What does "The Joe Review" mean? 2 things: 1. I'm extremely pompous and actually believe that something named after me means something :). 2. If you read a Joe Review you will be reading a review that doesn't repeat the same things the other 10 to 30 reviewers have already said. You're just going to find out whether or not I liked it and why or why not.

This is about the tenth steak dinner I owe my girlfriend. I thought this movie would just be a cheap extension of the original, but as it turns out it was just as good.

One nice thing about the movie is it wastes no time. A new 3000-year-old nemesis is introduced called "The Scorpion King" and instead of some long drawn-out scene introducing you to him you get a narrated summary that gets right to the point, and then within another 120 seconds you get a scene where the returning lead characters from the first movie find a bracelet and have to escape from a rushing flood while their son has to escape from three thugs sent to kill them and steal the bracelet (if you're mad that I've blown a plot point don't be, this all happens in the first two minutes of the movie. There are plenty more.)

This movie has a lot of variety - several different temples, a chase scene on a bus, little pygmy mummies, etc (I don't want to give away too many of the surprises) but it's like a totally different thing every 15 minutes, and the segways from scene to scene are seamless. And speaking of variety, there is a lot of comedy in this movie too, like a bad guy's hand gets melted off and Brendan Frasier's character just kind of chuckles before running away.

Basically (since I like to keep my reviews short), I would say that if you liked the first one you'll like the second one. It's not just a rip-off or a repeat, it's a reasonably logical continuation (I can't say why I call it reasonably logical without blowing the whole plot of the movie - let's just say they could have come up with a continuation that made more sense but the one they came up with was just fine and made a good movie) of the first with plenty of returning characters, well written and flows quickly, and just enough sense of humor to keep you on your toes.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older