Rating: Summary: An Amazing Spectacle! Review: If you've never seen this film, you're missing out. NEVER have I seen an action film so well-made. This adventure film, unlike many before it, has a plot. Imhotep, the priest, is in love with the Pharoh's mistress. When this is revealed to the angry Pharoh, the mistress commits suicide, and Imhotep is tortured, then buried alive. A curse is put over him that he might rise again, bringing with him the plauges of Egypt, his sole purpose to resurrect his love. Centuries later, an explorer and a librarian team up to find the city in which he was buried, but find much more than that. The film is amazing! For children, I would say a maybe. The violence is fairly intense, and I'm not a big fan of some of the magic, but all-in-all I enjoyed this flick. This will be a classic for ages to come!!!
Rating: Summary: The Mummy Review: The Mummy is, hence the title, about a mummy. But not your typical, zombie-fied, bandaged one. This mummy is cursed because he fell in love with the wrong person-the King's mistress/wife. But when a group of explorers opens up his coffin and reads out of the Book of the Dead, he awakens and immediately starts reeking havoc as he searches for his lost loved one. Personally, I think the Mummy himself is adorable..in an evil, undead way.
Rating: Summary: the best of the Indiana Jones imitators! Review: There is a wonderful, unpretentious vibe to The Mummy that makes it a true crowd pleaser. Unlike most Indiana Jones-style imitators, it isn't really trying to rip off that movie but instead take a page out of its book and pay homage to the old '30s serials of which the Indy films also drew their inspiration from. And it does it successfully.Brendan Fraser finally catapulted to proper leading man status with this film and he is great. In the best Harrison Ford tradition, Fraser has a roguish charm, but when it comes down to it, is a true hero. The chemistry between him and Rachel Weisz is excellent and feels genuine. She is no mere damsel in distress and holds her own with the big boys and isn't too hard on the eyes either. The supporting cast is also top notch -- although, Kevin O'Connor does get on my nerves a bit, but that was kinda the point of his character, I suppose. Stephen Sommers does a solid job directing this movie. After Deep Rising, who woulda thought? He creates the perfect mood and atmosphere of a period film but with a contemporary twist, of sorts, and also includes exciting action set pieces that action/adventure fans expect. There is just the right blend of humour, thrills and action. Fans of the film should get this particular DVD set because it includes a wealth of extra material... the highlights being the 3 audio commentaries: one by Sommers and his editor that is informative, one by Fraser, which has the occasional lulls, but is not bad, and finally, the best of the bunch, the cast commentary with Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O'Connor and Arnold Vosloo which is lots of fun to listen to -- definitive the most enjoyable of the three. There is also an awesome, speaker-shaking DTS track on the first disc and a near flawless transfer. There are tons of goodies on the second DVD -- mostly background info Egyptian mythology and technical featurettes on how they did effects, etc. which is fine if you're into that kinda thing. Bottom line: this is as good as action/adventure films get without the Indy Jones label on it. Sommers and co. went on to make The Mummy Returns, which I found anti-climatic and too overloaded with action sequences and missing the magic that the first one had (also they added an annoying kid!). Except no substitutes and get this movie!
Rating: Summary: The best adventure since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Review: The Mummy is maximum adventure, a rollercoaster ride of non-stop action, cliffhanger thrills, and crowdpleasing humor. Writer/director Stephen Sommers' homage of Saturday Matinee serials and past horror films is every bit as fun as the Indiana Jones movies, and even surpasses them when it comes to frenetic pacing. Not since The Last Crusade have I seen an adventure movie so enjoyable and immensely likeable. To keep the film from ever getting boring, Sommers wisely delivers a wide variety of action sequences. There are massive gun battles (the opening is spectacular), chases (on foot, car, and even airplane), and swordfights. So much of it is so thrilling, it's hard to decide which action scene is the best (perhaps the opening gun battle or the sandstorm or the climactic sword battle against the mummies). The special effects are outstanding and Arnold Vosloo as the mummy Imhotep makes for a genuinely imposing villain. Most importantly, though, the characters are likeable and a lot of fun. Brendan Fraser makes for a dashing action hero, Rachel Weisz is an appealing heroine, and John Hanna is hilarious as Weisz's inept brother. With characters worth caring for, the movie even builds up palpable suspense and excitement, all the way to the very end. Too bad the sequel wasn't nearly as fun.
Rating: Summary: A Funfest from Beginning to End Review: This is one of my favorite films and is one of the best of the classic horror film remakes (the others being Dracula, The Thing, and The Fly). Judging from the previous reviews, just about everything that could be said has been said, but I don't see any mention of the Easter egg. Those of you who are fans of Jerry Goldsmith and love this score will be happy to know that if you find your way to the Languages page, you'll be able to hear the score, not the looped excerpts that accompany the other pages, and not the re-edited and condensed material that you'll find on the soundtrack CD, but every note of the entire musical score, from the opening scene through the final credits (about 100 minutes). Thanks to whatever DVD genie made this available.
Rating: Summary: Mummy is back from the dead.... Review: The Mummy was a film I wasn't quite sure about when I saw it on commercials. But when it came out on video, I decided to rent it and check it out. I admit, I actually liked it, more so than I thought. It is by no means a flawless film, but it's quite entertaining and it's a movie, and a movie is supposed to be entertaining. Brendan Fraser is sort of a carbon copy of Indiana Jones in a lot of ways, but he is original enough that he forms his own character quite well. Even though this is really the only film I've seen him and brushing by his other film titles, it may be the last as well. Fraser brings a heroic, but funny persona to the movie, which makes it very enjoyable. His one liners and how he says them are very funny and you can't help but cheer him on when he wrestles with dead guys. The only problem I have with Fraser's character, and I wouldn't really call it a problem I guess, but a critique, is that his character is a little too invincible. Again, this adds to the entertainment, but some parts I think are too unrealistic, almost cartoon like. Example: slashes off the head of a mummy with his sword and uses that head on the end of the sword to bash another mummy. Funny, but cartoon like, least it was to me. As for the story line, it was pretty good, bringing Mummies back to the silver screen. People have an appetite or craving for Egyptian culture. Why Hollywood doesn't make more films surrounding Mummies or Egypt is a quandry to me. This film educates you a little bit about Egyptian methods of mummification, but the history of it is kinda awful. The storyline does have plenty of suspense in it, which is what makes this film work. I thought the regeneration of the mummy was quite good and the different plagues that followed the curse. You'll see. If you've seen past mummy movies then you'll probably follow along nicely. Something I did not like was the mummy trying to make out with Rachel Weisz's character. I thought that was quite gross and stupid. A dead thing wanting to kiss a mortal? Not real. Rachel Weisz's character is quite cute I might add, but that's not relevant. Um, a problem I had with this movie was the animation. I say animation instead of special effects, because that's how it comes across. The Mummy starts off as a skeleton and you can tell that it's a computer pixel. It's not even close to being real. And some of the background shots are also too animated. I mean, the special effects weren't all that great in certain parts, it made this film too unreal and too computerized. Overall, I give this film four stars. I give it four stars because it is a good, entertaining film that you can watch more than once. This film isn't for the serious, I might add, it is for the easy movie goer who is looking for a fun time. But the animation kinda keeps this from being a five star movie because it keeps it from being scarey as well as real. Which if this film had, it would be a classic. Grade: B-
Rating: Summary: The Ultimate Mummy Experience Review: The previous Collector's Series DVD is an outstanding DVD but "The Mummy Ultimate Edition" delivers everything the previous does and then some. If you haven't purchased the 1999 adventure hit "The Mummy" then this new 2-disc "Ultimate Edition" DVD is a worthy addition to any DVD collection. The movie is presented in anamorphic widescreen format on Disc 1 and full frame on Disc 2. Like the previous release, the DVD contains an excellent video transfer with rich color detail. The Dolby Digital sound is engaging but the DTS audio track is clearer and more dynamic. "The Mummy Ultimate Edition" features most of the supplemental material from the previous release: FX featurettes, Egyptology 101 facts, audio commentary by Director Stephen Sommers, deleted scenes and theatrical trailer. Among new extras in the "Ultimate Edition" DVD include audio commentaries by cast members, Look of the hit sequel "The Mummy Returns" and multiple audio and subtitle options. Overall, "The Mummy Ultimate Edition" scores an "A-".
Rating: Summary: The Mummy - Absolutely incredible entertainment! Review: I'm not exactly sure one can put enough emphasis on how great and entertaining a movie "The Mummy" is. Reflecting upon the many great action/adventure movies of the nineties brings me to the conclusion that this silver screen phenomenon must be listed among the top five to ten films of the nineties. Of course this is evidenced by its overwhelming box office receipts and DVD sales. The odd thing for me was that due to a heavy work schedule and limited time, I never even saw a trailer for this great movie and thus didn't afford myself the opportunity to see it in the theaters! This oversight was of course corrected with its sequel, "The Mummy Returns." The stars - Given Brendan Frasier's past films I never would've ever expected him to make such an outstanding action/adventure star as he is with his performance in this film. It almost seems as if the role of swashbuckling adventurer Rick O'Connell was created for him and him alone. Then there's the ever beautiful and gorgeous Rachel Weisz starring as "Evy" or Evelyn whose performance in this film is dead on perfect as the librarian/adventurer. Arnold Vosloo performs perfectly in the role of the Mummy. One might think that a film of this nature might fall short on plot while being heavy on the action; this is simply not the case with "The Mummy." The film moves along fluidly with a great amount of attention centered on the plot and supported perfectly by the comedic moments and the seamless CGI provided by ILM, the masters of the CGI domain. I don't normally comment on the director but in this case I feel almost compelled to state that director and author of the screenplay, Stephen Sommers "must" be commended for bringing this outstanding story to fruition for it is simply a brilliant piece of work. In "The Mummy" he has most certainly created the latest and greatest big budget, heavy action film series that can easily be compared to the Indiana Jones films, using those as a benchmark. The premise: The film opens with a superb opening sequence some three thousand years ago as we're taken to ancient Egypt in the year 1290 B.C. and shown the circumstances of how the High Priest Imhotep ended up being the Mummy through his and Anck Su Namun's treachery against Pharaoh Seti. After his treachery, he attempts to resurrect Anck Su Namun in Hamunaptra, the city of the dead, but the Pharaoh's guards catch him and he is mummified. Scrolling forward to the year 1926 and we meet our erstwhile heroes who through their chance meeting are on an adventure to find Hamunaptra. While the majority of the group is searching for hidden treasure, Evy is looking for more... Unfortunately for them and fortunately for us, she finds more and what follows is as stated above, one of the best action/adventure movies of the nineties and probably the best of this type since the last Indiana Jones film. I highly recommend this film for all its merits; it is a great film that is fun and extraordinarily enjoyable. {ssintrepid} Special Features: Building A Better Mummy - This is an outstanding special highlighting what everybody involved in making the film wanted to do as far as not making a film fraught with many a cliché, harkening one back to the older films. Feature Commentary Visual and special effects formation Egyptology 101 Deleted scenes Theatrical trailers Universal showcase
Rating: Summary: Exciting, Funny and Adventurous - - A Perfect Movie Review: This mvoie is really really good. I saw the movie in bits and pieces and was confused at first, but in the end, everything makes sense. Evie, a libraian, discovers a map and key to the boks of the dead in the City of The Dead. her and her brother hire Rick to take them there. Once there, they accidently let out a mummy that has been dead for a long time and he has the power to take over the world. Since they let him out, it's up to them to trap him again. This mvoie has great special effects and is really funny too. Rick and Ardeth Bay are great characters who make the great film an even better one.
Rating: Summary: nothing good but fun Review: Not really entertaining. Sequel is better with 5x the more thrills, 5x the more action, and 5x the more fun. 3 stars, ***
|