awesome opener for the summer season

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2001)

I gave this one a nine based solely on the fact that it's probably the first summer blockbuster to come out this holiday season (well, I consider summer movies a holiday season. . . I don't know about you). It does suffer from "sequel-itis" to some extent, but that's not a problem when you look at all the awesome special effects, hilarious comedy, and excellent fight sequences.
Sure, it lacks the suspense it seems to be going for and many of the plot turns are simply stupid, but anyone should be able to tell that this 21st century rendition of the classic story of "The Mummy" is one that comes with a lot of farce. I liked being able to predict certain things because it made me feel so comfortable that I didn't expect the other things coming. And sure, some of the stuff was so stupid that you had to slap your forehead and shake your head in disdain, but do you think that Stephen Sommers made this film with the intent of winning an Oscar or something? Maybe making a buttload of money yes, but you've gotta give some credits to the sell-outs out there who can make money and be extremely entertaining at the same time!
I thought that the whole thing had this sort of old-fashioned style to it, like an old serial from the thirties, i.e. Captain Marvel or Batman. It was kind of like this really cool western that utilized some really funny cliches that nobody's seen for a while. Specifically, I think I'm talking about some of the scenes involving the Magi. Then there were other scenes that were a lot like Star Wars Episode 1 when JarJar's people are fighting the droids. This film just came together to use a lot of old techniques and themes that work really well and kept me entertained throughout.
It's a great starter for the summer season. Makes me feel more optimistic about what's to come, probably because all the awesome trailers that came before the feature. Anyway, this is definitely worth your money even if the little kid in it can be a little annoying and the plot wraps around you like a badly weaved afghan with a thousand huge holes in it!