The Mummy Returns film review

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THE MUMMY RETURNS

The summer blockbuster season begins in earnest with Stephen Sommers' spectacular adventure.

Following a jaw-dropping prologue chronicling the rise and fall of The Scorpion King (Johnson) some 5,000 years ago, the film opens proper in 1933, eight years after the exploits of The Mummy.

Dashing legionnaire Rick O'Connell (Fraser) has married plucky Egyptologist Evelyn (Weisz), and the pair are happily settled in London, raising their son Alex (Boath). Ancient horrors of the past return to haunt the couple when the remains of Imhotep (Vosloo) turn up at the British Museum along with the reincarnation of his slain lover Anck-Su-Namun (Velazquez).

Abetted by legions of loyal followers and the powers of ancient Egyptian mysticism, Anck-Su-Namun resurrects Imhotep from the dead to walk the earth once more. She also kidnaps Alex who possesses an ancient artefact needed to revive an army of ferocious canine-bodied Anubis warriors.

Rick and Evelyn give chase, dragging cowardly brother Jonathan (Hannah) and shadowy desert sage Ardeth Bay (Fehr) along for the rollercoaster ride.

Fans of the original Mummy will feel right at home with the sequel's seemingly haphazard mix of action, comedy, romance and outrageous stunts. The plot is a minor consideration - writer-director Sommers throws lots of ideas at the screen and hopes that some will stick. The Mummy Returns heaves at its bandaged seams with explosive action set pieces and computer-generated special effects.

If anything, Sommers shoehorns too much action into his film - watching it is an exhausting experience. Fraser reprises his lead role as the whip-cracking Indiana Jones clone with a pleasantly self-deprecating line in humour.

Thankfully, Weisz has a more substantial role second time around - wading into the thick of the action armed with daggers and some nifty martial arts. Hannah provides much needed comedy value, and The Rock is a forceful presence as the ultimate embodiment of evil.

The Mummy Returns is more of the same big bangs and gentle scares. It's loud, dumb and largely entertaining.