Movie · 2001 · Adventure, Action, Fantasy · 2h 10m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.7/10 (646.9K ratings)
Adventure is reborn.
Overview
Rick and Evelyn O’Connell, along with their 8-year-old son Alex, discover the key to the legendary Scorpion King’s might: the fabled Bracelet of Anubis. Unfortunately, a newly resurrected Imhotep has designs on the bracelet as well, and isn’t above kidnapping its new bearer, Alex, to gain control of Anubis’s otherworldly army.
Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Oded Fehr, Arnold Vosloo, Patricia Velásquez, Freddie Boath, Dwayne Johnson, Alun Armstrong, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Shaun Parkes, Bruce Byron, Joe Dixon, Tom Fisher, Aharon Ipalé, Quill Roberts, Donna Air, Trevor Lovell, Brian Best, Sean Cronin
Where to watch
AMC+, AMC, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A big, noisy sequel that leans harder into spectacle, family banter, and pulpy adventure than into polish. The action is energetic and the cast has charm, but the rushed CGI and overstuffed plotting keep it from matching the first film’s balance.
Best for
fans of glossy early-2000s adventure fantasy
viewers who enjoy campy, fast-moving blockbuster sequels
people who like family-centered action with quippy banter
audiences tolerant of uneven visual effects
Skip if
you want tight plotting and elegant pacing
bad CGI is a dealbreaker
you prefer adventure films with a more grounded tone
you are mainly looking for a sequel that improves on its predecessor
Overview
The Mummy Returns is the kind of sequel that arrives with bigger stakes, louder set pieces, and a slightly messier sense of fun. It keeps the original’s breezy chemistry between Rick and Evelyn, and the decision to make them a married couple gives the movie a warmer, more lived-in feel than many franchise follow-ups manage.
Worth noting
What it gains in scale, though, it loses in finesse. The story is overstuffed, the effects are famously uneven, and the movie often feels like it is sprinting from one elaborate chase to the next. Still, there is a real pleasure in its pulp sincerity: it wants to be a Saturday-morning adventure serial inflated to blockbuster size.
Bottom line
If you are in the mood for a glossy, slightly goofy action-fantasy with monsters, tombs, and a lot of momentum, it delivers enough entertainment to justify the ride. If you need polish, restraint, or a sequel that feels carefully engineered, this one may leave you more amused than impressed.
Top Letterboxd reviews
clownhead (4★) · 2605 likes
my sister who is studying graphic design @ uni told me that apparently the reason the effects in this movie are so fuckgin BAD is because the studio demanded the graphic artists finish the movie in a tiny tiny period of time so they all worked like 20 hour days but eventually they were like “please can you change the release date it won’t be properly finished” and the studio resolutely refused so they were like FINE we are going… more my sister who is studying graphic design @ uni told me that apparently the reason the effects in this movie are so fuckgin BAD is because the studio demanded the graphic artists finish the movie in a tiny tiny period of time so they all worked like 20 hour days but eventually they were like “please can you change the release date it won’t be properly finished” and the studio resolutely refused so they were like FINE we are going… more
Joseph Hagan (3★) · 2083 likes
The Rock looking like a PlayStation 2 character.
karen h. (3.5★) · 1584 likes
the part where the mummy runs into frame as the rock is dying and screams ... true kino
Eric Szyszka (2★) · 1407 likes
somehow the mummy returned
rebekah (2.5★) · 1194 likes
this whole movie wouldn't have happened if evy and rick weren't too busy making out to watch their child
1994 · Action, Adventure, Science Fiction · 2h 1m · PG-13 · Curator 3.2/10 (100.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Ancient-mystery sci-fi adventure with archaeological intrigue and a similar fascination with lost civilizations.
2022 · Action, Adventure, Comedy · 1h 52m · PG-13 · Curator 1.5/10 (530.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads
A modern, lightly self-aware adventure romp that pairs action with romantic comedy rhythms.
Topics
adventure fantasy, blockbuster sequel, ancient Egypt, monster action, campy, early 2000s, family adventure, CGI spectacle, pulp, treasure hunt