The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Revolutions: The Two Towers. A lot of big set pieces and fight scenes, but less plot and quips. Not as good as the first one, but it’s still nice to recognise all these people, particularly 20 years later.
Imhotep literally returns, and there’s a minor retcon, since Evelyn is now a descent of the Pharaoh’s, and Anck-su-namun her wicked stepmother (which is much younger). That Pharaoh was on the Epstein class, jeez.
Last time it was all about Terminator, this is all about Spielberg, not just Indiana Jones, but also Jurassic Park.
The music is a complete ripoff from Indiana Jones, replacing leather drums of the jungle for metallic drums of the Middle East.
It’s almost a proto Marvel film, but this is at much superior. There is a keystone army, but it’s a sideshow, the main characters are doing their things, with proper motivations and all, without the baggage of dozens of required homework, post-credits scenes, the works. This is the good old days where filming in Jordan was doable.
Rachel Weisz really gets the short end of the stick, being the quest giver, with her visions and some nice catfights with Anck-su-namun. She is almost absent from the plot, just stays there looking motherly and/or wife-y, depending on the scene. No more “I beg your pardon”, or “Excuse me”, she’s no fun.
The villain couple gets an upgrade. There’s even that final scene where Rick is saved by his wife and Imhotep is abandoned by the gold digger. That really nukes his will to live, what an absolute betrayal.
Speaking of bad guys, The Rock doesn’t speak, you need to wait for The Scorpion King instead.
Pairing the kid with Jonathan is smashing, he is very childish anyway.
I can see why Rachel Weisz did not return for the next film, she doesn’t have much to do other than have visions and love her husband.
This is my place for ramblings about sequences of images that exploit the human visual limitation know as persistence of vision.