The Mummy (1999)

Based loosely on the 1932 Boris Karloff version, this one stars Brendan Fraser as Rick O'Connell who makes like Indiana Jones strutting about with a cocky charm. Rachel Weisz plays Evie, the beautiful yet slightly clumsy Egyptologist, who only has eyes for artifacts and O'Connell.

The story starts in ancient Egypt where Pharaoh's priest, Imhotep, is mummified after he kills the Pharaoh and attempts to resurrect his mistress. Thousands of years later Imhotep's mummy is accidentally revived by a band of fortune hunters. Thus, all hell breaks loose.

The action, sets and special effects are very impressive. The movie is fast-paced but I do have a few minor points to complain about. In one scene, we have Rick and Evie finding the sarcophagus then the scene switches to a night campfire, then later it returns back to where the sarcophagus scene left off. It was as if they needed another scene and did not know where to put it. Another question is that the creatures first act is to steal the eyes of a near-blind man so he can see. Wouldn't that be like stealing a conscience from a politician?

Okay these are very nit-picking complaints that really in no way lessen the entertainment of the film.

I agree with Eric that this is lightweight entertainment that succeeds with winning performances and state-of-the-art special effects. However, not by any stretch of the imagination is this a 3 1/2 star movie. Yes this is an action adventure fantasy but there still should be some semblance of reality. Near the beginning Brendan Fraser's character sets out on foot into the desert with no WATER and of course lives to tell about it.

Maybe it is just the genre I don't like, but it always annoys me when the supposedly omnipotent evil being is miraculously slain at the last possible moment. The Mummy is a particularly good example of this. Portrayed one minute as invincible and the next beaten in a sword fight by a mere mortal. Still I should expect this going in and not let it bother me so much.

As Eric mentioned, this is an old-fashioned, fast-paced romp with plenty of action and eye candy.

The Mummy is an enjoyable film that tries to cross the old style horror movie with an Indiana Jones adventure story. Something it manages with moderate success, but only to B-movie status. The stars, although perhaps launched by the success of this movie, are only B-movie actors, and the script is juvenile in parts. Yet like many B-movies, The Mummy is entertaining despite its flaws.

Like Patrick and Eric, I found plot holes in this movie. The one that has always bothered me takes place near the beginning. When Imhotep and his mistress kill the pharaoh, she tells Imhotep to leave because he is the only one who can resurrect her. Why doesn't she leave with him?

Brendan Fraser makes a good rugged lead for this type of film, showing just the right amount of machismo and cocky humor. Unfortunately, Rachel Weisz, as the female lead, isn't quite as good. She is very beautiful, but her acting seems phony at times. Maybe she is just having a hard time delivering these lines with any real sincerity. John Hannah, who proved his acting mettle in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors, vastly underuses his talents here, but still provides some of the best scenes in the movie with some much needed comic relief.

A slickly packaged, beautifully filmed B-movie that most will find entertaining, at least the first time you watch it.