The 2028 context
With the 2028 release of Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy 4: A Parent’s Guide to the O’Connell Reunion officially on the calendar, this is the perfect time to show your kids the middle chapter of the O'Connell saga. While the first film is a classic piece of tight storytelling, this sequel is a loud, sprawling theme park ride that hasn't quite decided if it wants to be a horror movie or a Saturday morning cartoon. Critics weren't particularly kind, leaving it with a 46% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 48 on Metacritic, but those scores don't account for how much 10-year-olds love watching a giant airship chase a tidal wave of sand.
The Alex O'Connell factor
Most "kid sidekicks" in action movies are there to get in the way or be rescued. Alex O'Connell is a rare exception. He’s eight years old in this film, and he’s arguably the smartest person on screen. He leaves clues for his parents, tricks his kidnappers, and actually contributes to the plot rather than just screaming for help. For a kid watching this in 2026, Alex is a great proxy who makes the high-stakes adventure feel accessible. It turns the movie from a standard "save the world" story into a family road trip where the parents just happen to be world-class treasure hunters.
That infamous CGI
You cannot talk about this movie without mentioning the Scorpion King. By modern standards, the digital effects in the final showdown are hilarious. We’re talking about a face that looks like it was rendered on a calculator. While some parents worry about the "scary" monsters, the dated technology actually works in your favor here. It’s hard for a kid to be truly terrified of a creature that looks like a glitchy video game character from twenty years ago. It takes the edge off the horror and turns the climax into something more akin to a goofy boss battle.
The Rachel Weisz transition
This was the peak of the Fraser-Weisz era. Before she moved into the more intense, adult-oriented projects you'll find in our guide to Rachel Weisz: From Action Hero to Her Provocative New Netflix Era, she was the definitive blueprint for the "librarian-turned-warrior." Her chemistry with Fraser is the only thing holding the chaotic plot together. If your kid is used to the Marvel formula where everyone is constantly quipping, they’ll recognize that same energy here. It’s fast, it’s light, and it never takes itself too seriously.
If they liked Uncharted
If your kid spent the last year playing through the Uncharted games or watching the movie, this is the logical next step. It hits all the same beats: ancient puzzles, hidden cities, and a hero who survives purely on luck and charisma. It’s a bit more supernatural than Indiana Jones, but it shares that same "let's see what's behind this secret door" DNA. Just be prepared for the pygmy mummies in the jungle. They are the one part of the movie that still feels genuinely creepy, mostly because they move with a frantic, jittery energy that the bad CGI can't quite ruin.
