Good, solid and most importantly FUN entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (11 January 2007)

The Mummy is truly one of those movies that you can watch again and again. The plot is pretty flimsy however the writers are well aware of this and although the film does not generate into a full blown spoof there is vibe all the way through the film that everyones 'in on the joke'. The Mummy's charm lies in that although it is light-hearted you're never left in a situation where you wouldn't be rooting for the hero.
Meanwhile Brendan Fraser puts in a great performance as Rick O'Connell and proves that he is guy who can handle the demands of stunt and effects heavy film. Rachel Weisz is good too as the clumsy librarian Evelyn. The real stars though are the supporting actors. John Hannah is absolutely hilarious as Evelyn's brother Jonathan and manages to steel every scene he's in with a brilliant one-liner, in fareness though Weisz and Fraser seem aware of this and have no trouble reinforcing each punch-line's impact. Oded Fehr is great too as a descendant of the Phaoroah's bodyguard he too has some great lines and like the others maintains a degree of sincerity without ever taking himself too seriously.
The effects are great too and there are some cracking set-pieces most notably the one on the steam boat and the opening battle at Hamunaptra. In all the action scenes though there is an emphasis on making it fun and not too brutal, this I think gives the film a more wide ranging appeal - even if it is let down slightly by the inevitable romance between Evelyn and Rick which is not done quite as well as the rest of the film although it still has humorous moments.
Overall? Well worth two hours of your time if you have or haven't seen it - 8 out of ten.