The Mummy
Like Austin Powers, this film is pure entertainment and fun.
Brendan
Fraser, who seems to be in everything at the moment, plays the hero
and Rachel Weisz is the very capable heroine. The story is more
or less the same as the 1930s film with Boris Karloff as the mummy.
Many Film Society members would have seen this when we showed it
earlier in the year. The main difference, other than the effects,
is that the woman in this film is not helpless and waiting to be
saved. She is a major protagonist in the film. She is an Egyptologist
and therefore can read hieroglyphics. She understands about the
curse and although is a little accident prone and brings about the
whole situation to begin with, she has an active role in saving
the day.
The effects are fantastic. I had two sci-fi/SFX fans with me when
I saw it and they both thought the effects were pretty good.
Even
with these effects, there are a few shots that are reminiscent of
the original film. I have heard that some people didn’t like it
and I think it is because they were looking for a horror film. It
is not a horror film, it is action/adventure with a few moments
that will make you jump. There is no suspense and the makers of
the film obviously haven’t taken the subject matter too seriously.
After all, how seriously can you take the story of a 3000 year old
resurrected mummy trying to resurrect his lover! The characters
even poke fun at the "spooky things" that happen every
time the curse is mentioned.
I enjoyed this film for the same reason I enjoyed Austin Powers, it is fun. In fact, if I had to choose which I liked more, I would probably say The Mummy. I think the filmmakers were aware that the best way to do a remake of the original was to make it funny and a little preposterous.
ChrisB
