Mummy Returns, The (Blu-ray)

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Video:
Universal ports over the same VC-1 master that was used for the HD-DVD release with this new Blu-ray variant of "The Mummy Returns." These films are very solid looking in high definition and I am quite pleased that the film looks identical to how it did on the defunct rival format. The visual style of the first sequel is quite similar to that of the original film. The VC-1/1080p encoded transfer is presented in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the theatrical release. This is a CGI heavy film and the digital effects are an improvement over the perfectly fine visuals from the first movie. Even after half a dozen years, "The Mummy Returns" still holds up well with its visual effects.

The level of detail is solid and colors are vibrant and perfectly saturated. In fact, "The Mummy Returns" is bested only by the very best Blu-ray titles thus far on the format when it comes to visual quality. Detail is quite strong and you can count grains of sand if you feel so inclined. The hues used in "The Mummy Returns" run the full spectrum. Scenes in the desert exhibit a warm color scheme that perfectly contrasts with the cool colors of the evening London bus chase. Black levels are strong and blacks are deep and true. Shadow detail is slightly improved over the previous films, as the darker scenes have a bit more visual pop than before. The source materials used appear to have been quite clean and you won´t find any flaws in the digital-to-digital transfer.

Sound:
I have been quite pleased with Universal´s decision to return to DTS and supply their Blu-ray titles with robust English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks. While the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mixes were very impressive on HD-DVD, these next-gen mixes pack quite a wallop and I have simply been knocked out with the quality of these Blu-ray releases. Some may point out that I had previously given both "Mummy" titles a undeservingly high score of ten for their Dolby Digital Plus soundtracks and I have admitted to making an error or being overly kind to these films that I enjoy so much. However, they did sound incredible and sound only that much more incredible with DTS-HD Master Audio in their respective corners. Simply put, the "Mummy" films sound awesome.

This is highly aggressive soundtrack that benefits from its non-stop action. Rear surrounds are used throughout the film and all new swirling sound effects are introduced. There is some automatic gunfire during the film that sounds quite nice and the subwoofer explodes with deep and plentiful bass to amplify the action that occurs on-screen. Sound flows smoothly across all channels and the soundtrack places the viewer nicely in the center of the action. The battle sequence between the War Dogs of Anubis and Ardeth Bey´s forces is one example of how incredible this film sounds. Dialogue is clean and holds up rather nicely. At the end of the ´Sound´ potion I had remarked of how I imagined this film would have sounded with Dolby TrueHD sound and while this isn´t a TrueHD mix, it is everything I thought it would be.

Extras:
"The Mummy Returns" is not laden with as many supplements as the original film. However, the Blu-ray is given a little more muscle over the previous HD-DVD releases and materials are culled from the original standard definition releases. The film´s menus were far more attractive than "The Mummy," which possessed only the basic Universal vanilla menus. Whereas the first film contained three commentary tracks, the follow-up possesses only one. The Feature Commentary with Director/Writer Stephen Sommers and Executive Producer/Editor Bob Duscay finds the pair returning to the second film with another fine commentary track. The two are upbeat and entertaining and toss information around about the original film and its sequel and show quite an amount of excitement about their two blockbusters.

The features fall a few steps in quality after the feature commentary. The Spotlight on Location: The Making of The Mummy Returns (20:00) is your typical EPK "Spotlight on Location" that is part flashy marketing and part making-of featurette. It has a few interesting moments, but cannot compare to the making of documentary included with the first film. Brendan Fraser and others return to make comments about the sequel, but if felt very ho-hum in nature. Some Outtakes (6:05) are tossed in and there are a couple quite funny moments included. Oddly, the outtakes are presented in a very grand moment and with a promotional spin to them. Live´s Music Video "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" is mixed in with a promotional bit for the film´s soundtrack. This was a decent enough song, but I´m partial to Live. The Theatrical Trailer and a few Visual and Special Effects Formation for four scenes, "Imhotep Returns," "Pygmy Mummies Attack," "Anubis Warriors Rising" and "Scorpion King Revealed" show the various stages of evolution for the scenes and makes for good entertainment.

The new Blu-ray release includes the familiar U-Control functionality and a Sneak Peak of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (3:01). The Sneak Peek is nothing more than a very brief promotional making-of feature and identical to what was included on the Blu-ray release of "The Mummy." It is an over-glorified trailer. The "U-Control" contains Profile 1.1 required Picture-in-Picture. As was the case with "The Mummy," some of the material found in these PiP videos is pulled from materials already contained on the disc, but it is intermixed with some new material. While the Blu-ray exclusive features are nothing overwhelming, I´m very happy that Universal has stepped up and not simply ported over the titles.

Closing:
My final paragraph for "The Mummy Returns" HD-DVD review had over 260 words. That was a bit excessive and I´ll be quicker this time around. This sequel to "The Mummy" is quite entertaining and while it isn´t as wonderful as the original film, I was very happy to see that the original cast returned intact and there was fun to be had by all. I´m excited because a third "Mummy" film starring Brendan Fraser is coming to theaters in a couple weeks. The new Blu-ray release includes an identical looking release with a new and quite potent DTS HD Master Audio mix that is about as good as anything I´ve yet heard on my home theater setup. A few new features have been added and this is easily an improvement over the previous HD-DVD release. I enjoy these films a good bit and now is a good time to revisit these adventures before the third film hits the theaters. I´m sure that is a large part of Universal´s decision to make these their first releases on Blu-ray. It was a good choice.

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