The Mummy (1999)

It seems like a long time ago when this came out, but I remember it being the first DVD I had ever bought sight unseen, meaning I had never seen the film in the theater. I was pleased. I got what I had hoped for: a fun, special-effects extravaganza.

In fact, if you read a number of reviews, you see the word "fun" more than anything. That best describes this film.

This was an Indiana Jones-Jason And The Argonauts combination adventure story. It's cartoon-like in nature with an absurd swashbuckling hero, outlandish action scenes and the occult theology that filmmakers love so much. (The Mummy has God-like powers, even producing Old Testament plagues.)

However, the film isn't all good news. It's too long by about 10-15 minutes and there is simply too much action and too much noise. The film needs more lulls.

Brendan Fraser is pretty good as the Indiana Jones figure and Rachel Weisz, a new face at the time, makes a solid impression in her debut. The DVD offered a sharp picture which highlighted a number of jaw-dropping scenes. It's pure escapist fun and not meant to be anything else.

Fmovies: The Mummy is a great summer adventure for nonstop thrills and kicks. It has a lot of humour; memorable comedic performances (Brendan Fraser), fantastic settings and surprisingly striking CGI for 1999. There is little technically wrong with this film other than that is clearly borrows heavily from the King of action-adventure, Indiana Jones.

What begins as a treasure hunt in the City of the Dead soon turns into a plot that essentially goes like this, as described by Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), "Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, save the world." The good thing is, there is a lot more to it than that, and unlike Indiana Jones, the male hero is not alone in his mission nor does he get all the credit for it. He is joined by the damsel in distress herself Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and her brother (John Hannah) who all want a piece of the treasure in the dead city.

While the dialogue is typically sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, it is not desperately punchy. It is probably on par with the Indiana Jones trilogy in terms of cheesy lines. But Brendan Fraser delivers these in a way that is so fitting that it does not really matter, to be honest. Fraser truly gets to shine and show us that is indeed best when it comes to comedy.

This isn't Citizen Kane, but it's NOT 'brainless' summer fun either. It's just a very good adventure story even if it lacks originality.

8/10

Citizen Kane it ain't, but if you're looking for good, silly, H. Rider Haggardesque fun, this is the film for you. While it hasn't replaced the Universal classic in my affections, let's face it, the venerable original creaks a little. I mean, Karloff's Imhotep only moves two feet per hour -- geez, how will I ever escape him? Arnold Vosloo's Mummy is considerably more fleet, and frankly (from the dirty old lady's perspective) is pretty darned buff for a dead guy. A modern affectation, sure, but I like the idea of a mummy with a great butt.

Brendan Fraser looks good, has a fabulous voice, and a whole boatload of goofy charm. Hey! Call me shallow, but that's pretty much all I'm looking for in a screen idol. John Hannah was acceptable, if not inspired, as the wastrel brother. Rachel Weisz is gorgeous, and acquits herself well in the role of "Heroine in an Adventure Film;" i.e., she screams and gets rescued a lot.

OK, I lie. The modern "Heroine in an Adventure Film" is SPUNKY, screams, and gets rescued a lot.

And as to Oded Fehr, who plays the mysterious desert guardian of the mummy's tomb (a role traditionally assayed by Welsh character actors) -- I and the rest of the ladies in my party indicated, through a series of incoherent grunts and some unattractive drooling, a strong desire to see much, much more of him. And we mean that both literally and figuratively. Powers that be, please take note.

A couple of small caveats: the bug quotient in this film is much higher than I usually tolerate. It puts you right off your Milk Duds. And where in the hell did those camels come from?

So if you're in a mood for brainless entertainment, I recommend that you set your intellect on stun, rush to the nearest cineplex, buy the large popcorn (WITH butter), and settle in for a couple of hours of colorful, loud, over-the-top fun.

Catmommie

The Mummy fmovies. The Mummy is the best mummy movie ever to be made. This movie will blow your mind by its action, romance, adventure and music score. I loved The Mummy because it's one of those roller coaster rides were you just jump on and never let go. The Mummy is a remake of the 1932 mummy which starred Boris Karloff who played imhotep. The Mummy is about an expedition of treasure seeking explorers in the Sahara desert in 1925. They stumble upon an ancient tomb, the hunters without knowing set loose a 3,000 year-old inheritance of terror, which is personified in the vengeful reincarnation of an Egyptian priest who had been sentenced to an infinity as one of the living dead. I love watching this movie in 1999 at the big screen. This movie made me love Egypt a lot. I guarantee this movie a classic. Do not compare this with the 1932 movie. Thanks to director Stephen Sommers which he did a wonderful job on this fantastic film. If you want to see this movie do not watch the 1932 one watch the 1999 one because it will blow you away. Last things to wrap this up Spectacular special effects, Roller coaster adventure, Funny moments, Out of the world music score, Superb acting and wonderful cast. This movie is a 10/10 stars.

This is one film that caught my imagination like very few other Hollywood action films I have seen before.Yes,on the face of it,this is another sci-fi action adventure,a surefire winning card for Hollywood -what's so special about that ?Oh yes,there is !To begin with,there is the scenery at the beginning of the film that completely blows you away,making you feel that this movie could be something above what you had expected.And you are not wrong.The first surprise is Brendan Fraser as the American soldier Rick O'Connell, who accidentally stumbles upon Hamunaptra,the city of the dead,where the wealth of Egypt's greatest emperor Seti the First is buried.After seeing him in "Airheads " ,"Dudley Do-Right " and " "George Of The Jungle",I was very very impressed-this is one actor who can do both comedy and action and look good doing it too !Then there is the beautiful Rachel Weisz ,playing Evelyn Carnahan,who teams up with him to find Hamunaptra.She looks great playing her role,and never allows herself to be upstaged by Fraser, matching his brawn with her ever-alive intellect and quick thinking.Kevin J.O'Connor who plays the double-crossing Beni is a very new kind of villain,looking evil and ridiculous at the same time.But when the resurrected high priest Imhotep( played by Arnold Vosloo)makes his appearance in the form of "The Mummy", everything else becomes secondary.This is CGI at its ultimate best,and precisely why the film is so unusually absorbing .The horror and threat surrounding the curse of the mummy becomes a concern not only for the protagonists in the film but also for the audience-how will they kill something this scary and powerful?, they ask themselves. .The special effects apart from the mummy are also a treat to watch,and keep you glued to your seat.The element that makes this film not only scary but also enjoyable is the dialog.Almost every member of the large cast has a one-liner that will make you laugh in spite of the sinister atmosphere surrounding the story.The script never allows one second of screen-time to be wasted, ideally combining action with fantasy and humor,creating a movie that I consider a classic.Director Stephen Sommers has delivered a film that is bound to stand the test of time,and is definitely one of my favorites.

Here, the makers took the original stock horror film and turned it into an Indianajonesesque adventure in the tradition of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The most visually rich part of the film was the opening scenes set in ancient Egypt. I would love to see an entire film built around that. The sets and costumes were brilliant.

Especially tantalizing is the strictly painted-on attire of Patricia Velazquez as Anck-Su-Namum; what a stunning visual; but it completely upstages her performance. I have heard people talking about it. Some have mistakenly guessed her top was a mesh costume of some sort; not true, it is entirely - and only - paint.

But Velazquez isn't the only thing to turn heads in the film, Rachel Weisz is appropriately attractive, though not as startling; her character is as solid and believable as she is lovely.

The newcomer, Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bey, set quite a few female hearts aflutter; in our party, at least. The internet was lit-up searching for more photos of this guy.

At first, I didn't particularly care for Brendan Fraser as the primary character (he's too well kept and cutesy for a rugged guy-type for me), be he grows on you. He seems to be developing into a versatile actor who will be around for a long time. His work here is good too.

The special effects were the real star of the film, and they were visually rewarding and complimented the story in the right way in the right places. How Arnold Vosloo dealt with those in his role as the mummy Imhotep should be acknowledged. He must have had to imagine quite a bit of what he was interacting with to pull it off, and he does so with great style and substance for this type of role. He was nothing short of excellent.

In fact, most of the remaining characters were well chosen. Jonathan Hyde and Kevin J. O'Connor added to the film in important ways, too. Together, everyone painted an enjoyable film, delivering exactly what it promised; fun, action, and adventure.