The Mummy Returns

1. This was MUCH better than the first film.

2. For people wishing I'd dunk on it, I think it will be easier to air my complaints than I did with the worse first film. There my gripes were general, but I think the things that annoyed me here were pretty specific.

But no lie, the movie is much better. The scope feels properly epic instead of failed epic. I think the visual effects are a mixed bag (the CGI on the Rock as the Scorpion King at the end is atrocious and the definition of "Uncanny Valley".) But I felt the movie actually put in a effort here, which it didn't in the first.

But really, the movie is just not perfect. The kid Alex drives me nuts. He's the kind of little turd who goes around whacking random people with a slingshot for no reason. (Also, nobody ever said "Get a room," in 1933). And while I appreciate the fact that the movie went out of its way to call back the first film and make the stuff with Evelyn and Rick and reincarnation fit, it sure as hell doesn't fit comfortably. It's a neat idea, clearly thought up for this film and not something planned in the first. It feels less than credible for that reason.

When Evelyn apparently dies I believe the movie should have had Jonathan be more upset than he was. She WAS his sister after all.

Take note: Love or hate the Scorpion King parts of the film, what they and the spin-off movie mean is that this iteration of the franchise got far closer to creating a Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe than Dark Universe ever did. While we're keeping score of that kind of thing...

I liked it. Which was what I wanted from the first movie, and was annoyed I didn't get. Is is amazing? No, and that IS a problem. But after the suckiness of the first good is Good Enough. ***1/2.