The Mummy (1999)

Written & Directed by Stephen Sommers

Produced by Sean Daniel & James Jacks

Starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, John Hannah, Kevin J O'Connor, Jonathan Hyde, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velasquez, Erick Avari, Stephen Dunham, Corey Johnson, Tuc Watkins, Omid Djalili

I think the greatest insult I have seen levelled across the internet at Stephen Sommer's modern re-interpretation of John Balderston's 1932 screenplay is that it's a "poor man's Indiana Jones"! Never mind that Sommers' film was produced for almost four times the budget of Spielberg's "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" (1981), nor the fact that for such a recent film (and a "horror film" at that) it has grossed nearly half a billion dollars since its release in 1999. I guess that would make it one of the most successful genre films of all time, right? But, although the countless masses would have you believe otherwise, extraordinary box office receipts do not always equate to an equally extraordinary film experience.

But let's be honest here kids, I'm a genre fan the wrong side of thirty who still sees the largest quota of his commercial film intake at the cinema (remember those things?). When the lights go down I expect to be whisked away for two hours and entertained, and when the credits roll & the lights come up I like to be able to walk out of the theatre feeling just a little bit better than I did when I walked in. My first thought is NOT "I can't wait for the DVD", which I think is the major stumbling block of many of the online technophiles out there. The Digital Versatile Disc is simply the latest medium for film buffs to collect their favourite movies, it is NOT the "only way" to see a movie. Nothing beats the big screen experience, and when that experience is as much fun as "The Mummy" then eventually owning the DVD is a pleasant reminder of the enjoyment it first gave me. Excuse me, I'm off again…

1290 BC, Ancient Egypt. High Priest Imhotep (Vosloo) and Anck-Su-Namun (Velasquez) are forbidden lovers, she being Pharaoh Seti's mistress. When they conspire to murder Seti, Imhotep is sentenced to mummification alive in Hamunaptra - The City of the Dead, where Anck-Su-Namun elects suicide over her prescribed fate. Three thousand years, in 1923, Rick O'Connell (Fraser) and fellow Foreign Legionnaire Beni (O'Connor) stumble across the fabled buried secret city. Three years later, Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan (Weisz) and her brother Jonathan (Hannah), save O'Connell's neck from a Cairo gaol to seek out the lost city and its treasures. Their endeavours are challenged by a rival American party financed by fellow Egyptologist Dr. Chamberlain (Hyde), and led by the opportunistic Beni. However, once within the walls of Hamunaptra, the parties unwittingly resurrect the long dead High Priest, unleashing the plagues of the Pharaohs and an unholy evil. Intent on reanimating his fallen lover, Imhotep sets his sights on a reign of terror thereafter. Only the mysterious Ardeth Bey (Fehr) and his watch-men, the Medjai, can help Rick and Evie return the monster from where-ance he came.

Stephen Sommers' film is a riotous, raucous throw-back to the hey-day of the old-fashioned Hollywood block-buster, as well as being an affectionate homage to the cliffhangers of old, and it is for this alone that it deserves your attention. I still find it slightly incredulous that after the likes of "Encino Man" (1992), "Airheads" (1994), "George Of The Jungle" (1997) and "Dudley Do Right" (1999), that Brendan Fraser made for such an entertaining action hero. It just goes to show that you can't always judge an actor by his past track record. Fraser is perfectly cast as Rick O'Connell, showing a charismatic side to his screen persona hitherto untapped in previous roles. His twin-gun toting hero gives the film a manic energy that points towards some truly inspired casting by Sommers. Of course, he is backed up finely by the beautiful yet ditzy Weisz, the delightfully sleazy O'Connor, a cornball Hannah (who was the best thing in "Sliding Doors"), an enigmatic Fehr, and an irrepressible star-turn by excellent South African actor Vosloo. It's one of those impressive genre pieces where the cast couldn't have worked better as a collective if you'd hand-picked them yourselves!

Adrian Biddle's gorgeously, expansive cinematography invokes the spirit of "Lawrence Of Arabia" (as if it wasn't going to draw that parallel!), and Jerry Goldsmith's sweeping score conjures magic amidst the Egyptian (actually Moroccan) sands. I dare say that Goldsmith's work on "The Mummy" is easily some of the best work the great man has composed in years, flawlessly eclipsing any of his other film output with deftless ease. Nick Dudman and ILM's combination of make-up and digital effects brings the Mummy into the modern age rather effectively, although fans of the bandage wrapped creatures of old will no doubt be sorely disappointed. And the spectacle of the film as a whole is huge, opening on magnificent vistas of ancient Egypt before moving with the winds of time into the nineteen twenties and the resurrection of our villain. I can't help but say it, I was as impressed as hell with the plagues of the Pharaohs sequence as they rained down from the heavens, the supernatural force of the sandstorms, and the incredible homage to Ray Harryhausen at the climax. Soft horror may not be everyone's cup of Tanna leaf tea (and I'd be kidding you if I said there were more than a couple of decent scares in the whole film), but I loved the sensation of nostalgic bliss that Sommers' film generated from beginning to end. It may incense fans of Karloff's original, annoy those who grew up on the Hammer mummies, but there's no denying that the new "Mummy" is adventure on grand scale that I for one thought had died with the golden age of Hollywood.

The disc's from Columbia, thus we get a damn near perfect image, albeit transferred from a high definition master. Letterboxed from the Super 35 theatrical format of 2.35 and anamorphically enhanced there's little more to say than DVD transfers really don't get any better than this! I could go on (and on and on) about the razor-sharp clarity of the transfer, the luscious colour rendition, the sweeping hues of the desert scenery, the gorgeous orange, yellow and brown palettes of the Egyptian sequences and so on, but I'm sure that would leave you all weeping into your tanna leaves. Its an immaculate visual presentation, 'nuff said! Audio is a multi-directional tour-de-force in Dolby 5.1, and when Jerry Goldsmith's majestic score veers into its romantic motif you'll want to weep…or at the very least be moved just a little bit. Be prepared for big screen chills and aural thrills aplenty, because this is big fun for your little lounge room.

This initial edition of "The Mummy" is an impressively Extras laden exercise, that was further enhanced by the "Ultimate Edition" that was released to coincide with "The Mummy Returns" theatrical release. Audio commentary is provided by Stephen Sommers and editor Bob Ducsay, and is an informative and interesting listen. Additional video material includes to 50m documentary "Building A Better Mummy" (brilliant!), some Deleted Scenes, a Visual Effects featurette (showcasing five sequences from plate photography to final film narrated by ILM guru John Berton), and the Theatrical trailer. Text based materials are Egyptology 101, which gives an interesting insight into some history & customs, and the usual Cast & Crew biographies, which are quite extensive.

International specifications: PAL format disc; Language options in English, French, Italian & Spanish Dolby 5.1; Subtitle options in English, French, Portuguese & Arabic

*Also available in R1/2/4 as a 2 disc "Ultimate Edition" set with DTS audio, Additional Audio commentaries by a) Brendan Fraser & b) Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O'Connor and Arnold Vosloo, Storyboard comparison featurette, "Highlights from The Mummy Returns" featurette, "The Mummy Returns" trailer & "The Mummy" game trailer

*The R1 disc contains a couple of hidden Easter Eggs not present in the R2/4 discs (Jerry Goldsmith's complete score & trailers for "Gods & Monsters" and "Darkman 2")

Review by Mike Thomason

© 2001, Icon In Black Media