The Mummy Returns

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Very violent, mostly in comic-book terms.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is very violent, but mostly in comic-book terms. Most of the damage is done to mummies and other non-humans. There are some scary surprises and ghoulish images. There are also very mild sexual references and some revealing costumes.

  • Not applicable.
  • Lots of fighting, scary surprises, some yuckiness.
  • Some revealing costumes, mild reference to adultery.

What's the story?

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz return as Rick and Evie O'Connell, now married and the parents of eight-year-old Alex (Freddie Boath). This time, the Mummy has to defeat the Scorpion King (wrestling star The Rock) to get control of his army and take over the world. In order to find and wake him, they need a special Scorpion-King-finding bracelet, which happens to be stuck on the wrist of Alex O'Connell. But don't worry about the plot. It really doesn't matter how or why mummies and bad guys are chasing them; all we need to know is that they are, and that Rick and Evie have to find a way to rescue Alex, send the mummies back where they came from, and save the world from being utterly destroyed. Fortunately, there's always just enough time for a kiss or a wisecrack -- sometimes both -- before entering into the fray.


Is it any good?

 

Grab some popcorn and settle in for some old-fashioned movie fun, the best in this genre since the gold standard of adventure movies, the Indiana Jones series. The special effects of THE MUMMY RETURNS are sensational, and the fight scenes are well staged and very exciting. One of the movie's great strengths is the art direction. It brilliantly creates the mood, helped along by a period-sounding score.

It's a shame that The Rock is onscreen for such a short time. He makes a real impression in the prologue, but doesn't reappear until the end, when he's part-Rock, part-scorpion. Fortunately, there's an entire sequel titled The Scorpion King just about his character.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how views on archeological digs have changed since the era in which this movie is set, and about current controversies over the ownership of antiquities. Families can also visit local museums to see some of their Egyptian treasures.


This review was written by Nell Minow
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Pretty Lame
Don't listen to what CSM is saying, The Mummy Returns is a dumb, brainless, laughable flick nowhere near the quality of Indiana Jones. It's entertaining, but the acting, script, and plot are terribly cheesy and poor. Stay away unless you think monkey mummies are really frightening. Good for kids:10+

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Adult
October 10, 2010
 
Violent, disappointing sequel not as good as first
I thought the first Mummy, although scary and gross, was great. This time around, we get a little campier, and it just doesn't work. Maybe for some people who didn't like the first, much scarier one, they would prefer this campier, more comic-book-esque adventure, but not me. Parents: although this one is campier, that doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of peril, violence and action, plus several scary images. There's some suggestive content and salty language. Bottom Line: Rent the first one if you're looking for a good movie. Rent this one if you want to take it easy. Thanks for reading! - Movie Man

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Not as good as the first and stupid.
The Mummy 2 is exciting the but the visual are bad and in one scene the director mixes up the Rock and a scoripian which is very funny.

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Parent
February 26, 2010
 
The Mummy Returns
A nice sequel to The Mummy series. Way less creepy than the first, but really entertaining.

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Kid, 12 years old
January 16, 2011
 
The mummy impresses yet again
Very good family adventure movie is definatley worth a watch.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Decent Adventure Monster Film
Some may even say it's a Horror movie

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
stupid...

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
This was a good movie, but not near as good as the first. Slightly more confusing and a little slower. Less violence, though, but still some swearing. Not much gruesome imagery, though.

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Teen, 16 years old
September 20, 2009
 
Great Movie
The Mummy Returns is an outstanding sequel to an equally outstanding movie. The scenes are well-thought-out, the action-y parts are well-coordinated, the dialouge is great (no cheese) and the characters are well-done. There is definatly some graphic gun-fighting, and the scene where Anck-su-namun stabs Evelyn is a bit disturbing, although it lacks blood. The violence might bother some younger children. There is light profanity. Light. The role models are good because they fight for what's right. Take Rick for example; he fights to save his son's life and later to avenge his wife. Dedicated husband and father, Take Ardeth; he fights for the duty he was charged with. He has determination and ambition; two great human qualities. My absolute favorite movie.

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This review was written by Nell Minow
Studio:Universal Pictures
Director:Stephen Sommers
Cast:Brendan Fraser, Oded Fehr, Rachel Weisz
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:130 minutes
Theatrical release date:May 4, 2001
DVD release date:October 2, 2001
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:adventure action and violence

This review was written by Nell Minow
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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