Parents' Guide to

The Mummy Returns

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Very violent sequel has lots of action and peril.

Movie PG-13 2001 130 minutes
The Mummy Returns Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 10 parent reviews

meydiana.rizki
meydiana.rizki Parent of 17-year-old
February 26, 2021
age 18+

Enjoyable thanks to the humor and the many special effects.

Most people compare this sequel to the first movie 'The Mummy', which is a good thing of course, but I haven't seen the first one, so no comparisons from me. So what can I tell you? Well, the movie isn't as bad as I expected. It's all to clear that the director's first thought wasn't about the script but about the many special effects, but i still quite liked the movie. What made this movie work for me was the humor. Normally this kind of movies takes itself much too serious, there is no place for any joke or funny situation at all. In The Mummy Returns this is different. Thanks to the humor, this movie was very enjoyable, but it is of course the many special effects that make this movie what it is. Don't expect anything real: a mummy coming to life, sucking the life out of people, armies of mythological creatures... will of course never exist in reality, but it certainly was nice to see. I guess it is best to qualify this movie as some excellent way to pass some boring hours on a cold and rainy afternoon. It's certainly not an intellectual movie, but I didn't mind about that when watching it. I give it a

This title has:

Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
fahimforid
fahimforid Adult
December 19, 2020
age 13+

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In The Mummy Returns, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz return as Rick and Evie O'Connell, now married and the parents of 8-year-old Alex (Freddie Boath). This time, the Mummy has to defeat the Scorpion King (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) 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?

Our review:
Parents say (10):
Kids say (16):

Grab some popcorn and settle in for some old-fashioned movie fun. The special effects of The Mummy Returns are dated but 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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

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

  • How was violence used in this movie? Did it seem relevant to the overall story, or forced in to provide more excitement?

  • How is this similar to and different from other action-adventure movies? What are some elements of this genre?

Movie Details

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