The Disney+ Fantasy Adventure That Launched the Most Successful Action Star of All Time
If you grew up watching The Mummy, you probably also loved Brendan Fraser. He was a huge star at the time and appeared in several fun action movies. What you probably didn’t realize in those early days was that his co-star in The Mummy 2, Dwayne Johnson, would go on to become the most successful action star of all time.
The Mummy
It was such a small part —- in The Mummy, stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz come up against an awakened mummy, Imhotep. Battle ensues and murder and mayhem run amok, with plenty of comic relief, until ultimately the pair defeat Imhotep, with the mummy falling into a pit of lost souls and being carried away, presumably to the underworld never to return. But then what is The Mummy 2 about?
Of course, Imhotep comes back!
The Mummy Returns
In The Mummy 2, officially titled The Mummy Returns, Imhotep’s body is resurrected once again, this time by the reincarnation of his long lost love, Anck-su-namun. Now, back and ready to take over the world, he calls upon the army of the Scorpion King– a king played by none other than The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
The Plot
While The Mummy is a fun movie, The Mummy 2 offers up even more laughs and more adventure, if you can believe it. Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell and Rachel Weisz’s Evie are married now and have a son. The family is on an archeological dig when they discover the bracelet of Anubis, which is the source of power for the scorpion king’s army.
The bracelet locks onto the arm of Rick and Evie’s son, Alex, and begins revealing visions that guide the boy to the site of the scorpion king’s army in Ahm Shere. Meanwhile, Imhotep, Anck-su-namun, and their followers capture Evie in the hopes that she’ll lead him to Ahm Shere. Rick, Alex, and Evie’s hapless brother Jonathan pursue the captors, and the adventure begins.
A Great, Fun Adventure Flick
With lots of twists and turns, plenty of flashbacks to previous incarnations of the characters, and of course memories of the scorpion king, The Mummy 2 keeps viewers on their toes. The result is perhaps one of the most delightful fantasy adventures of all time. And many of the actors went on to successful careers —- none more so than Dwayne Johnson.
The Scorpion King And Beyond
Indeed, Johnson’s turn as the scorpion king in The Mummy 2 was so successful that he got his own spinoff movie named after his character, The Scorpion King. From there, he made films like Walking Tall, The Rundown, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. He went on to expand the The Fast and Furious franchise and build a new franchise with Jumanji.
The man who began as a wrestler in the WWE, known only as The Rock, is now easily the most successful action star of all time, with 400 million followers on Instagram and commanding $20 million for each movie he makes.
Check It Out For Yourself
You can stream The Mummy 2 on Disney+, with your subscription to Hulu, to see where it all began. You’ll definitely smell what The Rock is cookin’.
