In 1999, the highly entertaining adventure film “The Mummy” starring future Oscar winner Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) was a worldwide hit. Also in Germany, millions of people flocked to the cinemas to experience the funny, exciting and even slightly scary spectacle on screen.
Of course it soon became clear that there would be a sequel. And so two years passed until “The Mummy Returns” premiered. The team in front of and behind the camera continued where they had left off so successfully with the first part, but tried to go one step further in all areas: More speed, more cool statements, more surprising scares and, above all, more action, which included hiring a new mime named Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, who at the time was only known to wrestling fans. While the Egyptian desert once again forms the backdrop for some impressive scenes, this time a large part of the action takes place in London. Of note is a breathtaking scene with one of the iconic red double-decker buses.
The sequel was a great success and again attracted large audiences to the theaters. And the FSK 12 title is still a lot of fun for the TV, as I’ll explain in more detail below. If you don’t know what to stream tonight, just watch The Mummy Returns. This can be done for a few euros as paid video on demand via platforms such as AppleTV, GooglePlay, MagentaTV, the Sky Store or Amazon Prime Video:
You can watch the first film again in the same place or quickly catch up. It is currently available at no additional cost with a flat rate subscription to Amazon Prime Video* contain.
Almost all the stars from the first film are back here. In addition to Brendan Fraser, you can also look forward to the great Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”), her brother John Hannah (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Arnold Vosloo (“Blood Diamond”) and Patricia Velásquez (“Llorona’s Curse”) and Oded Fehr (“Star Trek: Discovery”) are happy. In addition to Dwayne Johnson, ‘Lost’ crowd favorite Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alun Armstrong (‘Sleepy Hollow’) and Shaun Parkes from ‘Diary of a Scandal’ are also new.
This is the story of “The Mummy Returns”
1933: Treasure hunter Rick O’Connell (Fraser) and historian Evelyn Carnahan (Weisz) are married and have a now eight-year-old son named Alex (Freddie Boath). As part of a new expedition, the adventurers discover an ancient bracelet that must once have been worn by the Scorpion King (Johnson) – an ancient warrior whose pact with the god Anubis gave him a large army with which to conquer the then known world.
After Rick brings the bracelet to London, the O’Connells are terrorized by Meela (Velásquez). She is a reincarnation of Anck-Su-Namun, the lover of the cruel Imhoteps (Vosloo), whom she wants to bring back to life with the help of the jewelry. When little Alex accidentally reveals a secret that could mean the certain end of the world, the family soon finds themselves not only battling their old adversary Imhotep, but also dealing with the possible appearance of the Scorpion King…
Popcorn cinema as it should be
If you’re thinking that the plot you’re about to read sounds a bit contrived, you’re absolutely right. The story of “The Mummy Returns” is not exactly the highlight of the whole thing. Surprisingly, this fact doesn’t get in the way of the fun at all. Sure, every now and then you might roll your eyes a little when the next far-fetched twist comes along. But writer/director Stephen Sommers (“GI Joe – Secret Order Cobra”) and his cast seem to have realized that during filming. They always charmingly overcome one or two stumbling blocks in this regard with a knowing wink or a passing joke.
But who watches a popcorn actor with a classic B-movie character for the logic and comprehensibility of the story? Exactly: no one. These types of blockbusters are about supporting the likeable main characters and their funny sidekicks, being afraid of the villains, laughing heartily at all the absurdities shown, enjoying spectacular action scenes with extensive special effects and forgetting your own daily life for two. o’clock. And this is where “The Mummy Returns” completely succeeds, as you will surely see when you watch the work.
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