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The Mummy Returns
Collector's Edition (full frame version)
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Starring: |
Brendan
Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia
Velasquez, Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. "The Rock" as The Scorpion
King, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, and Shaun Parkes
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| Director: |
Stephen
Sommers |
| MPAA rating: |
PG-13 |
| Genre: |
Action
- Adventure - Thriller |
| Studio: |
Alphaville
and Universal
Studios
(Universal Home Entertainment)
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Movie: A |
Video: A |
Audio: A |
Extras: A- |
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Summary: In this sequel to "The Mummy", the reincarnated Anck-su-namun is in the
process of retrieving and resurrecting the mummy Imhotep, to take over the Anubis army
to rule the whole. Meanwhile, Evelyn has been dreaming about the
ancient past and the Bracelet of Anubis. Her visions of the past lead
the O'Connells to Egypt once again on an expedition which fruition to
obtaining the Bracelet. As curious as his mother and as fearless as his
father, their son tries on the Bracelet and the adventures begin. If
you like "The Mummy", you are likely to enjoy "The Mummy Returns"
as well. I found this sequel thoroughly enjoyable, for its intricate plot, amazing
visual special effects, endless action, and incredible stunts.
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The Story
Ten years after their amazing destruction of the mummy Imhotep
in the prequel "The Mummy", Rick
O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evie (Rachel Weisz) are joined by
their son Alex (Freddie Boath) on an expedition in Egypt. Evie has
many visions about the ancient past which leads to the discovery of the
Bracelet of Anubis. Meanwhile, the reincarnated Anck-su-namun
(Patricia Velasquez) is in the process of retrieving and resurrecting
Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) to take over the Anubis army to rule the world.
As curious as his mother andas fearless as his father, Alex
tries on the Bracelet of Anubis and discovers that the bracelet shows the way to the
Scorpion pyramid amidst the Oasis. Unbeknownst to the O'Connells,
Imhotep wants the Bracelet of Anubis and sends his soldier mummies to
retrieve it. Rick and Evie put up a good fight along with their friend
Ardeth Bay, but Alex is kidnapped by Imhotep's soldiers. As Imhotep
leads his crew toward the Oasis, Rick and Evie try to find and recover Alex
before the unspeakable evil harms him and destroys the whole world. from unspeakable evil through edge-of-your-seat
adventures that will blow you away. If you like "The Mummy",
you are likely to enjoy "The Mummy Returns" as well, with its
intricate plot, amazing visual special effects, endless action, and
incredible stunts.
The Extras
This Collector's Edition comes with the following bonus
features worthy of King Tut's tomb full of treasures:
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Spotlight on location: the making of "The Mummy
Returns" (a very interesting segment)
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Feature audio commentary
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Cast and filmmakers features Brendan Fraser, Rachel
Weisz, John Hannah, Patricia Velasquez, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, and
director Stephen Sommers
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Visual and Special Effects Formation breaks into
Conceptual Stage (narrated by visual effects
supervisor John Berton), Animation Test, Plate Photography, Visual FX
Elements and Final Feature Sequence for: "Imhotep Returns",
"Pygmy Mummies Attack", "Anubis Warrior Rising", and
"Scorpion King Revealed"
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Outtakes is a hilarious look at the cast and crew at
work with great fun
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Egyptology 201: "An In-Depth Look at
Mummification", "The Most Famous Mummy: King Tut",
"Animal of Ancient Egypt", "Myths & Magic of Ancient
Egypt", and "The Scorpion King: Myth or Reality?"
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Live "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" music
video
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"The Mummy Returns" Chamber of Doom is a
great virtual tour through Universal Studios attraction that contains
many of the props
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"An Exclusive Conversation with The Rock"
features the spin off in which he stars in the lead role as the Scorpion
King
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"The Scorpion King" selected scenes which
is the same segment preceding "The Mummy Returns" movie
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"The Mummy Returns" theatrical trailer
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A special message from Oded Fehr for the Kids Cancer Connection donation
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"The Mummy Returns" special offer advertises Universal theme parks
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"The Mummy Returns" PlayStation 2 game trailer
out October 2001 and not yet rated
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Production notes
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Recommendations of Universal Studios movies of same
genre
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DVD newsletter where viewers can register online at http://dvd.universalpictures.com
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DVD-ROM features
Video & Audio
The image quality of this full frame
(1.33:1 screen aspect ratio) version DVD is excellent and pristine in every way. The colors are accurate and
saturated, while shadow detail is very good. The video
transfer is top notch and pays tribute to the cool visual special
effects. To really enjoy the grandeur of the cinematography, I would
really recommend the anamorphic
widescreen version, available as a separate DVD version. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 soundtrack is well balanced with very aggressive use of the surround channels.
The awesome sound design came across clearly on this Dolby Digital
soundtrack and is one of the best I've heard. The dialog remained crystal
clear throughout the film.
As good as the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of this DVD,
I'm hoping that Universal Studios will eventually release an Ultimate
Edition DVD, with a DTS 5.1 surround
sound option and an even richer set of bonus features.
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Visit The Mummy Returns web site
and
the Universal
Studios home video web site.
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony
DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony
KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four
B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers
and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster
Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable
Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable
Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug
connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio
rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones. Our home theater equipment was calibrated
with the Video
Essentials DVD.
Be sure to check out our Top 10 DVDs of the year
2001 and our list of this year's Oscar winners on DVD.
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United We Stand
