Raiders of the Lost Sandbox

Rating: 5/10 (16 October 1999)

How film maker Stephen Sommers saw Boris Karloff's classic 1932 MUMMY and came up with this confused mess is beyond my comprehension. Despite being souped up to the max with ILM's best CG special effects, the only horror in this film is that for $80 million dollars it never comes close to being scary or providing a moment of suspense.
Instead, Sommers seems intent on aping the Indiana Jones adventures, with lackluster leads Brendan Fraser and Rachel Wiesz striving for ENGLISH PATIENT-like sparks that never ignite. Scottish thespian John Hannah is dragged along for the camel ride, his reluctance to do the film showing at every cryptic turn. Even Bernard Fox, who went down with the Titanic (twice!), doesn't survive this pyramid of bad judgement. "Calling Dr. Bombay! Emergency! Come right away!"
Over-long at 125 minutes, this overwrought confusion of action and comedy seems like angry siamese twins - one wanting to be funny and glib - the other intense and moody. Neither wins and chances are you'll find yourself longing for THE MUMMY'S REVENGE rather than the already planned MUMMY 2 sequel. Any number of the rag-tag MUMMY films would be a treat compared to this. The DVD release is crammed with boring extras that (like the film) don't know when to keep mum.
"Calling Mr. Karloff! Emergency! Come right away!"