The Mummy (1999)

From beneath the depths of Hell, the ultimate symbol of evil is about to be reborn. Beyond mortality, beyond death, this creature of the undead will rise. Darkness will fall for all of eternity...and this plague will forever swallow this planet Earth...

About two thousand years ago, in the land of Ancient Egypt, a well-respected high priest known as Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) has been a very naughty man. His one-stand with the Pharaoh's mistress may very well cost him his life. After the Pharaoh discovers this illicit, forbidden love affair, Imhotep and the mistress murder the heartless Pharaoh without second thoughts. As payback though, Imhotep is to suffer the gravest consequences...

Imhotep is eventually sentenced to die a most horrifying death. The Pharaoh's guards have buried him alive inside a tomb, complete with ravaging scarabs and all. What's even worse is that the guards have placed a disturbing curse upon the buried soul. Whoever opens the tomb of this ancient evil will awaken the curse that has lied dormant for thousands of ears. All shall suffer eternal damnation, as the Mummy will release its unstoppable powers upon the lands and onto the cities. His reign of terror will spread...

For twenty centuries, this soul has rested in peace... Jumping forward to 1925, a bunch of foolish archaeologists, driven by profit and ignoring all admonishments, have decided to open the tomb of the wretched Mummy. Well, that decision was foolish... Now, the armies of the dead will inhabit the Earth and evil will take over... Only Colonel Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his brave team of courageous souls can prvent the Mummy's plans to rule the planet. Along with an alluring librarian and inspiring archaeologist (Rachel Weisz), her timid brother (John Hannah), and an even more craven sidekick, Beni (Kevin J. O'Connor), O'Connell and his company of wisecracking Smart Alec folks are mankind's last hope. This though, happens to be another incident where the good guys are at the wrong place at the right time. Heaven have mercy on these souls... Will faith spare human lives, or can the world kiss hope goodbye?

THE MUMMY is so much better than I originally anticipated. The special effects alone will blow you away! It is unbelievable how the Mummy is able to transform himself from a rotting, disintegrating corpse to a fully developed supernatural being, and even to a raging sandstorm. Also, those creepy crawly scarabs scare the daylights out of me! The scarabs literally crawl under people's skins! Impressive production values, capturing and recreating the ruins of Hamunaptra at its full glory, serve as another highlight for THE MUMMY.

Sure, there are also the monstrous zombies, the nightmarish flying locusts, and the fallen skies. Yes, there is also the requisite damsel-in-distress (and love interest) who captures Imhotep's heart. The venomous super-villain who must eat the flesh of others in order to survive is a plus as well. However, director Stephen Sommers (DEEP RISING) transcends beyond cliché material. He brings to the audience original ideas with a refreshingly cool tone. He makes sure that there is style within the special effects. The eye-popping FX in general will keep crowds contented, and then some.

It is tough to keep a straight face when watching this movie, but you have to praise Sommers and the cast for letting you have so much fun. Yes, the dialogue is indeed ridiculous as for some of the sequences. One scene that had me chuckling throughout was when all the slaves were synchronically chanting "Imhotep!" Kevin J. O'Connor finds himself having some of the best one-liners as he may eventually switch allegiances and serve a different master. Yes, the humor is somewhat gratuitous, granted. However, in all sincerity, the humor is needed to lighten the film's dark tone.

The acting is more second rate. Arnold Vosloo made a terrific villain and Rachel Weisz lights up the screen with her gorgeous presence. Fraser and O'Connor are great also. The rest of the cast is kind of listless though. In spite of that, THE MUMMY is a spectacular spectacle laced with show-stopping special effects and genuine chills. The music, composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith is pulse pounding and excellent. The orchestration is wonderful during this film's every thread of suspense.

Overall, THE MUMMY is one of the best blockbusters of 1999. Nonstop thrills and surprises galore highlight this enthusiastic, fun-filled entertainment. THE MUMMY has lots of fun and excitement. The only flaw that prevents this film from being a full fledged four star movie is its occasional lapses in credibility and coherence. At times, this film is extremely ludicrous, but who cares, its fanatically fun to watch. Genre fans, take note.

Remember, you cannot keep the dead buried forever...

RATING: ***1/2 out of ****.