What's Hot?

Other articles by
Oliver Wright

d21 > Videos > No Ordinary Sequel

No Ordinary Sequel

added 27.05.02 A work of cinematic genius... Oliver Wright explains why you should rent The Mummy Returns on DVD how refreshing | the plot, if you insist... | the actors, the actresses, and, er, the beatles? extra little bits


How refreshing
Financially sound as the concept of a sequel to a successful film may be, purists are often left sadly shaking their heads. Even whilst the box office clerks rub their hands and count their takings, murmurs of "wasn't a patch on the original" and "wasn't really much point to it" fill the air by the cinema exit. Indeed, in the past, Hollywood's penchant for milking good ideas has given us such artistic statements as Speed 2: Cruise Control, Jaws III & IV, and a vast array of crooks falling foul of Macaulay Culkin's Micro Machines. How refreshing it is, then, to witness a sequel that lives up to its billing; that has put in the hours, has taken the original concept and redefined it, creating something truly unique.

Viewers of the original film, released in 1999, can be roughly divided into two categories: those who thoroughly enjoyed a straightforward action movie; and those who, missing the point entirely, deemed it "utter crap". While the latter opinion is understandable, The Mummy never pretended to be anything more than a vehicle for impressive special effects, with a storyline that served to link the action sequences. As such it was as entertaining as films come, and duly reaped the harvest at the box office. Its successor, however, represents a forward stride of incredible magnitude. No straightforward action movie, this: leaping from satire, to self-parody, to irony, to thrills and spills in psychedelic settings, it barely draws breath between moments of genius.

The plot, if you insist...
Beginning several years after the end of the original film, our hero Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his bride Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) have produced a son. All appears to be at ease until it emerges that an ancient ruler named The Scorpion King (portrayed quite exquisitely by The Rock, professional wrestler and, it now appears, fledgling film star) is about to return from the dead to threaten them all - including Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), the original foe, who nonetheless stands to benefit should the Scorpion King's plans go awry. By means of a recently-discovered artefact, the path to glory is laid out, and all and sundry embark on their adventure.

Further synopsis of the film's pretext is irrelevant and unnecessary. Its purpose is not to tell a story: it is to immerse the viewer in an experience beyond their comprehension. It transcends all boundaries of good sense, realism and self-indulgence and emerges at the other end, intact and proud.

The actors, the actresses and, er, The Beatles?
The performances, on the whole, are good: Fraser is as heroic as ever, and pulls off some wonderful facial expressions, the occasional deft one-liner and an athletic feat that makes Gordon Banks' save from Pele look routine; Weisz is introduced with her back to the camera, providing a useful window of around three seconds to enable viewers to clap their hands to their chins: in short, she is simply stunning, and a useful actress to boot. John Hannah as Jonathan is potentially annoying, but this can be avoided by ignoring him and admiring others on screen; Vosloo is superb, hamming it up for comic effect in all the right places without ever becoming too corny; Freddie Boath's debut as the son, Alex, is impressive for one so young; Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay bears a striking resemblance to a late-60s George Harrison, and his broody nobility is always a delight when juxtaposed with Fraser's gung-ho approach to solving pyramid-related problems. Watch out, also, for a cameo from Donna Air, a wonderfully restrained celebration behind George Harrison following the big battle scene, and an all-too-brief semi-clad confrontation between Weisz and Anck Su-Namun (Patricia Velasquez).

Extra little bits
For the lucky viewer who rents this film on DVD comes the advantage of the added extras associated with the format. In this case, they were deemed worthy of an additional disk. Many are, as ever, superfluous, but there are a few highlights, notably The Rock waxing lyrical about his no-longer-upcoming movie The Scorpion King to a real-life Barbie doll (she nods! She smiles! She has perfect teeth!), a dire video to an even worse song by Life, and an enjoyable demo to the PC game of The Mummy (alas, it is Fraser and not Weisz in the Lara Croft role). The inevitable cut-scenes, however, are disappointing, being set to music and thus rather rushed.

On the whole, I cannot recommend this film nearly enough. It is, quite simply, a work of cinematic genius. If you fancy being entertained, go out and rent it. If you are feeling flush, go out and buy it. Roll on The Mummy Returns Again.

Oliver Wright

email this page to a friend

Comments for "No Ordinary Sequel"

Get Involved!