Dom Robinson reviews

Distributed by

Columbia TriStar

Cat.no: UDR 90037

Cert: 15

Running time: 120 minutes

Year: 1999

Pressing: 1999

Region(s): 2, PAL

Chapters: 18 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: English, German

Subtitles: 11 languages available

Widescreen: 2.35:1

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: DVD 9

Price: £19.99

Extras : Scene index, Theatrical trailer, Biographies, Filmographies, Production Notes, Booklet, Director's Commentary, "Building a Better Mummy" documentary, 3 Deleted Scenes, Visual and Special Effects Formation Featurette, Egyptology 101, DVD-ROM elements including "The Mummy" game.

Director:

Stephen Sommers (The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), Catch Me If You Can, Deep Rising, The Jungle Book (1994))

Producers:

James Jacks and Sean Daniel

Screenplay:

Stephen Sommers

Music:

Jerry Goldsmith

Cast:

Rick O'Connell: Brendan Fraser (Airheads, Blast From the Past, California Man, Dudley Do-Right, George of the Jungle, Gods and Monsters, In the Army Now, Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, Now and Then, School Ties, Son in Law)
Evelyn 'Evy' Carnaham: Rachel Weisz (Amy Foster, Chain Reaction, The Land Girls, Stealing Beauty, TV: My Summer with Des)
Jonathan Carnaham: John Hannah (The Final Cut, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Innocent Sleep, The James Gang, Resurrection Man, Sliding Doors)
Imhotep: Arnold Vosloo (Darkman 2 & 3, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Hard Target, The Progeny, TV: American Gothic, Nash Bridges)
Beni: Kevin J. O'Connor (Accidental Hero, Amistad, Canadian Bacon, Chicago Cab, Color of Night, Deep Rising, Equinox, F/X 2, No Escape, Peggy Sue Got Married, Steel Magnolias, Virtuosity)
Egyptologist: Jonathan Hyde (Anaconda, Being Human, Caravaggio, Deadly Advice, Jumanji, Richie Rich, Titanic)

The Mummy is the 1999 update of the 1932 original Universal Pictures classic, but this time round there's more than just bandages on display.

After an unseen contretemps between the hero of the film, Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Jonathan Carnaham (John Hannah) over a magic key, the former has been languishing in jail for a fair while. He is only released when he promises to Carnaham's sister, Evy, an English girl with a posh jolly-hockey-sticks accent, that he knows the way to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead and home to the tomb of Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) after his life took a most unfortunate turn as noted in the opening pre-title scene.

What follows is a gung-ho action-adventure with our intrepid crew setting off to see what there is to see, accompanied by the prison guard who let O'Connell go after being promised a cut of the final profits, who is played by Omid Dhalili, most recently seen on the small screen as the cafe owner in Channel 4's excellent sitcom Small Potatoes, which also starred Tommy Tiernan and Emma Rydal. Also along for the ride are an Egyptologist (Jonathan Hyde) and one of life's irritants for O'Connell, Beni (Kevin J. O'Connor, who also appeared in director Stephen Sommers' Deep Rising).

When they arrive at their destination, all hell breaks loose, literally, as Imhotep is inadvertantly risen from the dead 3000 years after his entombment and threatens to bring civilisation crashing down to his level, but only after he's brought his girlfriend back from the dead. Will he succeed or will he be slapped back down to Earth like the nasty man he is? It doesn't take a genius to work that one out, but note that they'll all be back for another crack of the whip as the four main characters have been signed up for next year's sequel, provisionally titled, The Mummy 2. Original, eh?

If you've seen the trailer or clips from the film before now, it may appear to be more of an update on Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the powerful forces of the Ark replaced by the powerful forces of the Mummy. I wouldn't like to draw too many comparisons, so I'll say no more than the fact that each have a roughneck hero who dishes out one-liners and initially appears uninterested in the girl until later on, a girl who appears only to have her own interests at heart for most of the time until later on and a hanger-on in the form of a toffee-noses Englishman, taking the place of the late Denholm Elliott. There's also a moment that hails back to the Staff of Ra, but not carried out as impressively.

Imhotep's girlfriend approaches

Anamorphic picture, original widescreen ratio of 2.35:1 and some unbelievable special FX including sandstorms that have more to them than initially meets the eye, rotting flesh that looks positively disgusting but its success only champions its cleverness and little scarabs that make mincemeat out of anything. The average bitrate is a fine 5.65Mb/s, briefly peaking over 8Mb/s.

The sound is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 for English and German dialogue, contains a rousing score from Jerry Goldsmith and has impressive sound effects galore from the haunting tones and dark atmosphere to sounds of shootings, explosions and crystal clear dialogue.

A predicament for Evy

Extras :

Chapters and Trailer :