The Mummy (1999)

If you're expecting bandaged-wrapped corpses and a lurching Boris Karloff-type villain, then you've come to the wrong movie. But if outrageous effects, a hunky hero, and some hearty laughs are what you're looking for, the 1999 version of The Mummy is spectacularly good fun. Yes, the critics called it "hokey," "cheesy," and "pallid." Well, the critics are unjust. Granted, the plot tends to stray, the acting is a bit of a stretch, and the characters occasionally slip into cliché, but who cares? When that action gets going, hold tight--those two hours just fly by.

The premise of the movie isn't that far off from the original. Egyptologist and general mess Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) discovers a map to the lost city of Hamunaptra, and so she hires rogue Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) to lead her there. Once there, Evelyn accidentally unlocks the tomb of Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), a man who had been buried alive a couple of millennia ago with flesh-eating bugs as punishment for sleeping with the pharaoh's girlfriend. The ancient mummy is revived, and he is determined to bring his old love back to life, which of course means much mayhem (including the unleashing of the 10 plagues) and human sacrifice. Despite the rather gory premise, this movie is fairly tame in terms of violence; most of the magic and surprise come from the special effects, which are glorious to watch, although Imhotep, before being fully reconstituted, is, as one explorer puts it, rather "juicy." Keep in mind this film is as much comedy as it is adventure--those looking for a straightforward horror pic will be disappointed. But for those who want good old-fashioned eye-candy kind of fun, The Mummy ranks as one of choicest flicks of 1999. --Jenny Brown Amazon.com

A fun ride that doesn't take itself too seriously!

This was such a fun movie to watch. I can remember when I first heard Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle) was starring in it I questioned whether I wanted to see it but I am SO glad I did. As good as it is on a small screen it was outstanding to watch on the large. Even though it's barely over two hours you almost left the theater exhausted.

Fraser plays fortune hunter Rick O'Connell, a man motivated by treasure but also very loyal to his friends & partners. Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition)) plays Evie, a librarian whose specialty is ancient Egyptian artifacts. John Hannah (Sliding Doors) plays her brother Jonathan, a less than scrupulous want-to-be archeologist/fortune-hunter who, contrary to a review in the New Yorker Magazine, is not a "dim but cowardly..." character. To me, Hannah's portrayal of Jonathan is one of the surprising gems of the film. Always looking for the quick-fix but willing to stand up for his sister. But the one character that steals almost every scene he's in is Arnold Vosloo's (Blood Diamond (Widescreen Edition)) "Imhotep", otherwise known as the mummy.

The premise is Evie (with a little not-so-legal help from her brother) discovers the location of the lost treasure city of Hamunaptra. Upon arriving she reads from the "book of the dead", releasing the mummy, who plans to resurrect his lost love and then pretty much rain disaster over the whole world. And of course, he needs to sacrifice Evie to do it. It's up to O'Connell & Jonathan with help from a descendent of the ancient Pharaoh guards to rescue her and kill the Mummy before he can unleash his terror.

There are many things to like here. The actors play off each other wonderfully. The plot, while hokey at times is a blast to follow, especially because the filmmakers never take it too seriously. The special effects are outstanding, not only for 1999 standards, but holds up well even now. And the soundtrack is a perfect fit, never over-powering a scene. Overall, just a great film to escape into for two hours.

Unfortunately, the sequel (The Mummy Returns [HD DVD]) never lived up to this film. Although it used the same blueprint, the plot quickly slipped from unbelievable (OK for this type of film) to ludicrous (a death sentence). But with the new film (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor [Blu-ray]) being released this summer I am hopeful for a return to greatness, or at least a return to enjoyability. My only reservation is that Rachel Wiesz was unable to reprise her role as Evie. Let's hope her replacement, Maria Bello (World Trade Center (Widescreen Edition)), is as good.


July 7, 2008

No harm ever came from reading a book.

Yeah right, she read the book and Imhotep came back and started whoopin!!!
I loved this movie.
Why? I love action movies and I love ancient Egypt.
I know, it was filmed in Morocco.
Who cares?
The mummy was a blast, action, adventure, mummies, beetles, LOVED IT!!!!!!!
Great script, great acting, awesome FX, another Hollyweird knock out.
RENT IT!!!!!!!!
June 24, 2008

The Mummy Moves Me -- Thanks Brendan Fraser!

Since the new Mummy movie is coming out later this year, I thought I'd get this Ultimate Edition of the original. Nice two disc package and on Amazon it is super-cheap.

Both discs have special features that really are fun to watch. Industrial Light and Magic goes into painfully intricate detail on how they put together the film, Great screensavers, trailers, storyboards, interviews with the cast and director, and even Egyptian history through Egyptology 101. Nice addition!

I especially enjoyed the director's comparison of his film with the original Mummy from Karloff's 1932 thriller. Actually there are a few comparisons -- a curse, an explorer, the mummy taking human form and so on.

The cast was a lot of fun, great chemistry with our love interests and people die horribly by bugs and plagues but all within a PG-13 framework, of course.

Brendan Fraser ... Richard 'Rick' O'Connell
Rachel Weisz ... Evelyn Carnahan
John Hannah ... Jonathan Carnahan
Arnold Vosloo ... High Priest Imhotep

A must-see!

June 8, 2008

Excellent film!!!

This is one of those cases of original productions, that you must have in your collection. A great movie. Anna June 2, 2008

Very good transfer, AWSOME movie

What can I say? This movie was excellent in standard dvd but it's even better in HD! May 20, 2008

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