A rollicking good adventure...

Rating: 8/10 (4 July 1999)

First let me preface this review, this is not, despite what some would have you believe, a horror film, it's purely an adventure film and should be viewed as such. Secondly, I've never seen the 1932 original, so as to just how similar the two films are I honestly don't know (although at a hunch I'd guess that the answer to that one would be 'not very').
Okay now let's get down to business. I must say right off that this film quite surprised me, I wasn't expecting it to be anywhere near as much fun as it was after seeing the trailer advertised over the last couple of months, it looked like just another of the recent trend of vacuous blockbusters, all effects and little charm or plot, we all know the films that fit into this ever expanding category, 'Godzilla', 'The Avengers', 'Batman And Robin' and 'Lost In Space' being some of the worst offenders in recent times.
However 'The Mummy' is not one of those films, in fact it's a Hell of a lot of fun, and while far from perfect it has a charm to it that carries everything through to the end with gusto. Like director Stephen Sommers previous film 'Deep Rising' this isn't deep (if you'll pardon the pun), it's just big dumb tongue in cheek fun, and all the more enjoyable for not trying to convince you that its any more than that.
Stephen Sommers' direction is fine, but lacks a little something, a certain spark or energy that would elevate this film from 'very good' to 'great' fun. The script by Sommers, LLoyd Fonvielle and Kevin Jarre, and based on the original 1932 Mummy script by John L. Balderston, suffers a similar fate. It manages to sustain the fun throughout without ever really nailing it down perfectly.
Performance wise Brendan Fraser is quite well suited to this kind of role and is a very appealing lead, and is obviously having a ball with the role, while Rachel Weisz plays the slightly ditzy heroine well and John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Erick Avari, Bernard Fox, Omid Djalili and especially Oded Fehr and (for once quite effective) comic relief sidekick Kevin J. O'Connor also adding significantly to the overall fun of the film.
Also boasting some nicely handled cinematography by Adrian Biddle and some effective (and at times quite clever) FX, 'The Mummy' is big budget entertainment for the masses done well.
While it's not quite in the 'Indiana Jones' league, 'The Mummy' is quite an enjoyable film all in all and well worth your time and money, especially if you love a good adventure film. Good value.
8/10