I am back with another post. It is time to get into the sequel…and usually sequels are terrible. And I fully expected to be let down on this watch when it came out in 2001. But it was great. The good thing that it had going for it is the fact that the some of the original cast returned. The Mummy Returns stars the returning cast of Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, John Hannah and Oded Fehr, and introducing Freddie Boath, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in new roles. The film grossed $202 million in the United States and Canada box offices and $233 million internationally, grossing over $435 million worldwide. The film broke the record for highest Friday and Saturday with $23.4 and $26.8 million. In its opening weekend, the film made $70.1 million, making it the second highest opening weekend of all time, only behind The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Now… as is the case… I enjoy taking a look back at movies and talking about my thoughts on most of the scenes. Some funny…. some poignant… some just downright dreadful. So in no particular order… let’s jump into it.

• As in the first movie, we start off with a pretty great prologue delivered by Oded Fehr. In the year 3067 B.C, the Scorpion King, a fearsome warrior who led a vicious campaign to conquer ancient Egypt, marches to the city of Thebes intending to rule. After a violent campaign between the Scorpion King’s army and the army of Thebes which lasted for seven years, the battle goes to the army of Thebes, who cast out the invaders into the desert of Ahm Shere. The Scorpion King soon finds himself the last living member of his army, all the others having died from the desert heat, exhaustion, and lack of food or water. At that point, the Scorpion King himself is dying, and in his last moments, he prays to the god Anubis, pleading for the chance to win one last battle in exchange for his soul. (Why do people always put their soul up for payment….? It always has catastrophic repercussions. Also did you guys see him eat that scorpion? It makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. I usually cover my eyes at that part.) In response, the god sends out a large black scorpion from the sands, which the warrior chews up, despite its successful attempts to sting him, which results in a great oasis sprouting from the desert.The Scorpion King, with his fallen soldiers replaced with the Army of Anubis itself, returns to Thebes and continues his siege, winning the city and killing many. Once the battle is ended, however, the Scorpion King’s soul is taken to the Underworld, as is the Army of Anubis. (All that you couldn’t even enjoy the win… Like what was the point? Ending up in the Underworld. SMH.)The King is branded by Anubis and will awaken 5000 years later. Upon awakening, anyone who kills the Scorpion King can either send his army back to the Underworld or use it to enslave mankind and take over the earth. His bracelet is left on sands and is now the guide to locating him and the Army Of Anubis. (Sounds like a fair trade.) Check it out here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHlJwLc5dno)
  
  
  
• 5000 years into the future, in 1933 A.D. we see that Rick and Evelyn have been married for a while, and have a child Alex O’Connell. Alex is with his parents on an expedition. (Odd… because they are always doing dangerous nonsense. But maybe the best place for him to be is with them.) The O’Connell’s have reached a temple along the banks of the Nile where Evelyn seeks the Bracelet of Anubis, the emblem of the Scorpion King. Evelyn knows about the temple and how to access the Bracelet from visions that she has been having. As Evelyn looks at some carvings on a wall, Rick is told by his son Alex that the tattoo on his wrist is alike to a symbol that appeared in the atrium of the temple that they are exploring. (So important for later.) Three other treasure seekers, Spivey, Red, and Jacques, are also looking for the Bracelet of Anubis. Red goes after Rick and Evelyn, Spivey and Jacques stay behind to look for other artifacts. Meanwhile, Rick and Evelyn find and enter the chamber where the bracelet is kept. Evelyn struggles to open the box containing the bracelet, Rick finds the key and they open it to discover the Bracelet of Anubis while Red readies his pistol to fire. The chest containing the Bracelet is taken from its resting place, but at that moment, a rushing sound rings out: the O’Connell’s then realize that the Bracelet was under protection, for the inscriptions around the chest said that whoever opens the chest will “drink from the Nile”. (Evie claims that doesn’t sound so bad… Ma’am were you even in the first movie? Also Rick does point out that she said the same thing about reading from a book and look how that turned out.) With that, a large torrent of water comes down the corridors, taking Rick and Evelyn with it, almost drowning them as they take the chest with them. Rick and Evelyn are caught in the flood and barely cling for life. While trying to escape Alex mistakenly causes the crash of the supporting pillars within the main atrium, breaking through the walls and stopping the waters from drowning his parents. Remember the library scene with Evelyn? Yeah.
  
  
  
• So… to Hamunaptra… Well the movie is called the Mummy Returns… but after the prologue… I have forgotten all about that… Once they start talking about Imhotep again… I was seriously wondering… How does tie in with the Scorpion King? Anyways…The excavators in Hamunaptra are paid by a cult lead by Baltus Hafez, curator of the British Museum. In a tent, a warrior named Lock-Nah states that the discovered Book of the Dead gives life. A woman named Meela Nais, who is revealed to be Anck-Su-Namun reincarnation states that the Book of Amun-Ra takes life away. Just then the excavators unearth a swarm of scarabs that devour some of the excavators and a couple of cultists. The cultists then force the scarabs back into the pit using flame throwers. (Flame Throwers seem a bit too handy for 1933… but I am no historian.) Most of the excavators and cultists rush over to the site as a corpse covered in mineral is lowered, it is revealed to be the remains of Imhotep. Meela watches in reverence at having discovered her former lover and Lok Nah uncovers an urn containing Imhotep’s mummified soldiers remains. Red and his friends who have arrived, revealing the cult wanted them to obtain the bracelet for them, push their way through the crowds of diggers. Hafez demands the Bracelet from the thieves, but Red tells his employer that the opportunity had passed them by; Hafez crossly insists that he and his cultists need that Bracelet, as Lock-Nah, Hafez’ enforcer, punctuates this by adding that they need it before it opens and drawing his blade out. (This man and his blade.) Only Meela Nais, ends the dispute by telling Hafez that she should have handled it. Hafez, in a resolute tone, tells Red and the thieves that he has a different chore for them instead, Meela demands where the Bracelet has gone; Red replies that it’s on its way to London. Shoving Red out of his way, Hafez declares that he and his cultists must go to London, unknown to them Ardeth Bay is a disguised member of the digging team and has been listening to everything. (And my love for Ardeth is reignited. Also isn’t he supposed to be stopping them from digging up the creature?”)
  
  
• Let’s see… I would guess now is the time for a bit of action… Enter the O’Connell’s again. The O’Connell’s arrive back to their mansion home in England, (courtesy of Beni.) with the Bracelet. Evie doesn’t want to unpack. She wants to head into her next adventure. Evelyn wants to journey to the Lost Oasis of Ahm Shere to find the Scorpion King by using the bracelet as a map. Rick protests this as he does not want to endanger their lives. Unknown to them Alex who is carrying the chest opens it and wears the bracelet which shows him a vision of Karnak. He fails to take the bracelet off and places a football statue inside the chest and rolls his jacket sleeve down to cover the bracelet. The O’Connell’s notice some female underwear and Rick irritably realizes it’s one of Jonathan girlfriends and goes to find him. Meanwhile, Lock-Nah and a handful of armed cultist thugs arrive at the O’Connell residence and head to confront Evelyn O’Connell, Hafez himself, accompanied by Meela, Shafek and two other thugs’ heads upstairs to interrogate Rick O’Connell about it. The cultists find Jonathan Carnahan instead, with a woman named Sheila, and the cultists thus mistake him for O’Connell. Jonathan has never been so unlucky… The wrong place at the wrong time… and for a group of people that seem to know everything… They don’t know their target. The cultists force Sheila out and confront Jonathan about the Bracelet of Anubis, but Jonathan, thinking Hafez is working for a man named Johnny that Jonathan is indebted to, pleads for more time to pay what he owes. Jonathan states honestly that he has no idea what they are talking about, but Hafez does not believe him, having Shafek take a dagger and hold Jonathan back. Jonathan states honestly that he has no idea what they are talking about, but Hafez does not believe him, having Shafek take a dagger and hold Jonathan back. Meela Nais then walks into the room with a basket in her hands, asking where Jonathan’s wife is, believing him to be O’Connell. Jonathan lies that Evelyn had gone off to Baden-Baden or Tibet, but that doesn’t stop her from taking a large snake out of a basket. At that moment… O’Connell comes in and she takes the snake and throws it at him… even though she is proud of her attack, O’Connell manages to catch the snake and throw it back at the cultists. O’Connell originally thinks that these people are part of one of Jonathan’s wild parties. Another cultist throws a dagger at Rick, almost hitting him, but dodging once O’Connell throws it back, hitting another cultist instead. Another cultist open fires with a machine gun, but O’Connell and Jonathan escape, with Jonathan pocketing the Spear from the curator’s hands. Here comes a bunch of people to shoot up your house. Rick seems to just want to be left alone.
  
  
  
  
  
• On the other hand… Lock-Nah finds Evelyn and Alex and asks where the chest is. Evelyn, angry at the intruder in her home, draws out a sword from her wall and demands that Lock-Nah leave. As Evelyn demands that Lock-Nah must leave, several thugs step out from behind him, outnumbering Evelyn. As Lock-Nah declares that he will kill her and take it anyway, just then Ardeth Bay, a rival of Lock-Nah steps out to defend Evelyn and Alex. A fight ensues with several cultists brought down; Lock-Nah takes the moment to approve of Ardeth’s duelling skills before removing his cloak and joining in the fight. (This scene sets the stage for the battle between Ardeth and Lock Nah. Only one can survive.) Ardeth himself almost brings down Lock-Nah but is distracted as Evelyn is knocked out by another cultist. Lock-Nah overpowers the Medjai, slashing him in his shoulder and nearly killing Ardeth with a dagger before kidnapping Evelyn. Lock-Nah doesn’t realize that the chest’s contents have been altered by Alex. Check out the scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q720Fe7IDMk You have to love Lock-Nah and his cape.
  
  
• So this is familiar… Evie being kidnapped in order to be sacrificed to bring back to Anck-Su-Namun. Rick and Jonathan escape outside and see Evelyn being taken by the cultist however are stopped from pursuing by gunfire. As Alex and Ardeth arrive outside an enraged Rick demands to know what Ardeth is doing and why Evelyn has been taken. (Poor Ardeth is the bringer of bad news.) Ardeth reveals that if they can find the cult leader Hafez then they will find Evelyn. Alex recognizes him as the curator of the British Museum and the group decide to follow. Ardeth then reveals that the cult has rediscovered Imhotep corpse and somehow the women with them knew exactly where Imhotep was buried. Alex then reveals he is wearing the bracelet however Ardeth then warns him that the bracelet being activated will result in the next apocalypse. (Ardeth is pretty dark… but his life is pretty dark.) Ardeth then reveals that they have seven days to stop the Scorpion king from rising and the cult intends to resurrect Imhotep as he is the only one strong enough to fight the Scorpion King due to the powers he possesses as a result of the Hom Dai curse and will gain command of Anubis’s army. (Ah… that was the explanation I craved. Bring back Imhotep in order beat the Scorpion King.) Arriving outside the museum Rick and Ardeth step out to engage the cult, while Alex and Jonathan stay in the car. While arming themselves with weapons Ardeth notices the tattoo and realizes that Rick is a fellow Medjai and quotes an old saying which Rick answers. However, Rick dismisses Ardeth statement and the significance of the tattoo. (More on this later.) Inside the museum Lock-Nah, along with the other cultist followers, participate in the ritual that will bring Imhotep back to life, performed in the storage facility of the British Museum. Evelyn is brought in by the cult members and awaken to realize in horror that Imhotep remains are inside of the chunk of mineral as Hafez performs the rite that would bring Imhotep back to life within the British Museum. The final incantations are read, and Imhotep breaks free of the mineral. Imhotep demands to know what year it is and is informed by Hafez that the Year of the Scorpion has come. Hafez and Lock-Nah use a syringe filled with acid to open the chest, expecting to find the Bracelet of Anubis inside; they find instead a statue of a baseball player, which had been placed inside of the chest by Alex when he inadvertently put on the Bracelet. Hafez asks Lock-Nah where the Bracelet has gone and Lok Nah realizes Alex is wearing it.
  
  
  
  
  
• Rick and Ardeth hide behind a ledge and witness Imhotep’s resurrection and see Meela step into the room. Evelyn has a vision in which Meela appears as Anck-Su-Namun to Imhotep, as she has the exact appearance of his lost love. Meela then explains that she is Anck-Su-Namun reincarnated, to which Imhotep replies that she is only Anck-Su-Namun in body, but soon after calling back her spirit from the Underworld, she would be her true self and their love will once again be whole. Meela offers a gift to Imhotep: Evelyn O’Connell bound down by ropes and carried on board by several cultists; Meela knows that watching Evelyn die will please Imhotep, as he recognizes Evelyn at once. Evelyn is moved closer to a large stone basin that is filled with fire as Imhotep gives the order to have her burned. Evelyn is almost thrown in when Rick O’Connell leaps in and saves her before she can be harmed. The cultists then began to open fire as the O’Connell’s fire shots: Ardeth Bay covers the O’Connell’s from a staircase, firing shots at both the cultists and Imhotep, but the shots don’t register to Imhotep as they make holes but cause no permanent damage. As Imhotep witnesses both sides fighting, he sees O’Connell and is shot in the chest by the adventurer. The fight progresses on until Imhotep walks to a side of the loading dock where the urn containing Imhotep’s servants is stored: Imhotep opens the jar, unleashing four mummified soldiers, and gives the order to kill off his enemies. O’Connell and Ardeth Bay escape with Evelyn, unknown to them Jonathan has broken the key to Rick car and has somehow taken a bus to help them escape. (A double decker bus you guys…. of all things to steal and try to maneuver that thing down the street. But he drove the hell out of that bus.) The mummies then burst out, although Rick and Ardeth manage to shoot one down each the other two succeed in boarding the bus and Rick and Ardeth struggle to kill them, Jonathan struggles to maneuver the bus. Rick is fighting one mummy; however, his shotgun falls and is taken by Evelyn who saves Ardeth from being devoured and Rick punches the mummy and drops down as the bus top is torn off from going under a bridge, destroying the mummy. (Ardeth says… that this particular trip was his first bus ride. Well Ardeth… bus rides are usually not a life and death thing. Just throwing that out there.) Alex wanders to the back of the bus and is kidnapped by Lock-Nah and the other cultists. They prevent Rick from saving Alex by separating the bridge. Hafez informs Imhotep that his enemies have taken the Spear of Osiris, which Imhotep considers to be of little concern, as he states that his powers will be so great once he reaches Ahm Shere that nothing can stop him. Imhotep then leans in to kiss Meela, and although she loves him, she is still reviled at his appearance: Imhotep then puts Meela into a trance that enables her to see herself in her past life as Anck-Su-Namun. She sees Imhotep not as a mummy, but as his living self, whole again, who she kisses deeply, not seeing that she is kissing a mummy that is rotting away further as she touches him. While Rick embraces and comforts a crying Evelyn, Ardeth urges them not to give up as Alex is wearing the bracelet. Realizing they need to reach Karnak first, Rick decides to access transport so they reach Karnak before the cult do as the bracelet will show Alex the next step of the way. Check out the bus scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgBAJefErZY and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs1QcRTOMEg
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The O’Connell’s, Ardeth Bey and Jonathan set out to try and rescue Alex from the cultists. Rick’s associate from his past adventures, Izzy, a pilot, provides group transportation in return for Jonathan’s gold spear. (Izzy is less than interested in helping O’Connell… apparently on their escapades… Izzy always gets shot. Jonathan is less than thrilled that he has to give up his gold spear.) Izzy’s plan? To take a dirigible. Izzy is like a mad scientist. The Medjai tribes band together and decide to journey to the desert of Ahm Shere to fight the army of Anubis, guided by Ardeth’s pet bird Horus who will act as a messenger for them. Imhotep and his cultists head to Cairo by train, Imhotep remains in a boxcar adorned with ancient Egyptian artifacts and antiquities. As the cultists travel on, Alex is brought forward to Imhotep, for the mummy wishes to speak with Alex. To hide his rotted appearance, Imhotep dons long black robes and a detailed dark mask. Imhotep speaks to Alex in Ancient Egyptian because he knows that the Bracelet of Anubis will grant him the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians, particularly their language. Imhotep explains that Alex is the chosen one and that Alex will guide their way to Ahm Shere. Alex, slightly frightened, attempts to defy Imhotep by stating that he might get them all lost, to which Imhotep commends Alex on having his father’s strength, and remarks to Alex that he still knows something that Alex does not: the Bracelet of Anubis is both a gift and a curse, and Alex explains that he already knows of the Bracelet’s properties: from the moment that the Bracelet was put on, the wearer has seven days to reach Ahm Shere before the Scorpion King awakens. However, Imhotep warns that if he does not enter the temple before sunrise on the seventh day he will die as the bracelet will suck the life out of him. This is where we get the awesome line… “My dad is going to kick your arse.” To which Imhotep waves him off stating his disbelief. Imhotep then waits in his chamber as the three thieves Red, Jacques and Spivey are brought in: the same three thieves that have been employed by the cultists and demanded more money from the job. They have taken with them the chest that once contained the Book of the Dead and five sacred canopic jars. Imhotep hides somewhere within the room and catches the three thieves off guard. Now keep in mind… if they had listened to their friend and not opened the box…. but no… they had to make fun of him for always thinking that things are cursed. The three thieves, horrified at the sight of that dead man, scream and fire their guns at the mummy, which has no effect on Imhotep, who simply stands there laughing. (Guns never work… when will people learn.) As Spivey heads back towards the door, Meela Nais appears through the spy-hole, telling him to open the chest that they brought, for the mummy wants the chest opened, and he tears off the lid, Jacques who knows of the chest properties cries out against it. The chest is opened and as the dust clears, the mummy is gone, he then appears to Spivey and comes down from the ceiling and seizes him by the shoulders and kills the screaming man by sucking out his organs, fluids and flesh, leaving the thief with a skeletal husk. The other two, distraught at what has happened, begin to fire at the mummy in vengeance but are killed off as well. The thief’s bodies litter the floor of the boxcar and Imhotep stands fully regenerated as Meela comes closer to him, bowing before him before sharing a kiss. Before long, the train stops in Karnak and Imhotep looks outside the window, seeing that Alex is trying to escape the train (That toilet that he crawled through almost made me vomit. But when your life is on the line.) and is being fired at by two cultists with machine guns. Imhotep uses his powers to lift the two men into the air, knocking them against one another and throw them at a pair of stone pillars. As Alex runs, the next location appears to him: the temple island of Philae, but the vision is interrupted as Imhotep strides in using his powers to lift Alex into the air.
  
  
  
  
• I have never been a fan flashbacks… but this was done in the best way. We get a bit more backstory on everyone. Imhotep spends time with Meela, who sits beside him in front of a sacred pool of water within the ruins. Imhotep tells Meela that the time has come for her to resume being who she truly is, and places Meela in a trance that brings her back to her previous life as Anck-Su-Namun; the trance also affects Evelyn O’Connell, who is in a dirigible that is tracking the cultists, and so both women enter a trance that shows them their past lives. It is revealed that Evelyn is the reincarnation of Seti I daughter Nefertiri and that she and Anuck Sun-Namun were ancient rivals.  It is also revealed that Seti had entrusted Nefertiri with the task of watching over the ancient Bracelet of Anubis, the final remaining artifact of the Scorpion King. As the vision continues it is revealed that one day, for the entertainment of Seti and his courtiers, Nefertiri and Anck-Su-Namun duel in the royal court with sais (The inner TMNT girl in me loved every moment of this.), but quickly move on to other weapons before Nefertiri is eventually brought to heel by Anck-Su-Namun. It was after the battle had ended with her defeat that Seti made an announcement to his court: Anck-Su-Namun will be his future wife, as he believes that she can protect him from any conspirators, while Nefertiri will be charged with protecting the Bracelet. Nefertiri is evidently dismayed at the fact that Anck-Su-Namun will become her stepmother, but she does not voice any disapproval, most likely knowing that it will amount to nothing. Instead, she embraces her father and takes note that, Imhotep is exchanging covert glances with Anck-Su-Namun. (Ugh… and we know what happens here from the first. Through Nefertiri/Evie’s eyes, we watch the death of Seti.) She sees Anck-Su-Namun kiss, Imhotep. Seti enters the chamber and Nefertiri watches Imhotep remove his sword from his belt. Realizing their intentions, Nefertiri calls out to the Medjai, Seti’s loyal bodyguards that her father is in danger. Unfortunately, it is too late and the princess watches in horror as Anck-Su-Namun strikes the first blow to her father, stabbing him deeply in the back with a dagger, before joining Imhotep in stabbing the monarch repeatedly until he dies. After revealing her visions to Ardeth, he theorises that Rick is a reincarnated Medjai assigned to protect Evelyn and that Alex is the key to finding Ahm Shere. Therefore the three make up the three sides of the pyramid. Although disbelieving of this Rick acknowledges there might be some truth in what Ardeth is saying. At Karnak, Meela relives the moment that caused her life to end: the murder of Seti, and her suicide before the Pharaoh’s royal guards. Imhotep reads the verses from the Book of the Dead that bring Anck-Su-Namun’s soul back to Meela’s body, and both lovers recognize each other, share a passionate kiss. The O’Connell’s later arrive at Karnak and discover that Alex has left the clues to follow at each location so they can trace the cult. Check out the scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXTaxau_9CU
  
  
  
  
• Lock-Nah has itching to kill Alex…. so when he finds out that Alex has been leaving his parents clues as to where he is going it could have ended badly. Imhotep decides to take matters into his own hands…. (Remember the sand….) Imhotep makes a wall of water that attacks the dirigible. The dirigible reaches a canyon and they see Imhotep tidal wave with the waters of the river, pursuing the dirigible. Izzy sees that the tidal wave is coming forward and ignites the engines full throttle to escape the flood and the tidal wave is averted. As the aircraft and its passengers continue through the canyon, Jonathan looks out and sees their destination: the lost Oasis of Ahm Shere.  The tidal wave returns (I mean, did we think they were actually going to get away.) Izzy again hits the engines full blast to escape the waters, but the engines overheat and the boosters on the dirigible burn out; as the craft remains stationary in the air, Izzy sinks into the cockpit meekly and the tidal wave takes the craft and its passengers down. The O’Connell’s crash in Ahm Shere and Alex is left grief-stricken at the seeming loss of his parent while Imhotep strides on triumphantly. Izzy stays with the dirigible in hopes of repairing it, (I still want to know how he was expected to fix this thing in the middle of the oasis.) O’Connell and his friends leave, Jonathan pockets the gold Spear given to Izzy. While Horus fly’s out to deliver another message, he is shot down by a cruel Lok Nah who has been watching the bird travel. Ardeth is heartbroken by his friend’s death and intends to leave so he can warn the Medjai about the army. However, Rick pleads for his help (“I need you to help me get my son back.”) and Ardeth agrees out of loyalty. The O’Connell’s prepare their weapons and Rick and Ardeth leave to save Alex while Jonathan and Evelyn provide cover fire. (I remember initially thinking… You guys are going to trust Jonathan with that? Seriously???”) he cult is attacked by a group of mummified pygmies which are ordained to kill off whatever humans they can catch. Ardeth duels and kills Lok Nah who is trying to retrieve the bracelet from Alex as it is the key to awakening the Army of Anubis. The pygmies attack and kill all the cult members but do not manage to capture the cultist leader Baltus Hafez, who abandons his two remaining men to die while he runs off; the pygmies leap onto the men and stab them with daggers and spears, killing them both. Continuing their chase, they swing through the trees and almost catch Rick O’Connell and his son Alex, but before one can attack them, it is blown apart by Rick’s gun. The pygmies, however, outnumber O’Connell and his family as they pursue them through the oasis, separating Jonathan Carnahan.  The pygmies continue to chase off the O’Connell family and reach a fallen log that the group cross like a bridge. Jonathan quickly catches up while Risk takes the precaution of throwing a lit stick of dynamite at the cannibals, which they catch and fight over before it explodes, tearing the fallen log in two and casting the pygmies down into a canyon. Alex then reveals the bracelet will kill him unless he reaches the pyramid and Evelyn sees the sunrise, so Rick grabs Alex and runs towards the pyramid to save his son. Check out the scene here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOxnZpP6ttU) I stood corrected because Jonathan and Evie did their thing when it came to providing cover fire.
  
  
  
  
• Rick and Alex run to the pyramid, barely making it before sunrise. The bracelet detaches from Alex’s arm, and he can’t wait to get rid of it.  Ardeth leaves and regroups with the Medjai in case the Army of Anubis rises. Evelyn and Jonathan arrive at the pyramid and see that Rick and Alex have made it. Evelyn is caught off guard, Anck-Su-Namun sneaks up on her and stabs Evelyn in the stomach with a dagger, killing her. (Listen…. I was so mortified. I felt it was completely unfair.) Jonathan tries to help Evelyn by stopping Anck-Su-Namun, but is quickly deterred as Imhotep lifts him by his throat and throws him aside. (Poor Evie and poor Jonathan.) Anck-su-Namun walks into the pyramid with Imhotep and sardonically wave’s hello to Alex as she holds the Book of the Dead. Rick rushes to help Evelyn, however, it is too late.  While walking through the pyramid Imhotep steps onto a platform that is surrounded by two large statues, both of which to strip him of his immortality, taking away his powers. Imhotep states that Anubis has taken his powers, wishing him to face the Scorpion King as a mortal. However, Imhotep is firm in his decision to fight the Scorpion King all the same. Anck-Su-Namun begs him not to go; Imhotep insists that he can win the fight without his powers, reminding Anck-Su-Namun that if he dies, she must bring him back with the Book of the Dead. Anck-Su-Namun forbids this, saying she cannot bear the heartache of losing him again. He kisses her as a distraction, then proceeds forth to face the Scorpion King as Anck-Su-Namun screams after to him in despair. A heartbroken Rick embraces his son and leaves him outside while he steps into the Pyramid to avenge Evelyn death. Hafez enters a room inside the Pyramid and places his arm wearing the bracelet into a giant scorpion statue which regenerates the pyramid and awakens Anubis’s army.
  
  
  
• Rick finds Hafez trying to remove his arm from the statue and states that Imhotep is a dead man. Hafez says O’Connell is too late. However, while trying to remove his arm, he cries out in pain as his arm is stripped of its flesh. Rick leaves and eventually finds Imhotep trying to summon the Scorpion King and they fight. The Medjai await the Scorpion King’s army arrival and see a shadow which causes the sand to become an ashy, tar-like substance, generating the soldiers of the Army of Anubis, which slowly,, from the ashes morph into jackal-headed humanoid mummies; the Army engages the Medjai in battle. The Anubis warriors are easily killed by decapitation and are soon slaughtered, despite inflicting heavy casualties on the Medjai. Ardeth notices the odd ease of their victory, and after hearing a rumble from ahead runs to the top of a dune, along with his men to see a mammoth, never-ending army of Anubis warriors, stretching off into the distance; the force they have just defeated was only the vanguard, and now the main army is bearing down on them, too immense for the remaining Medjai to have any hope of defeating. (My sister and I watched this together last night, and she was like…. ‘Rick better hurry up…. because Ardeth and the rest of the Medjai deserve better.’)  Jonathan comforts Alex over Evelyn death, Alex realizes the Book of the Dead can resurrect her and they collaborate to steal the Book of the Dead from Anck-su-namun. They find Anck-Su-Namun and Jonathan decides to fist-fight with Anck-Su-Namun in order to “teach her a lesson”; Jonathan is actually distracting Anck-Su-Namun from watching over the Book of the Dead and its key, which she has left behind as she fights Jonathan off, punching him hard. As the two fight, Anck-Su-Namun takes a pair of twin blades from a nearby staAlex asks Jonathan about the final stork symbol he can’t finish, Jonathan remembers the stork symbol as being Amenophus (He had better remember… since that is what Evelyn told him in the last movie.) and Alex finishes the final spell needed to resurrect Evelyn. Anck-Su-Namun is about to kill Jonathan when Evelyn, who has just been brought back to life by Alex, intervenes shaking her off before sending Jonathan and Alex to find Rick. Evelyn and Anck-Su-Namun fight as they had centuries ago and Evelyn fights and defeats Anck-Su-namun with the fighting skills acquired in her current life as well as those from her past life.tue and uses them in her fight, slashing Jonathan in the chest, and almost killing him before he can shake her off. The Scorpion King interrupts Rick and Imhotep’s fight and is revealed to have become a half-human half scorpion monster. (I just laugh at these effects now as I did them. There are a lot used in the movie but I think this was possibly the worst bit. The Rock deserved better. But it doesn’t take away from the movie.) Imhotep tells the Scorpion King that he is the Scorpion King’s slave, but Rick is sent to kill him so the King focusses on killing Rick and ends up killing Hafez who walks into the chamber.
  
  
  
  
  
• While escaping from the Scorpion King Rick sees some carvings on the wall that reveals Jonathan stick is the weapon that can extend out to become a spear and kill the Scorpion King. Upon realising this Rick finally begins to believe in his destiny of being a warrior. (Now… didn’t Alex say he say this in the temple at the beginning of the movie??? LISTEN TO HIM!!!) Alex and Jonathan go to help Rick, who tells them that Jonathan needs to activate the spear before he resumes running from the Scorpion King. There is nothing better than Jonathan and Alex’s reaction to the Scorpion King’s form. But the second funniest thing had to be then arguing over the spear and how it is supposed to work. Alex and Jonathan finally get the spear activated…. (Thank goodness Jonathan stole the spear…. They would be stuck without it. Another point for Jonathan. ) Once activating the spear, Jonathan intends to throw it at the Scorpion King, but when he tries, Imhotep catches it and hurls the spear at the Scorpion King himself. Imhotep is trying to claim the Anubis army for himself. Rick manages to catch the spear before it can pierce the Scorpion King and runs him through himself, ordering him to take the Army of Anubis back to the Underworld with him which saves the Medjai from certain death, The Scorpion King’s death causes Anubis to turn the oasis back into a desert, and the oasis is being sucked into the pyramid. Rick and Imhotep are hanging from the edge of a pit that leads into the Underworld. Evelyn risks her life to save Rick despite his pleas for her to go, but Anck-su-namun refuses to save Imhotep. (The heartbroken look on his face when he sees Rick being helped by Evie when the woman he has risked 2 movies to bring back won’t even try and help him. I was appalled when Anck-su-namun ran off like girl…. what?) Seeing Anck-Su-namun abandon him, Imhotep willingly let’s go and falls into the underworld. Anck-su-namun later falls into a scorpion-filled pit and dies. (My sister said… “Good for her. She better not have gotten away.”) The O’Connell’s reach the top of the pyramid, which is being sucked into the desert. Izzy arrives with a modified dirigible and saves the O’Connell’s. Jonathan grabs the diamond at the top of the pyramid. (This man will risk life and limb for riches…. “It’s not worth your life….” “YES IT IS!!!!”) Ardeth Bay salutes them as they fly over him, Rick and Evelyn who have survived the events are happy to be together again and kiss in joy, much to Alex and Jonathan disgust. The adventure ends with Izzy and Jonathan comically arguing over the diamond Jonathan has taken. (Izzy knows it was Jonathan who stole the spear… and proclaims that the diamond Jonathan found is half his.) Check out the scenes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTepzxirUBA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYMfWitsqik&t=310s
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

My sister and I were discussing both movies the other day and she let it be known that she preferred the first movie to the second. I think I like the second just a bit better. Both movies are pretty fun and funny… I have to say sequels usually don’t hold a candle to the original movie… but this one hold up pretty well minus the CGI for the Scorpion King. I also have to say… adding a child to the mix is almost always a bad idea however Alex managed to be funny and his scenes with Lock Nah are gold. In comments, let me know which is your favorite movie… or your favorite scene from this movie.