The Mummy
Universal, 1999
Directed by Stephen Sommers

$$$

"What do you think is out there?" asks the fair damsel. "In a word," replies the hero, brandishing his pistol, "evil."

With dialogue like that, you know The Mummy is gonna be fun.

A B-Movie that's a send-up of B-Movies, The Mummy follows in the tounge-in-cheek tradition of the Evil Dead films. There's plenty of action and horror, but the movie doesn't take any of it seriously for even a minute. You're laughing too hard to be scared; writer/director Stephen Sommers knows his subject matter is silly, and he gives the film the perfect tone.

Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster have been revived in recent years, so it seems only natural that The Mummy would have enjoy a big-budget remake as well. This revival is enjoyable because it captures the fun of monster movies. There's no gothic tragedy to be found here.

Our story begins in Ancient Egypt, where a High Priest (Arnold Vosloo) is buried alive as punishment for sleeping with the Pharaoh's woman. We then quickly jump ahead to 1923, as soldier-turned-treasure hunter Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) sets out to bring back gold from the Lost City of the Dead. If ever there were a role that screamed out for Bruce Campbell, this is it. Sadly, Bruce is nowhere in sight. But Fraser does fine in the part. He's aided by an amateur Egyptologist played by Rachel Weisz, looking very cute, and her sniveling twit of a brother.

We're treated to a battle, a shootout, a fire and a camel race across the desert -- and that's before our heroes accidentally awaken the Priest from the dead and all hell breaks loose. The Walking Undead Mummified Priest is brought to life with computer graphics and the results aren't bad. He's a walking mangle of skin, bones and gristle, but he's got personality. There are also some decent effects involving big bugs that literally get underneath your skin; and a sand storm sequence is also pretty effective. See this one on the big screen or you might not want to bother seeing it at all.

People will most likely compare The Mummy to the Indiana Jones films. The movie is not in that league, but it is comparable in style, content and pace. With Indy 4 apparently still several years away, The Mummy will have to hold us over. It does just that. If you're looking for a good (pre-Star Wars) Saturday matinee Summer movie, this is it.

(c) Copyright 1999