Few movies are immediately known for their patchy CGI work, but the sequel of The Mummy is definitely one of them. The Mummy Returns became notorious for having messed up the visual effects for the Scorpion King. Now, some two decades later, visual effects artist John Berton Jr has shared his thoughts on why the Scorpion King was so botched.
The Mummy Returns Had Some Patchy CGI Work Due to Time Restrictions
Berton gave an interview recently and described how one day he was spending time on Google and found a list of the worst visual effects in history. This resulted in him finding out that The Mummy Returns was there for the scenes with the Scorpion King. So, Berton reflected on why his work was such a great failure. According to him, the team needed a day with Dwayne Johnson to photograph his face and get eye detail and the other data they would need. However, they didn’t have enough time because The Rock was busy with his WWE career and was only available for three days to shoot his scenes.
The Mummy Returns Had Just Three Days to Shoot With Dwayne Johnson
The way Berton puts it, it seems the reason for the Scorpion King looking like a wax figure is clear. The visual effects supervisor and graphics animator recalled the pressure he felt working on a high-budget movie. Berton further explained that if he and his team had all time they needed with The Rock, the animation would have worked better, even though there was an expectation at the time for the effects to reach a certain level.
Despite any shortcomings, Berton and his colleagues Daniel Jeannette, Neil Corbould, and Thomas Rossete were all nominated in 2001 for a Saturn Award for Best Visual Effects. Also, The Mummy Returns grossed over $435 million worldwide and spawned a sequel called The Scorpion King, which made $185 million and helped with the launching of Dwayne Johnson’s movie career. So, it wasn’t all bad — in fact, the visual effects were quite a success.