The Mummy
Official Universal Site
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo,
John Hannah, Kevin J. O'Connor, Oded Fehr
Category: Horror-Action-Comedy (really)
Rating: PG-13
Released: September 28, 1999, see Cover Art.
Available for rental.
The Mummy was sold as a remake of the 1932 horror classic. But its connection to the original is so tenuous, that really all they have in common is the name. Director and Screenwriter Stephen Sommers put all the enthusiasm of a child into this ride, and with an $80 million budget it has its share of bells and whistles.
The film starts lavishly in ancient Eqypt, with Hight Priest Imhotep (Vosloo) conducting the most forbidden of affairs with Pharaoh's mistress, Anck-Su-Namun. If you wonder how long this woman (model-actress Patricia Velasquez) was in makeup - her entire body was meticulously painted - get over it quickly, and focus on Vosloo's performance. Because here is where this namesake turns decidedly away from its '32 forebear.
Vosloo imbued Imhotep - who is cursed for his treason and returns quite remarkably as the Mummy - with a romantic flair, causing no small amount of sympathy in this viewer. How can one not want this doomed from the start underdog to finally get his girl?
Fraser is the Indiana Jones understudy Rick O'Connell in this flick, with a presence decidedly toned down from earlier performances (read George of the Jungle). Rachel Weisz plays his partner/love interest Evie - a fish-out-of-water but game librarian. John Hannah (Four Weddings, Sliding Doors) gallantly serves as Evie's brother, Jonathan.
This is a movie worth seeing, just to catch the detail in acting and filming. It's the small things that make it work, and also make this movie an obvious labor of love for Sommers. Catch when O'Connell's group is setting up the ancient mirrors and he swings the rope around trying to hit the sleezy warden on purpose. And watch for the "fast forward" from ancient Egypt to 1925, when the black paint on Anubis' statue flakes off in the sand and wind. It's this attention to creative detail that deserves a second, and third!, viewing.
This movie is suitable for older children, or you could use the Indiana Jones trio as a guide. (It's very similar in "gross" content).
Thumbs up!
Copyright 1999 by Kathe
