THE MUMMY ***1/2 A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo Director-Stephen Sommers Rated 14A
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What do you get when you combine old fashioned Indiana Jones-style adventure with modernized special effects? Well, the result would look something like The Mummy. Sort of.
For hidden behind all the action, gun-fire and spiritual malarkey you'd expect lies a very goofy foundation. As the opening scene suggests, this remake often relies on self-parody and comic timing just as much as it does with it's adventurous tone.
The movie begins in ancient Egypt, where a Priest named Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) is fooling around with the Pharaoh's daughter. The grisly consequences entail that Imhotep be wrapped in bandages and incarcerated for eternity in his tight-fitting sarcophagus. He is buried with a terrible curse: anyone who wakes him will suffer the 10 Plagues of Egypt, and will be used as spare parts for reanimation purposes.
Sure enough, in 1920, two expedition teams have set out to find the treasure at Humunaptra (the legendary `City of the Dead'). One is led by Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), a rag-tag legion soldier who knows how to handle himself. Accompanying him is a hieroglyphics-reading librarian (Rachel Weisz) and her smart-mouth brother (John Hannah).
Then, of course, they awake the title character. Soon enough, flesh-eating scarab-beetles, pesky locusts and walking corpses are after them, and Imhotep is out to reconstruct himself and resurrect his mummified bride. The special effects in The Mummy are not seamlessly blended into the atmosphere, but they are rather excellent; the `wall of sand' effect towards the finale is particularly effective. Fraser looks surprisingly suited to this newfound role, and watching his form strikes just the right balance in this ridiculously enjoyable adventure/comedy/romance/horror- yes, it's complete funhouse of a movie.
Director Stephen Sommers is much better when it comes to adventure (The Jungle Book) than horror (Deep Rising), which is why I am glad he put such a unique spin on this classic remake. The jokes fly fast and furious, mostly derived from Hannah's spirited performance and the presence of Kevin J. O'Connor as the leader of the second expedition. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I did laugh more than once. Okay, several times. Even so, the consistent, familiar punchlines grow seriously old as the movie progresses.
The Mummy is just stupid fun, no more. Fraser has battles with the bandaged monsters, slicing off limbs with a delightful goofiness that seems closely akin to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies. If you want a blockbuster full of thrills and chills, this is not the movie to see. The Mummy is silly, stereotypical, but above all, it's totally enjoyable. ........................
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