The Film
During the production of Star Wars, legend has it, George Lucas' primary direction to his actors was "Faster! More intense!" These were apparently writer/director Stephen Sommers mandates to himself as he re-watched The Mummy and prepared to embark upon its sequel, The Mummy Returns. The accelerated pacing and almost non-stop action give it a more breathless feel than the original, and the introduction of a preteen sidekick/prisoner is a far cry from the inane addition of Short Round to the similarly-themed Indiana Jones series. Even the special effects themselves were sped up, so much so that by his next film, Van Helsing, the artisans at Industrial Light & Magic had taken to calling this approach "Somers-izing" a shot, for almost overwhelming impact.
The story covers thousands of years as an invincible "Scorpion King" (The Rock) smites all his enemies in ancient Egypt with the help of an inhuman army, only to lose his soul and be claimed by the evil spirits of the desert. Later, in the first half of the twentieth century, mummy Imhotep has been rescued by his reincarnated lover, and they want to claim the Scorpion King's army for their own selfish ends. Rick (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evy (Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, then an up-and-comer) have crossed paths with these two before and are determined to fight the good fight. The battles are bigger, Evy is more intrinsic to the action this time around, and while the grand revelations about her and Rick are ultimately a little hard to swallow, we never have much of a respite to dwell on the subtleties of plot or logic. And I'm having so much fun, I don't miss 'em.
The Picture
I hope I did not do this movie a disservice by watching it after the original, which was such a treat for my eyeballs. While it is a distinct step up from the DVD, overall this 2.35:1 Blu-ray presentation lacked The Mummy's visceral "wow" factor, and I have a theory as to why. As this sequel was turned around in a mere two years, the visual effects might have been expedited to a degree that the final look was a little rough around the edges. Take another look at the army of jackal warriors to see if you agree that they look more like videogame characters than something we'd expect to see in a movie set in the 1930s. Meanwhile, the hybrid Scorpion King in Act III is completely computer-generated, and it didn't really fool me in the theater in 2001, either. So perhaps the look of the entire film has been deliberately softened to help blend the digital with the analog? Color-wise, the greens of the jungle and the oasis are all pretty much the same, and they are not especially natural.
The Sound
As enjoyable as the sound was on The Mummy, the Blu-ray of The Mummy Returns--like so much else here--has been turned up to 11. The use of bass in the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is nigh-Earthshaking, with the kind of oomph that might leave you clutching the arm of the sofa. Surrounds are much more active in this mix, particularly in the multiple battles that comprise the final half-hour. And Alan Silvestri's score, which wonderfully propels the story ever-forward, is mighty and punchy without ever being overblown. This is an adventure on legally prescribed growth hormones (not steroids), and we are given the soundtrack to match.
The Extras
Six minutes of some pretty funny bloopers and on-set hi-jinx are joined by a feature commentary from Sommers and his film editor-cum-executive producer Bob Ducsay, bringing the giddy rapport of two successful moviemakers on the same wavelength. "An Army to Rule the World, Part 2" concludes the overview of the big attack scenes begun on the Mummy disc, including the pygmy skeletons and those jackal warriors of Returns. The "Exclusive Conversation with The Rock," who these days prefers to go by Dwayne Johnson, is mostly about his own spinoff movie, The Scorpion King. The music video from the group Live is for a forgettable song that plays over the second half of the end credits, and the slick "On Location" program from 2001 has been repackaged from a previous DVD release.
Some of the content here is repeated on the Blu-ray of the first Mummy, specifically a three-minute sneak peek at the new The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor theatrical release and "Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy" which explores Universal's illustrious background in classic monster movies. Both Blu-rays also feature title-specific special effects analyses for a few key sequences, and storyboard-to-film comparison for several scenes.
The Mummy Returns also includes Universal's branded U-Control picture-in-picture enhanced content, which shows storyboards, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage with sound in an occasional, selectable onscreen window. Movie audio is automatically mixed down during the pop-ups and returns to full volume in between.
Final Thoughts
The Mummy Returns displays a keen knowledge of storytelling in service to its fanbase: It is a wild, worthy second helping for the many people who saw the original, delivering even more of what they loved. And for them, this Blu-ray is without a doubt the best-ever edition.
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