Review: The Mummy (1999)

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The Mummy

Rating

Director

Stephen Sommers

Screenplay

Stephen Sommers, Lloyd Fonvielle, Kevin Jarre

Length

2h 04m

Starring

Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J. O’Connor, Jonathan Hyde, Oded Fehr, Erick Avari, Stephen Dunham, Corey Johnson, Tuc Watkins

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Review

Based on the 1932 Universal horror classic, “The Mummy” is a visually stunning work that has its moments of inanity.

Several millennia ago, an Egyptian pharaoh cursed a man named Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) for having had an affair with his wife Anck-Su-Namum (Patricia Velazquez). He was mummified alive and sealed in a tomb with several beetles that would slowly eat him from the inside out.

Fast forward to early 20th Century Egypt where a curious Egyptologist named Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) who is just a little clumsy (Early in the film, she topples a series of tall bookshelves with one push.). While looking around inside a mummy’s sarcophagus, she discovers a small box that has a map inside. It seems to show the location of the presumably lost city of Hamunaptra, City of the Dead, where the mysterious Book of the Dead can be found.

She decides to go in search of it with her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah), and a fellow Egyptologist (Jonathan Hyde). He has word that they might be able to get help from a French foreign legionnaire, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser).

They bail him out of jail and hop aboard a ship to take them down the Nile towards their destination. That night, they are ambushed by men in black robes, whom we later discover are the protectors of the temple. The group barely escapes with the box and map and find themselves in a race with a group of treasure hunters to uncover the city first.

When they finally arrive, the two groups separate. One finds plenty of treasure, the other finds the book. Evelyn decides to read it that night, against the Egyptologist’s warning. When she does, she awakens the formerly dead Imhotep, who wreaks havoc in more ways than one.

First, he needs to completely rebuild his body by taking parts from others, such as tongues, eyes and faces. He also sucks the lives out of those whose parts he takes. Then, he brings about a new set of the Biblical plagues on Egypt. If that wasn’t bad enough, he thinks that Evelyn’s body holds the spirit of his long-dead love, Anck-Su-Namum and he wants to have her back and so prepares to take Evelyn’s life as a sacrifice to bring her back.

Fraser doesn’t really give his best performance, but he’s believable and hardly as wooden as either Hannah or Hyde. Not even Weisz can turn in a good performance. The big surprise comes from Vosloo who is hauntingly effective as the long-dead priest. He seems evil, but only does what he does out of love for his long lost love. Also good is Oded Fehr who plays Ardeth Bay, one of the main protectors of Hamunaptra who tries to prevent them from raising Imhotep, but doesn’t quite succeed.

Where “The Mummy” truly shines is in its visual effects. Some of the best of the year, it is almost impossible to separate the reality and the fantasy here. The sets are terrific, as well as the makeup.

The film brings a good story to the screen, but it feels to simplistic for such a large-scale film. However, since it’s a big-budget, summer film trying to earn a buck, it can be partially forgiven. The screenplay isn’t nearly as hollow as Lucas’ “The Phantom Menace,” but doesn’t have the biting satire of “An Ideal Husband” or the symbolic fortitude of “Eyes Wide Shut.”

“The Mummy” is one of the year’s best action-adventure films. It will easily appeal to plenty of moviegoers, but overall, it is little more than a true “summer” movie.

Awards Prospects

If ever there were a time to change the Visual Effects nominees from three to five, this is it. With more and more visual effects films out, the number of high quality ones has increased. Too many films get left out when that happens, so this is one of those films that deserves a nomination, but probably won’t get one in such a crowded year. Also potential nods for Sound, Sound Effects, Art Direction, Costume Design and Makeup.