Movie Info
Movie Name: The Mummy
Studio: Alphaville Films
Genre(s): Action/Adventure/Horror/Comedy
Release Date(s): May 7, 1999
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Ready for wacky adventure and mayhem?
Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) is buried alive after an affair with Anck-su-Namun (Patricia Velásquez), and the treasures of his tomb become legend. When Jonathan Camahan (John Hannah) finds a map to the tomb, he and his sister Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) set out to discover the tomb. Forced to team with an American adventurer named Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), Evelyn and her brother find themselves in a race against other explorers also out to find the tomb. The spirit of Imhotep is accidentally released by the Book of the Dead, and O’Connell must stop Imhotep and rescue Evelyn before Imhotep realizes his full power.
STOP! LOOKING! AT! MY! SKIN! CONDITION!
Directed by Stephen Sommers, The Mummy is an action-adventure horror movie. The film is a very loose remake of the original 1932 original, the movie received moderate reviews from critics and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing (losing to The Matrix).
I never was big on The Mummy (and truthfully, I’ve never been a fan of the original Mummy…though it looks fantastic). I missed out on this Mummy in the theater but had heard good things…when I rented it, I was rather disappointed.
The movie tries way too hard to be fun and funny, and should have gone for straight action and/or horror. Watching it again, I feel like the writers took Raiders of the Lost Ark as their basis for the format, but Raiders of the Lost Ark was by far more balanced and the action sequences were great action sequences…here, they are average. With a film called The Mummy, I feel that the mummy should be center stage. It takes way to long for Imhotep to show up…it is too little too late for me.
It is no Sharknado…
The movie’s problems don’t exist only within the slow, trudging plot. Brendan Fraiser just doesn’t have the charisma to pull off the O’Connell role. He isn’t charming and he isn’t funny. Harrison Ford’s deadpan nature and ability to deliver one-liners is what saved Raiders of the Lost Ark (and also helped make Star Wars a success). Despite being a fantastic actress, Rachel Weisz isn’t good at comedy and also flounders here. John Hannah who places Weisz’s brother in the film is just obnoxious…like many of the supporting characters. Arnold Vosloo is creepy as the mummy, but once again, takes too long to show up.
God, what type of a hangover do I have?
The film does have the advantage of some decent effects. Be it the half-human Imhotep or the carnivorous scarabs, the visuals are quite strong. I particularly like the dust storm of the mummy which takes his form. With time, the effects have even gotten better so the movie looks a bit dated at this point.
The Mummy started a whole franchise…but rather undeservingly. As a stand-alone picture, the movie is extremely average and feels like Hollywood mush. It is too long and the pacing is all off for what the movie is supposed to be: a fun adventure romp. The movie was followed by The Mummy Returns in 2001 which also served to spin-off a secondary series called The Scorpion King.
Related Links:
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
