Average with a few nice special effects

Rating: 5/10 (10 May 1999)

This movie is flat. It does not draw you in. Some of the special effects were pretty good - if you've seen the preview, you've seen them.
The prejudicial stereotypes of Arabs were unpleasant. They were depicted as stupid, smelly, uncouth, underhanded, etc. One cannot imagine a major studio releasing stereotypes like this of blacks or Jews nowadays, but apparently Arabs are still fair game.
I suspect the movie is being both helped and hurt by Matrix. Matrix was so good with such incredible effects and a good story, that I was hoping such innovation had become standard - that the next big release would also be able to match it. So I went with high hopes. Which were dashed. Matrix really was a creative work. Mummy was just boring.
My bet is that after a colossal first weekend based on audience hope, the movie drops like a stone.