Special effects...and little else

Rating: 3/10 (9 May 1999)

There's little to like about "The Mummy" especially after the letdown I felt when going to see it. While the trailer was extremely intriguing the plot fell way short of expectations. The cardboard cutout characters were flat and lifeless. The actors were picked merely to fit set molds, including the witty adventurer, the ever degraded middle-easterners and the damsel in distress. Plot points and foreshadowing were even part of the dialogue, a sure sign of an attempt at "PG-13" campiness which sadly will only be appreciated by those 13 and under.
The special effects are good, but not as good as I would have expected and they certainly do nothing to save the rest of the film which was barely a step above unwatchable. The movie is a barely disguised Keystone Cops adventure which might have been slightly more interesting if it weren't for truly different and interesting films that have already been made like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Fifth Element."
I suspect the masses will enjoy this movie in large numbers because it seems most are programmed to like movies that have expensive trailers, computer-generated special effects and enormous budgets...the current defining principles of Hollywood. So see "The Mummy" if you must but prepare to be disappointed.