Wolff rating: FAIR
Plot summary: Imonhotep is ressurrected to battle the Scorpion King, and our favorite tomb robber is dragged back into the fray.
Biased, pithy comments: Sommers is always a mixed bag. He's smart enough to realize he's being utterly derivative and make fun of that fact, but he doesn't actually burst the seams of derivation (derivative-ness?) to create something new. He takes homage and produces...homage. Hmm. Unlike the previous movie (``The Mummy''), this movie lacks the old-school warmth and heroics and substitutes noise and special effects. Don't get me wrong; I've enjoyed movies that have been largely noise and special effects, but it seems to me that during the extensive storyboarding sessions, they might have noticed the hollowness of it all. The characters deliver dialog as if they, like the writer, couldn't be bothered to think of anything better to say. There are some seriously convoluted plot machinations (my companion leaned over to me about 20 minutes in and said, ``Why are they resurrecting Imonhotep?'' I replied, ``To defeat the Scorpion King.'' He thought for a second, and then said, ``Why do they want to do that?'') which left me more baffled than interested. I'd have to say you could skip this sequel and watch the original again. Perhaps if you're a SFX fan, or like movies where the characters are forgettable, or if you're a young director needing a demo reel to choose your next effects from, you'd like this movie, but I thought that as noisy, silly movies go, this isn't the best one.
Other Notes: That review was as rambling as the movie! Sheesh.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachael Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, Patricia Velazquez
Directed by: Steven Sommers