I think the mummy put a curse on Stephan Sommers, its director.

Rating: 9/10 (11 April 2005)

A director is suppose to get better with every movie, not worse. So how did Stephan Sommers go from the wonderful adventure/horror movie "The Mummy" to the terrible "The Mummy Returns" to the unwatchable "Van Helsing?" I have a theory: Everything was in perfect balance in the first half of "The Mummy". Branden Fraser, was the perfect adventurer, Rachel Weisz was the perfect bookish librarian who blossoms into an alluring dessert flower with just one costume change. (I thought veils were suppose to cover up beauty not enhance it). Casting in general was perfect. Take Oded Fehr, the chief guardian of the place with his intense looks and great baritone voice. You just knew women were going to pick up on his charisma. Best of all, a great feeling for the creepiness that was ancient Egypt. Last but not least, the best musical score from Jerry Goldsmith that makes everything jell. Then the movie took a wrong turn. It became more special effects and less great adventure storytelling. This was not a fatal mistake because of the great forward momentum of the story. Yet some of the creepiness was evaporating as "Pirates of the Caribbean" type skeletons were taking over the story. Still, everything was so good, all was forgiven. What the director should have learned from that movie was that too many special effects and too little plot and character development were the wrong formula. So what do we get in "The Mummy Returns", 70% special effects to a weak story. Then in Van Helsing, its 90% special effect and no story anyone would care to follow. If he can make a great fun film like the Mummy, he has the talent to redeem himself.