A silly, fun and visually exciting adventure...

Rating: 9/10 (20 August 2007)

I remember back in 1999 (Eight years ago when I was about 11-years-old) when I went to see "The Mummy" in theaters. When the film opened to the vast spread of the city of Thebes, as a sphinx was being constructed and hundreds of people crowded the square, I knew I was in for something special.
The film (directed and co-written by Stephen Sommers) has since become a fixture in my DVD collection. A movie I watch anytime I am bored and in need of a good jolt of excitement. Sure, the dialog can be silly, and the story isn't the greatest, and there is the occasional plot-hole or two, but it is still a completely enjoyable adventure that I personally believe will stand the test of time.
We begin with the back-story... High Priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) is having an illicit and highly forbidden love-affair with the Pharoh's beloved mistress. After murdering the Pharoh, she takes her own life and Imhotep goes about the task of resurrecting her. He is caught and condemned with the worst of all ancient curses, being mummified alive with the prophecy that should he ever be brought back, he will have power over the desert, invincibility, and the ability to control the 10 plagues of Egypt. (First Question/Possibly Plot Hole: If the curse is so bad, why not just use another one that isn't so risky?)
Flash forward several thousand years to the 1920's. Adventurer Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) is saved by beautiful Librarian Evelyn (Rachael Weiz), who hopes to use O'Connell's knowledge of an ancient and legendary city to be the first to officially discover and explore it. There is also her silly brother Johnathan (John Hannah), and several other characters who join them (including O'Connell's old friend Benny, played by Kevin J. O'Connor) during the course of the adventure. Also, the super-cool, tattoo-covered character Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr) appears occasionally, to try and convince O'Connell and the others to stop what they are doing and leave.
We all know what happens next. It turns out this lost city (Hamunaptra) is the resting place of Imhotep. And before you know it, he is brought back through the recitation of a dark passage from the fiendish-looking "Book of the Dead." And so the story propels forward, as Imhoptep stalks several of the disposable, treasure-seeking sub-characters who helped free him. Why? Because he needs to kill them and "suck 'em dry" to regenerate his form from mangled mummy to studly guy in a bikini. (Why is he in bikini bottoms anyways, other than to show off his form and look imposing?)
After this, it becomes the classical story of "rescue the damsel in distress (Evelyn), who is going to be a human sacrifice in an evil ritual"... a plot we've seen before. O'Connell and Johnathan are joined by Ardeth Bay (who is a Magi destined to protect the world from evil) to stop the evil beast once and for all.
Sure, it may sound familiar. It might even seem familiar at times when you watch it. But the magic behind the movie is the fact that director Sommers is able to take formulaic plots (Damsel in Distress; Evil Badguy stalking victims) and generic characters (The silly one; the fat, gross one; the smart-yet-greedy one) and inject them skillfully with life and quirks that make them seem much more real than other similar films.
Also notable is the lighthearted nature of the film, which has abundant (yet not overpowering) jokes throughout. This lets us know the direction Sommers wants to take... not that of a straight-forward horror, but rather more of a fun and thrilling adventure. Think "Indiana Jones" with more special effects and creepy creatures and you'll know what he is aiming for.
And on the special effects... they were absolutely fantastic when the film was released, and unlike anything I had ever seen... And now, in 2007, it is safe to say that they have aged very well and still look quite good.
As mentioned before, there are a few plot holes... Well, more gripes than plot holes, that annoyed me. For one, why do only five plagues occur when there were in fact 10 that haunted the lands? (Other than of course to save money on expensive visual effects and screen time) Also, why do the bad guy's cronies (pretty much just a bunch of other mummies) seem strong and powerful at first, then turn into slow, silly wimps when they encounter O'Connell? (Of course just to benefit the plot, but still annoying.) But overall, I think people will be having too much fun to notice, or even care, about these small problems.
I personally love this film (And to a lesser extent, I enjoy the sequel "Mummy Returns" and spin-off "Scorpion King" quite a bit) and I still would recommend it to any fan of movie looking for a fun, fast and great adventure!