‘The Mummy Returns’: Why Brendan Fraser Thinks the Infamous Scorpion King CGI Is ‘Perfect’
Brendan Fraser has starred in a lot of movies, but many consider The Mummy as his best one. He was not in the spotlight much for years, but now, the “Brenaissance” has arrived. In an interview, Fraser opened up about his past roles, including The Mummy Returns — and his feelings on the oft-debated Scorpion King CGI.
Brendan Fraser battled Dwayne Johnson in ‘The Mummy Returns’
The Mummy Returns is the 2001 sequel to the successful film The Mummy. The movie had Fraser reprise his role as Rick O’Connell alongside Rachel Weisz. The film marked Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first-ever movie.
A relative success, Fraser made $2 million for the sequel. He asked for a salary of $20 million but agreed to $12.5 million instead.
The story sees Rick and Evelyn return to explore ancient ruins in Egypt. Their son accompanies them, and the group discovers the Bracelet of Anubis. Eventually, the Scorpion King gets unleashed.
The protagonists send the Scorpion King and his army back to the Underworld. The ancient being is a large human and scorpion hybrid that only appears for a short period. However, viewers noted the CGI the filmmakers used to create the villain.
Brendan Fraser appreciates the Scorpion King CGI for what it is
Critics criticized the CGI at the time of release, and others have noticed how it looks even more dated today. Of course, one of the more memorable computer-generated effects was with the Scorpion King. In an interview with GQ, Fraser gave his thoughts on the CGI in the movie.
Fraser mentioned that he did not meet Johnson until the premiere. While filming, he and the others acted opposite a stick with tape on it. The special effects team added Johnson in later. But they admitted they needed more time on the visuals.
“It was very last minute,” Fraser explained. “But some of the charm of it is when you watch it now. Like, it could get remastered, I guess, but it kind of wouldn’t be as fun if you didn’t see this sort of janky video-carrying character,” he added. “It’s just perfect how it works, how things work out.”
‘The Mummy Returns’ almost didn’t happen
The Mummy Returns almost didn’t happen. Writer-director Stephen Sommers wasn’t interested in making it, because, in his words “sequels usually suck.” Additionally, it was a dangerous production, like the first.
Of course, the movie ended up happening. In part because Johnson won them over. As a result, Fraser got to return and see familiar faces and places. He felt the movie was similar to returning to college for another semester, calling the film “more of the same.” Fraser enjoyed working with Weisz and the crew again.
More of the same also included injuries while shooting. According to IMDb, Fraser cracked a rib and hurt a spinal disk. Meanwhile, Johnson had food poisoning and sunstroke. He regarded the project as “the worst I have ever felt in my life.”
