98,000,000 US (est.) |
| Preceded by | The Mummy |
| Followed by | Mummy 3 |
| IMDb profile | |
The Mummy Returns is a 2001 movie starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and is directed by Stephen Sommers. It is a sequel to the 1999 movie The Mummy, and is set 8 years later, in 1933. Filming took place in London, Morocco, and Jordan. Most of the original characters make a return, with a few new ones.
The Mummy Returns also had a 2002 spin-off The Scorpion King, which is set 5000 years prior and focuses on The Scorpion King, who is introduced in Mummy Returns.
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[edit] Plot
The movie begins before the gates of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes in 3067 BC as a warrior known only as the Scorpion King (played by The Rock) leads his army against the defenders on his road to conquest. The Scorpion King loses this final battle and is forced to retreat into the desert with what is left of his army. As his soldiers die one by one from the desert heat, only the Scorpion King is left. Swearing an oath to Anubis-the Scorpion King's soul in exchange for his life and the power to defeat his enemies-a scorpion burrows its way out of the sand and the Scorpion King picks it up, biting down on it as he eats it to seal the pact. Almost immediately, a great oasis is formed around him and he soon returns to Thebes with the Army of Anubis- immortal jackal-headed warriors- to exact his revenge. When he has completed his conquest, his soul is taken by Anubis, we are then fast forwarded exactly five thousand years to 1933 where we rejoin the O'Connells eight years after the first movie.
As the title suggests, the mummy Imhotep has returned with the help of his reincarnated lover Meela Nais (Patricia Velásquez) and the O'Connells (played by Fraser and Weisz), as well as their son Alex. The O'Connells have to stop Imhotep from acquiring the Bracelet of Anubis and taking on the Scorpion King, whose defeat would allow Imhotep to control the massive armies of Anubis that were granted to the Scorpion King in life.
Early on in the film, Alex is captured by the Mummy as he is the only one who can use the Bracelet of Anubis (He has already put it on, and the bracelet provides directions to the oasis), but he begins to leave clues as to where the Mummy is going. O'Connell finds Izzy, a pilot who helps them catch up with the kidnappers in his airship. As they head off to thwart Imhotep, the O'Connells learn of their connections to Imhotep and the Scorpion King himself: In a past life, Evelyn was Nefertiri, and charged with protecting the Bracelet of Anubis. Her father was the Pharaoh killed by Imhotep. Rick is a Medjai, and is trusted to protect Evelyn, as opposed to saving the world. Together with their son, they make up 3 sides of a pyramid (it is never specified who makes up the 4th side, although presumably, it is either the Scorpion King or Imhotep, but it is more likely that there is no fourth side to the pyramid as the allusion made by Ardeth to a pyramid is mostly likely the three sided pyramid characterised as a symbol of the Medjai - that can be seen on Ricks' arm).
As the two groups arrive at the oasis where the Scorpion King's temple lies the cultists are attacked by mummified pygmies and are then ambushed by Rick, Evelyn, Jonathan and Ardeth. The cultists are all killed with the exception of their leader. Rick must then run with Alex to the temple before the sun hits it and only barely succeeds. However, the Army of Anubis is awakened, and the tribes of the Medjai are forced to hold them off, despite the vastly superior numbers of the army. Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun walk into the pyramid while she runs a sword through Evie and Evie dies. Imhotep reaches the Scorpion King's lair, but his powers are stripped from him by Anubis, who wishes him to fight the King as a mortal. Despite his new disadvantage, Imhotep begins to summon the Scorpion King when he is interrupted by Rick. The two fight before the Scorpion King enters, with the body of a scorpion starting at his torso. Imhotep tells the Scorpion King that he is a loyal servant to buy himself time, prompting the Scorpion King to focus his wrath on Rick. While this is happening Alex finds the book of the dead and Jonathon distracts Anck-Su-Namun by fighting her while Alex brings his mother back to life. Evie then fights Anck Su Namun and wins.
Rick sees a series of hieroglyphics on the walls, and realizes how to kill the Scorpion King; a sceptre that Jonathan has been carrying is the Spear of Osiris, which is the only weapon that can kill the Scorpion King. Although Imhotep nearly delivers the blow himself, Rick manages to be the one to impale the Scorpion King, and orders his foe to "go to Hell, and take your friends with you". Upon saying this, the Scorpion King turns into black sand. The Army of Anubis, locked in combat with the Medjai, also turns into black sand that disappears.
Rick and Imhotep race to escape the collapsing temple, as a chasm presumably leading to Anubis' domain appears complete with souls lining its sides reaching out for them. Rick and Imhotep fall in, but cling onto the edges of the opening. Evelyn and Anck-Su-Namun enter, and Evelyn risks falling debris to save her husband. Imhotep cries for Anck-Su-Namun to save him as well, but she only flees (she later falls into a pit of scarabs and is eaten). Shocked and heartbroken, Imhotep realizes his true love, whom he cheated death twice to be with, has now betrayed him, in contrast to Rick and Evelyn. He gives Rick and Evelyn a sad, envious smile before willingly letting go, allowing himself to fall into the chasm. Rick and Evelyn escape with Alex and meet up with Izzy's airship which arrives at the last moment. They escape the oasis unharmed and with a massive diamond that Jonathan had pulled from the top of Anubis' pyramid as they flew away.
Tagline: Adventure Is Reborn
[edit] Cast
See also:Characters related to The Mummy (1999 film)
- Brendan Fraser – Richard 'Rick' O'Connell
- Rachel Weisz – Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell/Princess Nefertiri
- John Hannah – Jonathan Carnahan
- Arnold Vosloo – High Priest Imhotep
- Oded Fehr – Ardeth Bey
- The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) – Mathayus the Scorpion King
- Freddie Boath – Alexander 'Alex' O'Connell
- Patricia Velásquez – Meela Nais/Anck Su Namun
- Alun Armstrong – Baltus Hafez
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – Lock-Nah
- Shaun Parkes – Izzy Buttons
- Bruce Byron – Red
- Joe Dixon – Jacques
- Tom Fisher – Spivey
- Aharon Ipalé – Pharaoh Seti I
[edit] Reception
This film received poor critical response, but was a box office hit in 2001. Previously, Stephen Sommers directed Deep Rising, The Jungle Book, as well as The Mummy. His next film was Van Helsing in 2004.
[edit] Trivia
- The British Museum exterior shots are actually of University College London
- The film's 'opening credits' do not appear until just before the end credits, which is famously an extreme case of the cold open.
- A double-decker bus is shown in the film. However, the Routemaster didn't enter service until 1956, 20 years after the events of The Mummy Returns.
- A log bridge falls into a ravine with several pygmies on it. One pygmie runs one way across the falling bridge to get off of it, and then runs back the other way. After realizing it can't escape, it straddles the log and waves its hand in the air like Major Kong atop the bomb in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove.
- The weapons are of World War II era, I.E the revolvers, the Karbiner 98K shown when Horus was killed.
- O'Connell's tattoo was not present in The Mummy. This can be seen during a scene discontinuity where the leather covering on his wrist is not present, and then appears on his wrist shortly after.
[edit] External links
