The Town Herald

The netpaper about Elftowners, by Elftowners, for Elftowners.

The Mummy and the Mummy Returns

special double review by [Kaeirdwyn]


A Double Movie Review By [Kaeirdwyn]

     The movie the Mummy, though good in and of itself, does not really seem to go along with the theme of reincarnation, as Imhotep was not precisely reincarnated, as much as he was put through a magical ritual called the Hom-Dai, which transformed him into an immortal monster. However it did go into how he planned and tried to resurrect his love, Anck Su Namun several times, which does go along with the theme of Resurrection. However, upon viewing the sequel, The Mummy Returns, we see that reincarnation is indeed a large thread needed for the resolvement of the second movie, as it involves several characters. These movies are not the usual monster mummy horror-type movies, but are much more adventure styled with lots of action and humor.

The Mummy
Directed By Stephen Sommers
Rated PG-13 for pervasive adventure violence and some partial nudity.
Starring:
Brendan Frasier as Rick O'Connell
Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan
John Hannah as Johnathan Carnahan
Arnold Vosloo as High Priest Imhotep
Patricia Velasquez as Anck Su Namun/Meela
Kevin J. O'Connor as Beni Gabor
Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay
Johnathan Hyde as Dr Chamberlain
Erick Avari as Dr. Terrence Bey
Bernard Fox as Captain Winston Havelock
Stephen Dunham as Mr. Henderson
Corey Johnson as Mr. Daniels
Tuc Watkinds as Mr. Burns
Omid Djalili as Prison Warden
Aharon Ipale as Pharoah Seti I

     In the first movie, Evelyn Carnahan a librarian who loves all things Egyptian, and her brother Johnathan Carnahan find a man, named Rick O'Connell, who has been to the mysterious and lost city of Hamunaptra. Excited, Evelyn barters for his life so that he can take them to this hidden city. He agrees to this and thus the adventure begins.
     While he is involved with taking his charges to Hamunaptra, they discover on the same boat as them a group of Americans journeying to Hamunaptra led by Rick's old buddy Beni, who is selfish and is only interested in what he can get or in saving himself.
     They race to see who can get to the city first and who can discover the secrets and the treasure that is rumored to have been buried there. The hasty Americans discover a cursed chest with the remains of Anck Su Namun, the Pharoah's mistress in them, while Rick, Evy (as she is called by her brother), and Johnathan find a huge sarcophogi with the sacred writings missing off of it. Also found at the same time by the American professor was the Egyptian Book of the Dead which gives life.
     That night, Evy sneaks the Book of the Dead from the sleeping professor and begins reading it. When asked by Rick if she thinks that is wise, She says, "Nothing bad ever came from reading a book." Of course after that everything that could go wrong from reading the book does go wrong. Once she is done reading a passage, deep underground still, in the sarcophogi that they found, The Mummy awakens, immortal and filled with the need for power.
     When the mummy was alive he was Imhotep, High Priest to the Pharoah, Seti I, and secret lover of the Pharoah's mistress, Anck Su Namun (pronounced anUCK sun a MOON). Upon being discovered by the Pharoah in a secret trist, Anck Su Namun thrusts a small sword into the Pharoah. Then Imhotep joins her in stabbing the Pharoah with a long sword. 
     After they have murdered Seti I, Pharoah of Egypt, his bodyguards come running to protect him. Anck Su Namun has begged Imhotep, her love, to leave, stating that he is the only one who can bring her back from the dead. His priests take him in hand and he leaves in a panicked hurry.
     The bodyguards of the Pharoah arrive and upon seeing Anck Su Namun over the dead body of the Pharoah, try to take her into custody. She will not have this, stating, "I am no longer his temple." Then she stabs herself, taking her own life. Her punishment for killing the Pharoah would have probably been severe and death by her own hand was preferable, even if she was not given new life from Imhotep. Later, in secret, Imhotep takes her body and sacred jars containing her innards and goes to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, to perform the ritual of bringing her back from the dead so they can be together forever on.
     Unknown to the High Priest, he has been followed by the Medjai, the bodyguards of the pharoah, who trap him while doing this ritual, and sentence his followers to mummification while still living, and perform on him the same tortuous fate, as well as the Hom-Dai an ancient ritual involving flesh-eating scarabs that sets his eternal soul to torment. However, if he is awakened on this earth it also bestows upon him the ability to come back much more powerful, with the ability to bring back the ten plagues of Egypt, and virtually take over the world if there is no one to oppose him.
     This is where we come back to the future. The group of Americans and also O'Connell's group has had a run-in with men who call themselves the Medjai, descendents of Seti I's guards. They were set to guard the burial place of Imhotep, so that none would awaken him. 
Of course he is awakened and now it is up to O'Connell, Evy and Johnathan, as well as one of the Medjai, Ardeth Bay, who joins them in trying to destroy Imhotep and stop him from gaining his full powers, which may be beyond their ability to stop.
     Many people loved this film, in that it was less intense and more fun, like an Indiana Jones movie, however there were also many people who did not like the movie, as the story line was not strong, was not a horror like they thought it should be and didn't like Brendan Frasier in the lead role of hero instead of comic. This writer however loved the movie, the kids love it and it is still watched often here in this home. A definite four points out of five.

The Mummy Returns
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Rated PG-13 for adventure action and violence.
Starring:
Brendan Frasier as Rick O'Connell
Rachel Weisz as Evelyn(Evy) O'Connell/Princess Nefertiti
John Hannah as Johnathan Carnahan
Arnold Vosloo as High Priest Imhotep
Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay
The Rock as Mathayus The Scorpion King
Freddie Boath as Alex O'Connell
Patricia Velasquez as Meela Nais/Anck Su Namun
Alun Armstrong as Baltus Hafez
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Lock-Nah
Shaun Parkes as Izzy Buttons
Bruce Byron as Red
Joe Dixon as Jaques
Tom Fisher as Spivey
Aharon Ipale as Pharoah Seti I

     This movie starts off back in the past at the time of The Scorpion King, who is trying to conquer parts of Egypt. His army is driven back and into the desert. They die one by one until he is the last. He makes a deal with Anubis, the god of the underworld that if the god helps him vanquish his enemies, he can have his soul. Anubis likes the arrangement and so sends his army of the dead to help The Scorpion King. After his enemies are conquered the soul of The Scorpion King is taken by Anubis. 5,000 years into the future the movie continues.
     Ten years after the first movie, Rick and Evy have married and they and their ten year old son Alex, are busy busting into a tomb, because of dreams Evy has been having since the beginning of the Egyptian New Year. The Year of the Scorpion. They find a chest again, and open it, finding The Bracelet of Anubis, which will control the undead army of The Scorpion King. They take it home and their rascal son Alex puts in on behind their back, and through a vision, gains the first step in a set of directions to Ahm Shere, the hidden oasis of The Scorpion King. He hides this from his parents, of course.
     A woman bearing a striking resemblance to Anck Su Namun finds Imhotep's encased body, somehow knowing exactly where the hidden city of Hamunaptra was located. She has Egyptologists helping her; their goal? To get The Bracelet of Anubis, of course. They want Imhotep to battle The Scorpion King, win and then command the undead armies of Anubis.
     Oded Fehr, resuming his role as Ardeth Bay, one of the Medjai, who seeks the mummy's destruction, comes to merry old London to seek the O'Connells, believing the woman, Meela Nais, is after them. He comes just in time, or in another sense, not soon enough. He gets to their house soon enough to help Evy battle Lock-Nah, a warrior in the employ of Meela Nais, the woman who resembles Anck Su Namun, but not soon enough to either warn them in advance or stop them from taking her captive. While she is busy battling warriors with swords and fists, Rick is upstairs trying to stop them from murdering Johnathan, or himself, by poison asp, or sub machine guns. They run through the house, chased by bullets, which amazingly don't hit them, only to watch as a vehicle drives away with Evy in the backseat, screaming for help. Rick is somewhat upset at Ardeth Bay, however they go off together to find Evy once Alex tells them that the man they are looking for (He sees a picture) is the curator of the British Museum. They rush off to the British Museum, the four of them, Johnathan more there by chance than anything else, to rescue Evy once again from death of some kind or another.
     Next Meela is in the British museum with the British Curator, who is in cahoots with her and he uses the book of the dead to once again bring Imhotep back. They have all of Anck Su Namun's old burial jars and have brought Evy to kill her in front of Imhotep to please him.
     Once Meela and Imhotep meet, she says to him, "I am Anck Su Namun reincarnated." He says to her, "You are her in body, not yet it soul. But soon you will be." They, of course kiss, he as a nasty, disgusting mummy. Rick and Ardeth Bay get there in the nick of time, save Evy and cause general havoc, angering Imhotep at them once again. Once the bad guys discover The Bracelet of Anubis is not in the chest, Lock-Nah decides the child Alex has it, and follows after them to get him. So right after Evy is rescued, their son Alex is snatched right from under them, though Rick runs his heart out after them.
     At this point Alex has shared with them his adventures with the bracelet of Anubis and that he saw the pyramids at Giza and then went whoosh! Right to Karnak. If they don't get to Karnak in time, they might lose his trail forever. Evy begins to realize through her waking dreams that she is the reincarnated protector of the bracelet of Anubis; the daughter of Seti I, Princess Nefertiti.
Also, through a tatoo on his wrist, Rick is recognised by Ardeth Bay as a Medjai, a protector of mankind. Rick acts like it is all a coincidence, however Ardeth Bay says, "There is not much difference between coincidence and fate."
     This is a good movie, with a good story. The CG effects however are lacking. Perhaps you would count the CG in this movie as learning. Hopefully no one does it this bad again. The special effects in the first movie, though more old school, less digital, were still preferable to the second's film attempts. These were new special effects at the time, therefore some movies would have to have them, before they figured out how unrealistic they were. Unfortunately The Mummy Returns is one of these. If you can get past the special effects on the mummy and at the end of the movie, then it turns out to be a fairly good movie.
     Though the storyline of the second movie is better than the first, the special effects detract so much, they almost pull you out of the story, out of the place your mind goes in fantasy based movies, where anything is possible.
     The whole family still enjoys this movie, especially the kids. There is a distinct rumor of a third mummy movie out there, however without the actress Rachel Weisz playing Evy, which is one of the main reasons these movies are such a success. Hopefully they find a way to work her into the movie or the new movie is based on other people. For no one can really replace Rachel Weisz as Evy. Just as the movie wouldn't be the same without Brendan Frasier's comical stance he takes as Rick O'Connell. This movie is given a 3.75 points out of five.





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