5/5
Terrific movie with a sharp looking transfer
by Wayne Klein (My Little Blue Window, USA)
"The Mummy" receives a very nice look Blu-ray transfer for this new edition of the movie. Capturing the adventurous elements of films like "Indiana Jones" and injecting it into the basic story for the 1932 film "The Mummy", Stephen Sommers creates a terrific, enteraining film. For those interested in a synposis of the plot, I'll provide it at the end of the review because you've probably already seen this.
The Blu-ray transfer looks quite good here with bold colors that more closely recall the original theatrical presentation than the DVD. The image is crisp and while there's evidently some digital noise reduction applied, Universal hasn't completely cleaned away all the film grain which is a good thing because when that's done you actually lose sharpness and clarity (it is restored with a loss of detail via Edge Enhancement like the recent reissue of "Patton" which went overboard with digitally cleaning up the film). The best thing that Universal could have done here was to leave the grain intact and dispense with the Edge Enhancement. I suspect that the same source was used for the Blu-ray as was used for the HD-DVD edition but that the Edge Enhancement is more transparent here because of higher resolution.
What does all of that mean? The film looks extremely good but could look brilliant. Still, on the whole this looks much better than the DVD edition.
The extras are still presented in 480p (which is standard DVD definition)so be aware those haven't been updated. However, Universal has made this a U-Control disc where you can customize the extras as you watch the film (something developed for and carried over from HD-DVD). You do get the ability to watch the visual commentary/extras while watching the film. All of the original extras from the DVD have been ported over for this edition. All of the extras and the film are on the single disc edition here (unlike the DVD which has most of the extras on a second disc).
Followed by the equally entertaining (and much bigger production of) "The Mummy Returns" and a fun entertaining (if lesser)spin-off film "The Scorpion King", "The Mummy" is worth picking up again even if you have the original DVD edition. Highly recommended.
Oh, and the plot? A group of explorers led by Evelyn (Rachel Weisz)and Rick (Brendan Fraiser)rush to find the riches of an Egyptian tomb and end up reviving Im-Ho-Tep (Arnold Vosloo)an Egyptian High Priest buried alive for his part in a conspiracy to kill the Pharoah. Brought back by the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Im-Ho-Tep takes revenge on those who plundered his tomb and seeks the Book of the Dead to bring back his beloved princess who helped him kill the Pharoah.
It is a great popcorn flick.
5/5
If you love action and a bit of suspense, The Mummy's a must
by Andrew Glenn (Wellington, New Zealand)
No doubt about it, this is a sharp flick. All the ingredients come together to make this a very entertaining film. Naturally there's plenty of action which takes place against some great sets and is enhanced by impressive special effects. But there's also a good deal of suspense (as you would expect in a Mummy movie), and plenty of humourous one-liners as well.
It's sort of like a '90s version of Indiana Jones and will probably be considered just as much a classic in years to come.
5/5
The Motherload of Fun!
by Mark Hills (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
When it comes to movie genres, horror is in my top five,probably after science fiction. However, the remake of the Mummy isnot a horror in the traditional sense. Most people associate modern horror with gore-laden special effects, forgetting that true fear comes from the unknown and urgency developed from carefully built up suspense. The 1999 remake of the Mummy isn't a horror film, unlike perhaps the Sixth Sense-which I wouldn't show my nieces or nephews, but the Mummy is just good clean fun. We are treated to a great ensemble of actors, breath taking sets and funky special effects, thanks to Industrial Light and Magic. The film also doesn't take itself at all seriously, making you laugh just as surely as you will thrill to the action sequences.
The film opens with a stunning view of Thebes-city of the Seti the First where we see the sphinx under construction (okay, so they missed by a few hundred miles on that one!). Anck-su-namun, the Pharaoh's untouchable mistress is continuing her affair with Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo)-a priest of probably Anubis. Getting caught in the act by Seti, they kill him just as the Medjai (who were actually the Egyptian police force) break down the doors. Anck-su-namun then kills herself as Imhotep escapes after promising to resurrect her. He and his priests steal Anck-su-namun's body and take it to Hamunaptra where he attempts to do that, but all is lost when the Medjai storm the sarneche where her body was being prepared. Imhotep is mummified alive for his crimes-cursed to spend an eternity undead locked within a sarcophagus, being eaten by nasty little scarab beetles.
Brendan Fraser stars as Rick O'Connell, a down on his luck Legionaire who led his garrison to the legendary city of Hamunaptra-the city of the dead in 1923 (Note: the city didn't really exist and is based possibly on the Necropolis of Egypt). They find the city, oh yes, but they also find hundreds a Tuareg warriors bent on killing everyone to prevent them from find the evil that dwells beneath the sand. O'Connell escapes after being chased too close to the statue of Anubis where Imhotep is buried and a small sand storm that whips up around the statue that frightens off his attackers, allowing O'Connell to escape with his life. The next time we see him it's three years later and he's about to be hanged for having a very good time.
It is in Cairo where we meet Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), a beautiful and befuddled librarian desperate to prove herself an archaeologist to the sexist old-boy network in England. Rachel delivers a beautiful performance of the slightly nerdy expert of Egyptology. We also meet her lush brother, Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah), who has stolen a puzzle box key from O'Connell that has a map to the fabled city of Hamunaptra. The two rush to find Rick after Evelyn's boss `accidentally' burns the map in a candle flame. They find him at the Cairo Prison where Evelyn must bargain with sleazy warden for O'Connell's life by promising him 25% of the riches they find in the fabled city.
From there the adventure of a life time comes to life as O'Connell reluctantly agrees to lead Evelyn and her brother, and the sleazy warden, across the desert sands to the ancient city. They also have a run in with the `bloody Americans', who are out to plunder Hamunaptra's riches, and the two groups must work together in order to survive-first by an attack by the Medjai, then after finding the Book of the Dead, Evelyn incants a spell that kind of...sort of...brings Imhotep back to life, whose sarcophagus they found earlier that day. The Americans steal Anck-su-namun's canopic jars-the vessels that stored her organs after they were removed. As the mummy comes back to life, it becomes a race to escape back to Cairo, followed by Imhotep who begins to kill the American thieves one at a time for their crime, using their life essence to rejuvenate himself in the process. Imhotep also develops a crush on Evelyn, who he plans to sacrifice so that Anck-su-namun many live again.
The Mummy, start to finish, is a wild romp that doesn't take itself too seriously. Thanks mostly to the interplay between the main characters who play off each other magically. It doesn't set out solely to scare, but does offer up some genuinely creepy moments. With exemplary production values-be they sets, effects or costumes, The Mummy delivers heaps of action, laughs and adventure of a type akin to Raiders of the Lost Ark, a fine pedigree to follow. But the Mummy also harkens back to a time when movies were made with a certain eye to quality-there is nothing in the film that made me lose my suspension of disbelief, because it is a solidly written yarn. It has unforgettable moments, be it O'Connell's back stabbing friend Beni as he runs through a collection of holy symbols and prayers in attempt to stave off the advancing mummy. Or Rick and Evelyn's budding romance and the interplay that captures these pleasantly goofy characters wonderfully.
The Mummy stands out as my favorite action film of 1999-beating out the Phantom Menace and the Matrix by a fair margin. The other bit of good news, besides this gem of a movie, is that they are making a sequel, and one can only hope that it is every bit as good as the first. This is an excellent film and can easily take a place next to some of the best action films of all time-like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Die Hard, The Terminator, Big Trouble in Little China, and Aliens. It delivers at every turn-excitement, adventure, a few scares, and romance. Great fun and I highly recommend the letter boxed version over the pan-and-scan so that viewers can see everything. END
5/5
The Ultimate Edition is the way to go!
by
Boy, was I surprised when I saw this sitting on store shelves. The first Mummy DVD was chock full of extras, but this is awesome. I was wondering if it was worth putting down ... extra ...($$) for it, so trust me when I say that this disc is worth owning for every possible reason. New Audio Commentaries by Brendan Fraser,and Oded Fehr(the leader of the magi), Kevin J. O'Connor(Benny), and Arnold Vosloo( the man himself, The Mummy). The Making of The Mummy. Egyptology 101. Deleted Scenes, Visual and Special Effects, Photograph Montage, Pharoh Lineage, and you get the traler for, not only The Mummy, but The Mummy Returns as well.Plus, an insiders look at The Making of the Mummy Returns. If you have a DVD-Rom drive you can watch a live webcast premier of The Mummy Returns, Script to Screen translations, Screen Savers, and a demo for The Mummy PC Game. So, all and all it is worth every penny. the new commentaries are great and now I can't wait to see The Mummy Returns. Did I mention that the movie itself is great too. Lots of good action scenes, great acting, terrific story, sweet visual effects, and a long run-time(2 hours 5 minutes) make this all the more worth buying. If you own the original Mummy DVD, buy this disc, If you don't own that one, buy this disc. With all it's got going for it, this is the edition to own.
5/5
If you mis the widescreen version,you missed the whole movie
by Ibraheem Al-Ammar (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
What a great movie this is.I enjoyed every second(I'm sure you will).
Pros:
*The movie is a visual masterpiece.The visual and sound FX are breath-taking.
*Heart-stopping action.
*Althouhg it's a sci-fi movie,it actualy has a plot!
*Brendan Fraser was terrific.I never though he could be so.
*Rachel Weisz was terrific too.Real eye candy.
*Very beautiful desert settings.
*Fast and intense camera movements.
*Excellent score.
*A super cool villain.
*Definitely the hottest and coolest extras you will ever find.In fact,the extras are enough reason to buy this DVD.
Cons:
*Although Stephen Sommers did a better job than any other director in trying to authenticate the Arabs,they weren't 100%.There were some Lebanese accents in Egypt,and a lot of the language isn't clear enough.
*Some overacting in jokes,namely Rachel Weisz's brother(in the movie).
*Arabs are either:degenerate scum(the prison warden),low wiesels(that mummy's sidekick),killers and a lot of other negativities.
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