_The_Mummy_ (PG-13) * 1/2 (out of ****)
Well, it seemed like a good idea: a lavish, big-budget retelling of the 1932 horror classic _The_Mummy_. But after seeing the finished product as written and directed by Stephen Sommers (who last perpetrated the undersea howler _Deep_Rising_) one would be wise to heed one of its trailer's tag words: "Beware."
To his credit, Sommers makes his _Mummy_ a different type of animal from its precursor. Instead of a traditional horror piece, this _Mummy_ is more of an adventure film, with our central trio--American adventurer Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), British librarian Evelyn Carnarvon (Rachel Weisz), and her brother Jonathan (John Hannah)--trying to unlock the secrets of a legendary lost burial site in 1930s Egypt. Once there, they and a rival group of explorers--who are in the hunt for some buried treasure--end up uncovering something more than they bargained for: the awakened mummy of the ancient High-priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), who is determined to bring himself and his lost love back to full life.
What Sommers is clearly after is the rollicking roller coaster vibe of the _Indiana_Jones_ films, but one little detail is lost on him. While the _Indy_ flicks were in the light, jaunty vein of old serial films, Steven Spielberg knew that the tongue could and should not always be kept in cheek. The scary parts were indeed scary; the suspenseful moments were taken seriously. The same cannot be said of _The_Mummy_, which wears a silly, jokey attitude throughout and suffers for it. How can one truly be frightened or intimidated by Imhotep and his murderous rage when each would-be shock is blunted by an idiotic wisecrack (which _every_ character seems have ready) or slapsticky situation?
It would also help if the creature's appearance were scary or at least creepy; unless you lose sleep over the Cryptkeeper from _Tales_from_the_Crypt_, likely the sight of the mummified Imhotep won't invade even a daydream. In fact, with the exception of some impressive visuals involving the movement of sand, the effects work in _The_Mummy_ is strangely unconvincing. The walking undead and deadly Scarab beetles look like they never left the computer screen, and the opening shot--showing a giant sphinx and pyramids as workers and others scurry by--is no more lifelike than the nearly identical opening shot of _The_Prince_of_Egypt_.
Not that the flesh-and-blood actors are themselves give the film much life, either. Fraser has proven to be a terrific actor in small films as diverse as the romantic fantasy _Still_Breathing_ to last fall's Oscar-winning _Gods_and_Monsters_, but when it comes to big time popcorn films, he always falls flat, to say the least. First it was his painfully broad turn in the unwatchable _George_of_the_Jungle_; now it's this half-hearted attempt to channel Harrison Ford's roguish charm. More successful at evoking _Indiana_Jones_ is Weisz, but in the wrong way: her Evelyn is only a notch less shrill than Kate Capshaw's Willie Scott (_Indiana_Jones_and_the_Temple_of_Doom_), easily the worst heroine in the _Indy_ series.
_The_Mummy_ definitely does not bore; it holds one's attention for its entire running time, and the millions of its megabudget do show up on screen. But shouldn't an adventure film at least offer something resembling excitement?
Michael Dequina
mrbrown@iname.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com
Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown
CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
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