Review of Mummy, The

Introduction

One of the biggest movies of 1999, The Mummy was ostensibly a remake of the 1932 horror movie of the same name. In actual fact, the film owed much more to the Indiana Jones films than to the afore-mentioned classic, which is no bad thing. Eschewing horror for action, the resulting picture is an entertaining romp through 1920`s Egypt that keeps you glued to the screen for 2 hours.

The story is classic Saturday matinee stuff, the search for lost treasure in the depths of Egypt whilst being chased by hordes of mummies. Rival groups of treasure hunters set out for the City of the Dead, Hamunaptra to find the riches of the Pharaoh, Seti. Instead of finding countless riches, they unearth the remains of Imhotep, the mummy of the title. After a mishap with the book of the dead, Imhotep returns to life and begins to prey on the defilers of his tomb to regenerate, and attempt to resurrect his true love. Rick O`Connell and his fellow treasure hunters must stop the mummy before he realises his evil plans and brings eternal darkness to the world.

Video

The design of the picture is superb. The period sets are excellent and the tombs vast. The colours are vivid and memorable. The ancient Egypt depicted here is expansive and intricate. The opening sequence alone is mind-blowing. The effects in this film redefine the genre, the Mummies are wonderfully depicted and you do not know what is real or CG, this film really set the standard in 1999. This is an action movie on an epic scale. The excellent cinematography is matched by the presentation of the film. An anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen transfer shows off the picture to best effect.

Audio

The soundtrack, by Jerry Goldsmith is suitably Egyptian and swash buckling, but not one that sticks in the mind. You just need the music to carry the story and it does that admirably. Audio is presented in a DD 5.1 transfer that you can feel in your bones when watching this film. All dialogue is audible and the action is stirring.

Features

This is an excellent disc for extras. The menus are wonderfully designed, very Egyptian. There are the usual production notes and cast bios. There is also the theatrical trailer. There is a wonderful little section called Egyptology 101, which goes through a little of Egyptian mythology and artefacts. Not exactly a college education but it does give you a little further insight on the movie. There is a visual & FX featurette that explains the genesis of some five scenes in the film, including the opening sequence and some mummy FX. Some of this is repeated in detail in the other featurette, the 50 min Building a Better Mummy. This really goes into detail on the effects in this film and is interesting and insightful. Rounding all this off are some deleted scenes and a feature commentary (which I haven`t heard). There may be some DVD-ROM content which I couldn`t care less for.

Conclusion

This film has all the staples required to make it a good film. It has an excellent cast, gripping story and truly stupendous special effects. The story has just enough Egyptian mythology to give it credibility without turning it into a History lecture. The script is perfectly paced, balancing exposition and action. The secret of a good action film is to take a breather every once in a while to give the audience a chance to come down before you hit them with the next thrill. The Mummy has this spot on. The dialogue is excellent and very funny, there are moments of horror but like all the best horror movies, most of this is through implication rather than overt. The effects are astounding, the shape in the sandstorm, the CG Mummies and the depiction of ancient Egypt as well as 1920`s Cairo are outstanding. But what makes this movie for me is the cast. Brendan Fraser is perfectly cast as the lantern jawed hero, Rick O`Connell, he looks like he just walked out of a 1930`s serial, but he also manages to subvert the genre. Rachel Weiss plays the bookish librarian, Evelyn. I love her first scene in the library. John Hannah is her brother, Jonathon who is opportunistic and sneaky. Arnold Vosloo is menacing as the mummy, but my two favourite characters have to be the slimy coward, Beni and the obnoxious Prison Warden, who in my opinion exits the movie too soon. All the characters are stereotypical, but as the script is so fresh and the cast so good, the whole movie becomes invigorating.

So we have a rip-roaring 2 hours of action on disc. It is an excellent movie to pass the time, with a wonderful script, great special effects and some downright charming characters. The film isn`t a classic though, relying on a few too many clichés. That sadly keeps it in the popcorn league. Despite its aspirations it`s no Indiana Jones, and like many Hollywood movies, it`s a case of great movie, shame about the sequel. (You can see that the producers had the sequel in mind because you can see a tattoo on Rick O`Connell`s hand that is part of the plot in the sequel.) But in the end, it looks great, it sounds great, it`s great value for money and it`s heaps of fun.