Just a week after the release of the pathetic imitation Talos - the Mummy, Indian audiances are being treated to yet another ’’Mummy’’ feast - this time, albeit, the original sequel to the super successful The Mummy.
Egypt, for whatever reason has fascinated historians, movie goers and film makers alike and cashing in on this potential goldmine, dorector Stephen Sommers has scripted this blighted tale with reverential ardour. Leaving no stone untruned, he fabricates a special effects-laten soulless adventure horror-fantasy that is not a patch on its original.
The film opens with a new element. the Scorpion King (Dwayen ’The Rock’ Johnson of WWF fame) is leading his forces to a ’’bloodless’’ battle of gigantic proportions. Probably in 300 BC or there abouts, blood was at a premium or perhaps even before the battle was fought, the Scorpion king must have sucked out all the blood of his enemies using his mystical power ! That’s just for starters- now the mummy returns with vengeance! And how? Where The Mummy feared to tread, its sequel bludgeons ahead. Its special effects overwhelm the scareely visible paperthin plotline - the continuous output of computer generated life like animation wizadry obliterating the need for a narrative, focuses more on caricature creation rather than character build-up. The dialogues seem pathetic and ineffective when compared to the original’s humor-laced verbal duels. Even the dramatisation of events harking back to BC years is poorly conceptualised and executed.
Imhotep (bald and beefy Arnold Vasloo of Cleopatra/Hallmark fame), the villainous power-hungry priest from the Pharoah’s land is once again resurrected, this time as a result of the machinations of his lovely consort Anck-su-namun (Patricia Velasquez) hoping to rekindle their ill-fated love for one another and achieve their ambitious quest to control the immensely powerful dog-eare Annubis army. and who but Rick O’Connel (Brendan Fraser), the Egyptlogy and his associate librarian wife Evelyn (Rechel Weisz) along with their latest addition - their 8 year old son Alex (Freddie Boath) with Jonathan (John Hannah as Rick’s brother-in-law) and Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bay) as the woried Egyptian sage to provide the daredevil thrills and play the predictable spoilsport in this cliched plot?
The O’Connel family is in possession of the precious bracelet. Accidentally locked on to Alex’s wrist, the bracelet leads the adventurous family right into the thick of things. Alex is taken captive and his parents must follow orders if they must save him. From hereon the film takes you into a taxing journey of visually stunning, yet ineffective effects coupled with some wearisome, furiously peaced editing; at times lingering lovingly on FX creations which are a poor substitute for the film’s lack of plot development and narrative fluency.
No threat to Indiana Jone, rick O’Connel and his darling family are mere bumbling and comical accicental trourists then the seriously adventurous, thrill seeking characters that they aim to ape! Save for Freddie Boath’s refreshingly natural kiddie like portrayal of 8 year old character Alex, the rest of the cast including Brendan Fraser adn his in house gang from original, fail to provide a believable tone to this lopsided and beleagured enterprise.