Rating: 
Summary: A Cornerstone of the Horror Genre-- and a fine movie.
Review: [Please note that I am reviewing this movie, and although I've ordered it I
am /not/ reviewing the DVD. -J.]It is only recently that I was treated to my first two viewings of this great movie, and I have to say that I wish I'd seen it years earlier. It has wonderful production qualities. The lighting is fantastic in evoking mood, the sets exotic but believable, and the costumes I think are also worth mentioning. I enjoyed the camera work, direction and performances of the entire cast-- all cooperate very well to create a fantastic swell of mood and terrific range of emotional color. Above all, though, shines the magnificence of Boris Karloff. This is the the first movie I ever saw him in, and it made me an immediate convert. He has so little to work with and does so much that his performance radiates feeling
and makes the movie. Do not think for a moment of the enjoyably campy and entertaining flicks starring Brendan Fraiser (also a talented actor with a range well beyond comedy, see "Gods and Monsters")-- nor think of your run of the mill horror flick. Karloff's Mummy is gripped by pathos, cursed, so in love that he thinks of nothing else, and wrenchingly tortured inside by his own evil and depthless but ultimately selfish love; he believes in this love so much that he has sacrificed everything for it, even his life. He might also be willing to sacrifice the innocent even for just a kiss from his long-dead beloved's spirit, no matter who must pay the toll. All of these things come through somehow. Perhaps it's in the eyes? Perhaps the way he commands the screen with his huge, strange body? It's more than any of these things, I was blown away. Not to be missed! Don't let this one pass you by.
Rating:
Summary: The first and still the best mummy film ever made
Review: The monsters unleashed by Universal Pictures across the screens of America in the 1930s left an indelible impression on the American psyche that will never be forgotten, and The Mummy stands among the most memorable of all those classic monster movies. Boris Karloff simply is The Mummy, defining the role for all generations to come. Don't think he's just sleepwalking around in bandages, either; no, while he may be the prototypical mummy, he is not the hunk of animated flesh that his successors all seemed to turn into. Karloff in fact gives an impressive dramatic performance in this role. The action begins in 1922, when British Egyptologists Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan) and Dr. Whemple (Arthur Byron) make a potentially incredible discovery underneath the sands of Egypt. They soon identify a mummy they have recovered intact as Imhotep, but they know this is no ordinary mummy because he was not embalmed, there is evidence of his having struggled within his all-encompassing bandages, and the blessings designed to protect his voyage to the afterlife were removed before he was buried. Along with Imhotep the explorers find an intriguing box, one that carries a dire message for those who would open it. While Dr. Muller tries to convince Dr. Whemple to heed the curse and leave the box unopened, their younger associate gives in to his temptation, discovers a scroll inside, and reads from it. Hereby is Imhotep brought back to life, and the mummy shuffles off into the desert. There is no news of Imhotep for years, and Dr. Whemple returns home vowing never to return or to speak of what he knows. Ten years later, though, his son (with a little help from a mysterious Egyptian named Ardath Bey) makes a fabulous find of his own underneath the sands, the grave and mummy of the Egyptian princess Anckesen-Amon, and so the elder Egyptologist returns to Egypt. As luck would have it, the young Dr. Whemple falls in love with Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann) a half-Egyptian girl who turns out to have a strong connection to the newly discovered mummified princess who, it turns out, just so happens to have been the object of Imhotep's love and sacrifice. The mummy, completely human in appearance now, works to raise his love from the dead with the aid of the Scroll of Thoth, and it is up to young Dr. Whemple and Dr. Muller to safeguard Helen from a fate seemingly ordained millennia ago. The most interesting thing about this movie is the fact that the mummy only appears in the traditional, caricatured apparel of rotting old bandages at the very beginning, after which point he takes the form of a man - an eccentric one with captivatingly powerful eyes and supernatural powers, but a man nonetheless. After a spooky beginning, the movie eventually takes a detour into romance and melodrama and never fully recovers its steam. While Karloff could appear quite menacing and malevolent, he is hardly the stuff nightmares are made of. I think the story is a little weak in the last stages, but this is still a five-star film based on its fame, its immense influence on the genre, and its overall quality; for a film from 1932, this print is simply amazing in both its audio and visual quality. And, though I need not say this again, Boris Karloff gives a subtle, captivating performance as Imhotep.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: I'm not entirely sure why, but much as I enjoy all of the Universal horror classics, for me "The Mummy" is just far and away the best, and a good part of that opinion *may* be down to Boris Karloff's superbly understated performance. Having made the first Frankenstein film only the year before (1931) - at which time he appeared halfway down the cast list simply as "?" - by the time he came to make "The Mummy" he had been promoted to the spot ABOVE the title, as "Karloff the Uncanny". (This would have been less memorable had it not been for the fact that Karloff was actually an Englishman, and his real name was William Pratt. A number of genuine emigres from Eastern Europe were working in Hollywood at this time, and it was quite usual for them to be credited without any forename.) As to the film itself, it is important to remember that it was made at a time when TV didn't exist, and a car chase at 60 mph was hot stuff. Though the pace may seem slow by today's standards, in its time it was a magnificent example of mounting suspense. Indeed, considering that it has a running time of only an hour and ten minutes, it actually contains a lot more plot development and characterisation than the average one hour TV programme. I'm not going to go over the plot here, previous reviewers have already done that justice. I would, however, congratulate Universal on the excellent package of "bonus" material which makes the DVD so attractive even if you already have the film on tape. There is the almost obligatory sets of stills and posters, plus the original trailer. What is quite unusual, and says a great deal for Universal's commitment to value, is the specially made background feature "Mummy Dearest" (a title borrowed from a rather bitter biography of Joan Crawford by her daughter, if I remember correctly), and the full length "Feature Commentary" by film historian Paul M. Jensen. "Mummy Dearest" is full of interesting insights, including a brief resume of the discovery of King Tutenkhamun's tomb, in Egypt, which created a general fascination with ancient Egypt in both Europe and the USA, and which paved the way for this film.
It certainly explains how the original storyline, about a three hundred year old Italian mystic, Cagliostro, ended up as film about a 3,700 year old Egyptian priest called Imhotep. Unlike Tom Weaver's rather high speed commentary on "The Wolf Man", Paul Jensen's contribution is a little more measured - but just as interesting in it's own way.
Jensen is equally interested in both the background to the film - actors' previous and subsequent work, etc. - and the actual film making process. This can seem a little irritating at first, as he seems to be simply describing what you can plainly see for yourself. But after a very little time we find that Jensen is actually highlighting the film maker's technique to show why the camera was placed 'here' rather than 'there', and how, even in 1932, Karloff and the film's director, Karl Freund, were already masters of the "less is more" technique. So, both for the film and for the excellent package of "extras", this is definitely a worthy addition to any classic horror film fan's collection.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun occult tale
Review: The Mummy is a classic horror film, staring Boris Karloff. It begins when archeologists discover a mummy and a box. The box warns to not open, or else evil will come to him. The archeologist does not believe, and opens the box to discover a scroll in it. He reads it out loud, which brings the mummy back from the dead. Ten years later that mummy is searching for his reincarnated love. He performs a spell to attract her to him, and after the girl tries to find him, she is soon found to be under the spell, by a father and son team of archeologists. The son falls in love for her, and he trys to thwart the mummys plans. But the mummy soon catches her and shows her who she was back in Ancient Egypt when they were in love, and how she died, and he tried to bring her back to life, for which he was buried alive for. So now the girl is torn betweer who she really is, the old egyptian women reincarnated, or a new women. In the end she decided shes a new woman, and rejects the mummy. But the mummy has plans to murder her, and awaken her from the dead, in her turn spirit self, to live together in love, forever. It is up to the man who loves her to save her from the mummy. Overall the film is average, and drags in a lot of spots. The story becomes more and more interesting as the film progresses but it moves very slow. The film is mostly dialog driven, and I can't see anyone enjoying this much, unless they are fans of older films, or horror films. Egyptology fans may enjoy this, as some parts are histoically acurate. I wouldnt buy this unless you are a fan, so either rent or watch on tv first. 3 stars. Check it out, if your a fan of the topics I have mentioned.
Rating: 
Summary: The original mummy back from the dead love triangle movie
Review: We all know that the problem with the 1932 Boris Karloff thriller "The Mummy" is that the mummy only looks like the mummy at the beginning of the movie. Then he just looks like Boris Karloff, albeit with really weird looking skin. But the makeup Jack Pierce did for Karloff is very impressive (better than the Frankenstein job for my money). Consequently, the beginning of this film, is actually the scariest part of the entire film. This is where we follow the expedition from the British Museum led by Dr. Mueller (Edward Van Sloan) and Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron), who discover the mummy of Im-ho-tep (Karloff), who was (gasp) buried alive. Near the mummy case is a small golden casket inscribed: "Death. Eternal punishment for anyone who opens this casket." Of course young Ralph Norton (Bramwell Fletcher) is not only foolhardy enough to open the casket but he compounds his mistake by actually reading the scroll he finds inside (if only he did not read Ancient Egyptian). Next thing we know the mummy has come to life, walked across the room in his moldy bandages, and taken the scroll from Ralph. The mummy disappears and Ralph is turned into a raving lunatic. Ten years later another expedition is searching for the tomb of the Princess Ankh-es-en-amon, when a mysterious man, Ardath Bey (Karloff), shows up to show them where to dig. They find the princess, but then Bey has...disappeared. Of course, if you have seen the recent film version of "The Mummy" you have a good idea of where this bizarre little "love" story is going. But there is something to be said for the simplicity of the original story as told here. Zita Johann plays Helen Grosvenor, the current reincarnation of the dead princess and David Manners is Frank Whimple, part of the second expedition and the third member of our little love triangle. Noble Johnson who plays the Nubian, would play the Native Chief in "King Kong" the following year (how can you forget that name?). The ending of this film probably suffers in my mind simply because it is so melodramatic compared to the simplicity of the spooky beginning. Karloff's performance is one of his best and helps to sustain the story despite some of the acting lapses of the other cast members. John L. Balderston's script deserves mention for his attempt to accurately characterize ancient Egyptian notions of death and rebirth. This film was followed by a quartet of other mummy movies featuring a different mummy, named Kharis, who is an avenging mummy kept sleeping by the Priests of Kharis and revived by the juice of forbidden tana leaves. These films ("The Mummy's Hand" in 1940, "The Mummy's Tomb" in 1942, "The Mummy's Ghost" in 1944, and "The Mummy's Curse" in 1945) all have the virtue of the title character wandering around still swarthed in bandages throughout the entire film. However, Karloff's original is still the best of the bunch.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE ONLY MUMMY FILM WHICH WILL LAST FOREVER! A++++++
Review: BY FAR UNIVERSALS GREATEST HORROR FILM! THE BEST MUSICAL SCORE OF ALL THEIR MOVIES! THE MUMMY/ARDETH BAY MAKEUP THOUGH DONE IN 1932 IS STILL AMAZING TODAY! THIS WAS MAKE-UP ARTIST JACK PIERCES GREATEST CREATION! BORIS KARLOFF GIVES HIS GREATEST AND MOST NUANCED PERFOMANCE! THIS MOVIE HAS AMAZING EGYPTIAN SET DESIGN BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED! THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST ATMOSPHERIC AND DREAM-LIKE FILM MADE IN ANY GENRE! THIS MOVIE IS MORE OF A CREEPY GOTHIC ROMANCE THAN A SHEER HORROR FILM. NEVERTHELESS THE OPENING SCENE IN WHICH KARLOFFS MUMMY IS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE IS TERRIFYING! THIS IS THE CLOSEST A FILM AS EVER COME TO POETRY! THE DVD IS EXCELLENT WITH A PRISTINE PICTURE TRANSFER! AND GREAT MENU ARTWORK! NOT TO MENTION LOTS OF GREAT EXTRAS! WATCH THIS FILM ALONE IN THE DARK AFTER MIDNIGHT FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT! ALL OTHER MUMMY MOVIES ARE FORGETTABLE B MOVIE TRASH IN COMPARISON!
Rating: 
Summary: Look Mummy, no praise!
Review: I noticed that there isn't a single one-star review on here. Well, there's going to be one now. I really think this deserves a negative rating, like -5 stars, but since that isn't an option, I'll simply have to opt for the lowest available. I didn't really want to watch this movie to begin with but my dear mother wanted to give it a whirl so I figured I'd just do the same. Afterwards we both agreed that it was a total waste of time that could have been spent in such infinitely more profitable ways. First, the whole occultic aspect was sickening to me; second, the acting, script, plot, and everything else about the movie was not worth much comment except negatively. Third, pizza is best without mushrooms. In fact, every kind of food is better without mushrooms. Mushrooms and Mummies aside, if you want to watch a good suspense or "horror" film try Fredric March's "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" or most any Alfred Hitchcock movie. At least those are well-done pieces of artwork as well as masterpieces as far as acting, script, plot, and everything else about them. Thank you for your time.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Subtle of Universal Studios Horror Classics
Review: Although frequently reinterpreted, the original 1932 THE MUMMY remains the most intriguing film version of a story inspired by both 1920s archeological finds and the 1931 Bela Lugosi DRACULA: when an over-eager archeologist reads an incantation from an ancient scroll, he unexpectedly reanimates a mysterious mummy--who then seeks reunion with the princess for whom he died thousands of years earlier and ultimately finds his ancient love reincarnated in modern-day Egypt. Less a typical horror film than a gothic romance with an Egyptian setting, THE MUMMY has few special effects of any kind and relies primarily upon atmosphere for impact--and this it has in abundance: although leisurely told, the film possesses a darkly romantic, dreamlike quality that lingers in mind long after the film is over. With one or two exceptions, the cast plays with remarkable restraint, with Boris Karloff as the resurrected mummy and Zita Johann (a uniquely beautifully actress) standouts in the film. The sets are quite remarkable, and the scenes in which Karloff permits his reincarnated lover to relive the ancient past are particularly effective. Kids raised on wham-bam action and special effects films will probably find the original THE MUMMY slow and uninteresting, but the film's high quality and disquieting atmosphere will command the respect of both fans of 1930s horror film and the more discerning viewer. Of all the 1930s Universal Studio horror films, THE MUMMY is the most subtle--and the one to which I personally return most often.
Rating:
Summary: This mummy is not wrapped up for long
Review: If you think of a being covered with bandages shuffling its feet along, then you are not thinking of the same mummy that is in this movie. That image is more Lon Chaney, but here, Boris Karloff is the ancient priest, Im-Ho-Tep, who has come to bring his beloved princess back to life. He is only wrapped up in this movie briefly, and you do not see him move in the bandages. An archeological dig for the British Museum has unearthed his grave and has found the mysterious Scroll of Thoth. This scroll has the power of bringing the dead back to life. After reading it, a young scientist brings him back to life. The mummy takes the scroll and leaves. Years later, a local man shows a different archeological expedition where to find the tomb of an ancient princess. He follows the remains from the tomb into the museum and tries to raise the princess. The bulk of the movie concerns his attempt to reunite himself with the princess. Is the movie scary? There is some good make-up on Karloff to make him look very old. His power is either in his eyes or his ring. Neither power is explained in the movie. Through a lighting effect, you will know when he is using mesmerism to attain his diabolical goals. Even though this does not have the stereotypical mummy, it is a good movie. I would recommend it for horror fans. This movie was filmed after "Frankenstein."
Rating:
Summary: Only Boris Karloff could do it this well
Review: The Mummy is outstanding particularly because it is just the sort of concept which could have easily become camp or boring. Boris Karloff's depiction here is nothing of the sort! His intensity, and reserved and chilling dignity, give this film an eerie yet intelligent quality that distinguish it amongst the monster genre. This is not a "scare flick," but an intelligent portrayal of three goals, amongst different characters, which create the conflict: the occult (underrated Egyptian magical arts which only the wisest archaelogist immediately realises are not to be discounted); scientific discovery; a passionate and possessive love that spans millennia. Curiously, these strong impulses all are presented in a surprisingly plausible approach. Though there is nothing gruesome in this film, and children could view it with no undue fear, this is an adult plot, best suited to those who enjoy both intense psychological conflict and the admission that there is much we can never understand.
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