The Mummy (1999) A Capsule Review by Nathaniel R. Atcheson Director: Stephen Sommers Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Kevin J. O'Connor, Jonathan Hyde Screenplay: Stephen Sommers Producers: Sean Daniel, James Jacks Runtime: 126 min. US Distribution: Universal Rated PG-13: Violence, partial nudity
Copyright 1999 Nathaniel R. Atcheson
Sometime around 1100 BC, an Egyptian guy named Imhotep had an affair with the Pharaoh's wife, killed the Pharaoh, and then was subjected to horrible torture and an eternal curse. Several thousand years later, in the 1920s, an American explorer and a British librarian go looking for treasure, but end up finding Imhotep. Imhotep is still alive, but now he's a mummy, and he's very mad. He proceeds to unleash the 10 plagues of Egypt on the people around him, while simultaneously sucking mortals dry so he can get his skin back (after all, it's been three thousand years, and most of his skin has decomposed).
Anyone who takes Stephen Sommers' The Mummy seriously is wasting his or her time. This is not a serious film. It's a two-hour joke. It's also relentlessly funny and entertaining as heck. Purists will agree that The Mummy is not as good as Sommers' previous film, the woefully underrated (but similarly hilarious) Deep Rising, but there's still fun to be had here. You see, Stephen Sommers is a man who understands his genre and knows that the only way to truly avoid criticism is to criticize your own movie. So many horror films go for poker-faced stiffness and end up completely absurd (Virus, for instance, would have been ten times better with Sommers at the helm). The Mummy is a film bursting at the seams with logical inconsistencies and senseless plot developments. It also features gleeful use of anachronistic dialogue ("This country is really messed up!" would not have been a common phrase in 1926, even for an American treasure hunter). But I can't avoid admiration of a film in which a CGI mummy explodes into a fearful cloud of dust after being hissed at by a fluffy white cat.
Speaking of dust, The Mummy is the sandiest movie I've ever seen. There is so much dirt and sand and dust here that I felt like I needed to shake out my shoes when the picture was finished. In fact, one of the neatest effects in the movie features a wall of dust that turns into Imhotep's face and swallows an airplane. The characters are constantly covered in sand, they're always sneezing, and the Mummy himself bursts into dust whenever he can.
The Mummy is a loose remake of the 1932 film of the same name. I can recommend this film in good conscience only because it is so acutely aware of its own badness. The cast, too, is in on the joke, which helps a lot. Brendan Fraser, an actor I admire for his range, is quite funny as Rick O'Connell, the surly American treasure hunter; he goes for the throat with the macho-man attitude and hits the right note for the role. Rachel Weisz, playing the British librarian Evelyn, is very appealing and shows splendid comic timing (she's also a Kate Winslet look- and sound-alike, which probably is no accident). John Hannah is on hand as Jonathan, Evelyn's wife, and has some of the funnier lines in the film. Kevin J. O'Connor, who stood out in Deep Rising, has a fine supporting role as Beni, the cowardly Egyptian guide.
There are parts in The Mummy that I found immensely funny. The hissing cat is one such moment. Sommers makes the most of every cliche he can; after a mysterious brush of wind passes by our heroes for about the fifth time, Rick says, "That happens a lot around here." The film is adequate as an action picture; I liked a lot of the special effects, including the sand wall and the walking corpses, and the finale features some truly amazing swordplay between Rick and a horde of CGI skeletons. On the whole, however, the film is more effective as a comedy. That, I believe, will be its box office downfall. The Mummy had a good opening weekend, but the picture was marketed as a serious action-horror film. Fans going in expecting to see serious action will be disappointed. I wasn't disappointed; I got what I expected after learning that Stephen Sommers is responsible for the movie. And though I believe that The Mummy could have been even funnier and a lot more thrilling, it's a commendable effort from a man who clearly would rather make a horror picture that prompts laughter rather than screams.
Psychosis Rating: 6/10
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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