The Reel Rejects - THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001) MOVIE REVIEW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

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Starting point is 00:01:29 And that app is rocket money. More on them after the reaction people. Okay. So, yeah, I feel like we both kind of think that it was more, a little more juice, a little more exciting than the last one. Definitely. A lot more CGI, though. A lot of great CGI.

Starting point is 00:01:52 Yeah. So, like, give me your all around. Like, how are you, how are you, how are you? overall feeling because I'm not like in love with the movie you know but but give us give us the juice here uh it's it's kind of a mixed bag y'all because I had more fun watching it but also had a lot more problems too I really liked one I would say I liked Brandon Fraser a lot more in this one as a character because he has a stronger motivation with him being a father and being a husband and he has this this root of heart that guides his personal journey in this story which I was really

Starting point is 00:02:27 drawn to. I like the family. I think, I think Rachel Wise and him have really good chemistry. I like the sense of adventure this movie had. I like the squash buckling, adventurous music that the movie had. Yeah. It's just, you know, some of the retcons for me were just, were just bugging me, like the whole fact that I really enjoyed the fact that Rachel Wise and the first one was like a librarian. She's all about her book smarts and everything. But then they had to come up with a way to make her more involved with the action scenes by giving her a connection to this Egyptian pastors

Starting point is 00:02:59 like of all the people what are the odds that you guys are the ones that have this connection and I don't know I guess it's something that just movies do with its conveniences and you know I thought it was interesting the fact that we brought back the mummy

Starting point is 00:03:14 and like okay we're gonna get to see him achieve his goals for what he had for the first one I don't think the motivation for him having to fight the scorpion king was strong enough because I think he was like a priest in the first one He was never like really a ruler So I don't know

Starting point is 00:03:30 That part didn't work for me But you know I really like the fact That we were switching locations a lot And I thought that you know They made the action scenes more exciting Like the up the antsy a lot Choreograph in the fighting scenes was great Yeah the choreographing was really awesome

Starting point is 00:03:47 The kid actor was really good It's kind of we're saying the whole time but yeah it's just like the the logic in it didn't really make sense we're still shooting it undead things and we haven't really come up with the solution for why that works really but right how many times do they have to shoot them

Starting point is 00:04:07 because they did shoot them enough and then they would go into sand but there were sometimes where they would shoot them and they would just automatically come back and we didn't know the method yeah the rules were kind of inconsistent yeah but you know I think that in spite of all of its mess also oh my god the scorpion king looked awful

Starting point is 00:04:26 Jesus Christ and part of me is like okay how much of it is me having to suspend disbelief because we're watching in 2024 and this movie came out in 2001 right a long time ago exactly and the other part of it is how much of it is just like this is just bad cg for the cgi for the time I think it's bad because you know what they could have it would have taken a lot more effort but you can do a mix of practical and cgii like when you look at like Jurassic Park or something or there's tons of movie or Star Wars like couldn't they have put wouldn't it been more fun to see Chris Rock actually be in this weird ass costume even if he had to have another person control the arms in the legs behind him and then mix it with CGI for like some of

Starting point is 00:05:08 the fighting I know that that would have taken more time more special effects it's a hard thing to come up with but we wouldn't have laughed out loud it would have looked like big old Chris Rock actually fighting and then like in a weird scorpion costume like come on now I would have loved that

Starting point is 00:05:28 Tara I would have loved it Tara yeah it's not Chris Rock oh my God I meant Big ass the Rock

Starting point is 00:05:36 is what I meant Big ass the Rock No it would have been so much funny I was Chris Rock That would have been Big ass the Rock My bad

Starting point is 00:05:45 You know what I hate about Scorpions Oh God, that would have been fun But I agree with you I agree with you I think it would have been really funny I mean really cool if they were able to Incorporate some practical elements into it I think this is in the age

Starting point is 00:06:01 We're like oh CGI is just like this brand new technology We're getting better with it Let's figure out a way to utilize this all the time Because maybe it would save more money Than using actual practical effects But maybe they just were What this came about two years after the first one So they're trying to fast track it to capitalize

Starting point is 00:06:17 and the popularity of number one. So they just were like, all right, we got to rush it. We got to get this out for the people. I'm not sure how this did box office wise, but I think that definitely hurt them in the long run. Also, let's look it up. Let's look it up. Keep talking.

Starting point is 00:06:32 Yeah, I think it definitely hurt them in the long one. And it's funny because I always knew that the rock was in this movie. Because I know that's just like his claim to fame was being the Scorpion King. But I didn't know how little he was actually going to be in the movie. movie. He's like in that one scene in the beginning and then we just get CGI rock in the end. I'm not even sure if he voiced CGI rock. And there's just a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense. Like the fact that he's actually like this human man scorpion hybrid and the fact that the mummy had telekinesis and spoke English for some reason. And the fact that that, that, I don't remember Richard Wise's character's name. Do you remember? I don't. I don't. so the fact that she's reincarnated for some reason now i think that's the part that like didn't make a lot of sense to me or like bug me uh but the fact that you know this was something that was changed it up it like it had a lot more kinetic energy than the first one

Starting point is 00:07:34 even though something that i've noticed that's consistent about these mummy movies is it does a lot of telling rather than showing like it shows the beginning and shows certain scenes, but there's a lot of exposition that characters are just like kind of vomiting off to you. And I would have liked to see some visuals coupled with that exposition, because I don't think exposition is inherently a bad thing. But when it's more like history and lore than it is character relationships, I think it can be like a lot to keep up with unless we have something to visually see to aid with that storytelling. I agree. Like they could have showed us that the bracelet was actually a key before the guy realized it was a key.

Starting point is 00:08:18 They could have shown us more things as to, I realized that once he put the bracelet on, they showed us sort of where we were going to be headed. Right, right. But I do agree with you so that as we're going through the film, instead of listening to them raffle off a bunch of trivia of like 3,000 years ago and this king and he's got to kill him, it was more interesting for us to see the hieroglyphics,

Starting point is 00:08:41 the hieroglyphics. I say that was difficult for my mouth today when he has the when we saw in the stone where he has the golden thing and it turns into the sword and the sword goes through the scorpion that was cool to look at and I think if we had gotten more stuff that was of that nature that we're seeing rather than hearing all of this history I agree with that it might have been a little bit easier for us to follow and you wouldn't have needed so much extra position in the running. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:09:18 Did you have more thoughts on that or anything else? I kind of cut you off there, but. No, you're good. I feel, I feel complete for now. I want to hear what your overall thoughts were. So the budget was 98 million, but guess how much it made? How much? 435 million.

Starting point is 00:09:35 It was the seven highest grossing film in 2001. This movie crushed. Yeah, it really, really did. Wow. I'm very surprised. But again, I guess in 2000. CGI was very new to us, which at the time,

Starting point is 00:09:51 you would probably be really surprised at what they could do. I wish, and I still wish that now. I know that our CGI has very much advanced. I still, I think that that's a reason why the Mandalorian was so big. They went back to the old school stuff. And we see the Mando and Grogu.

Starting point is 00:10:08 It's practical. And they're using a lot of practical old school Star Wars stuff that we're seeing. and that's stuff that just when it meets our eye, we know we can feel it. And it makes you feel like they're there and it just takes more effort. I don't think that this was like all horrible.

Starting point is 00:10:25 It gave us like a really cool adventure to go on, especially, you know, with the balloon and flying through. It gives us really beautiful landscapes and stuff like that. Yeah. But yeah, the plot, it did feel more personal than going after their son, which we like. They're fighting after something they love. and I really loved him as an actor.

Starting point is 00:10:46 I thought I was great. He was fine. But I do agree that the foundation of him getting back his girl, finding her soul, putting it back in her body, I felt like it should have been a bigger deal to then go. And like, we have to get to the Scorpion King and kill him so we can take over. Where I'm like, but why do y'all, I know from the first movie, they wanted that anyway. They wanted to rule the world together.

Starting point is 00:11:12 They said that before they died. But for some reason, I still wasn't like, I didn't feel as strong of a sense of urgency with them getting to the Scorpion King and being like, we have to rule the world. Because again, I don't remember the why. And maybe that's why it didn't feel as strongly to me. Why do these two people who are very in love need to rule the world together? What is the why? I don't remember.

Starting point is 00:11:38 But also, it was odd. I mean, I called it. I was like, she's going to leave him. And it was weird when she runs away because of how strong your love was in the beginning. Right. We really felt like they are meant to be together. He saves her. He gets her soul back.

Starting point is 00:11:53 Like, they have this connection and she runs away. Like, I was like, she's going to leave him. But it wouldn't have made sense, but she did. Yeah. I found that very interesting. I liked it, though, that it was like a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. Like, of course, he's going to kill himself now. I mean, there's no point in him living.

Starting point is 00:12:10 But, yeah, I mean, I didn't, I obviously didn't hate it, absolutely didn't like love it, liked it, right? I'm like, yeah, cool. I love the actors in it. Obviously, I had no issues with them. I'm going to read off some trivia real quick. It says Rachel Weiss and Patricia Velasquez trained for five months for their fight scene, and they did the fight without any stunt women. Wow. Not one stuff.

Starting point is 00:12:39 Okay. you guys. That's dope. I love that. So the much criticized digital effects of the Scorpion King were rushed and were only completed, guess how many days

Starting point is 00:12:52 before the film's release? I would say 30 days. Eight days before the film's release. No. That CGI was made. Ooh. Why wouldn't you just be like

Starting point is 00:13:07 also number one? That's on the exact. Why are you promising to have this film delivered and then not having CGI done eight days? I would have been like, we have to push the, even though that costs him probably more money than the CGI? Trailers are already out for this movie. Wow. That's wild. That's filmmaking for you.

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Starting point is 00:15:09 Your bank account, well, thank you. Brendan Frazier tore a spinal disc, cracked a rib, and injured his knees during production. Dwayne Johnson suffered from food poisoning and sunstroke. He lost over 10 pounds and said it was the worst I have ever felt in my life. I mean, that's what happens when you shoot in a location like that and you're in the sun. And all we really saw him was right in the beginning in those. fight scenes. Jesus.

Starting point is 00:15:40 That's terrible. Like, that's awful. So let me go to some spoilers here. Additional clips had to be digitally added to the tidal wave scene in order to mask hundreds of spectators watching the production. Wow. Oh, my God. People were watching so they had to add cliffs in post to hide them.

Starting point is 00:16:04 All right. Not enough permits to keep enough people away. That's fine. Um, okay. Let's see. I'll read you a couple more off. It says, um, when Evelyn is first seen brushing off a wall, the figures on the wall behind her, two females fighting with a sace. This is a depiction of her neferti, neferti fighting against a Nuksu. Um, so it was, we, we got to see that. Um, oh, despite fighting his character, the scorpion king in the finale at the time, at the time, of release, Brendan Frazier had not met the Rock, Dwayne Johnson. Oh, wow. He hadn't even met him. So they must have met, like, at the premiere or something.

Starting point is 00:16:50 Yeah, they didn't have any scenes together, so that makes sense. That's freaking wild. Okay, maybe I'll read one more. When Alex is reading for The Book of the Dead to bring his mother back to life, one of the words he says is Voslu, which is the last name of the actor playing imotep. Okay. a little Easter egg in there, set deck loves to do that. If you ever look in the background of films, you'll always see like set deck making notes in a kitchen that will probably be out of

Starting point is 00:17:18 sight, but they'll like write their last name in there or something or ask like, oh, do you want and you're like, yeah, put my last name up in there. Um, uh, so I love that. Any, I mean, I like the movie, not in love with it. Um, but I do understand how adventurous it was, especially for the time with the CGI. And I love Brendan Frazier and Rochelle Weiss and their connection is great. And the casting with the kid was excellent. Did you like this one more or the first one more?

Starting point is 00:17:50 You know, I don't feel too strongly about either. Just to be honest. But I feel like I might have liked this one more. I really like the kid. And I liked us in the bus. that bus thing of that shot that was the one that looked practical but it probably wasn't but it looked so good of like the camera was there and the bus is getting knocked off and it just was chairs just and everything being destroyed towards camera that was awesome love that I agree I think I like this one more even though I feel like plot wise it has more problems but I think this movie was more fun overall for me yeah and I was able to connect to the character's motivation so that part like was my was my anchor in yeah I would say Overall, I like the money returns more. Also, you said you didn't know The Rock was in this.

Starting point is 00:18:39 Did you know the Rock actually has a spinoff movie just about the Scorpion King? Really? Yeah. It's called Scorpion King. Is it better? I have no idea. I've never seen it. Interesting.

Starting point is 00:18:51 We got to maybe look into that. Maybe watch it. Let us know in the comments, guys. If you know, no spoilers, though. If you've seen the Scorpion King, let us know if you think we should follow up at some point with that. Is it good? Is it not? You know, we love to watch the good movies that get us all juiced up.

Starting point is 00:19:07 So let us know about that. Also, like this, share it. Leave us a bunch of comments. Tell us what you thought. What do you think of the CGI? Do you prefer practical over CGI or are you like fine with it? No big deal because they can do more stuff with CGI. Do you like that better?

Starting point is 00:19:23 Let us know. I'm interested. And I also really did love the soundtrack too. Do all those things. And don't forget, guys, this is the new drop from the Shee-Jex cult of She-Jex. We've got new sweaters for you. They come in all colors. It'll be available on Rejectnationshop.com.

Starting point is 00:19:39 Go and get your sweater and support us in general. And obviously they have a bunch of cool t-shirts on there. You guys already know the juice. We love you. And we will see you on the next one.

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The Reel Rejects - THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001) MOVIE REVIEW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

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