Indeed, the Mummy Returns - bigger than before but unfortunately not better than before. The territory is familiar - The Mummy is resurrected from its grave by faithful subjects including his already resurrected forbidden love Anck Su Namun. But this time, Im Ho Tep is out to conquer the soon to be resurrected Scorpion King who in his earlier life commanded the forces of the mighty god of the underworld - Anubis. Kill the king and you inherit his all conquering army. The world awaits to be dominated by Im Ho Tep. All that stands in his way of course are the intrepid O'Connell's - three of them this time - the couple have been blessed with a bonny young lad. There are also the honour bound Magi who have sworn to protect the earth from the horrors of Im Ho Tep. It all sets the scene for non-stop action as the forces of good and evil battle for supremacy.

Sounds a bit formulaic. Well that is and isn't the problem with The Mummy Returns. The storyline in the first Mummy was hardly original but it moved along at a breakneck speed and delivered the goods in terms of solid popcorn entertainment fare. This time round maybe we expected more but instead while The Mummy threw up some nice surprises for an update, this time its all too familiar - more Mummies running around, more bugs devouring people and worst of all the insufferable John Hannah for comedy relief. This time he's even joined by an equally annoying balloon pilot. Even more disappointing is the way the special effects pale in comparison to the original. The computer generated scenery and effects are surprisingly mediocre for a film of this budget. And as for the Scorpion King…well they must have wanted him to look computer generated because he certainly does- personally I prefer Harryheusen's work. For a film so dependent on effects to wow the audience, this is a major disappointment. Maybe I shouldn't be expecting much from dialogue in The Mummy Returns but even by lame action film standards the Mummy Returns is chock a block full of completely humourless and utterly predictable one liners. At the same time, Ardeth Bay, the Magi with the rock star looks and locks provides us with the philosophical mutterings - only the journey is known…not the destination, my friend.

While, both the lead couple manage to hold up their end well the support performances are less impressive than previously. Weisz, tougher and feistier in this version, even gets two shots at a 'crouching tiger-like' combat sequence with Patricia Velasquez. Fraser carries on from where he left off in the first film - a dashing mix of action and wit. Unfortunately, increased roles and dialogue appear to retract from the performances of both Velasquez and Vosloo with neither bringing the same magnetism to the screen as they did in the first outing. Hannah is as insufferable as in the original. Oded Fehr, as the heroic Magi relishes a role almost equivalent in length to Fraser's. I see him returning in the inevitable second sequel possibly to face an honourable and heart wrenching death. By far the most impressive thing in the film is the army of Anubis - a very large pack of two legged jackals.

The Mummy struck the right balance between wit, action, impressive special effects and thrills. The Mummy Returns, however, like most sequels, goes for dolloping out more of the same but with a bigger spoon. While we have become conditioned to expect and often enjoy the mindless summer blockbuster, The Mummy Returns takes too much for granted. A thoroughly disappointing effort. But then what can you expect from a film which gives equal billing to Brendan Fraser and The Rock. I am betting (and hoping) that the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park will pack a bigger punch.