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Published on Thursday, April 29, 1999 - 1:20am |
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Segue Zagnut unwraps THE MUMMY
Here's the first of many spies that have come in to file their stories on THE MUMMY tonight. There should be 3 more by the time I'm finished with my reporting tonight. Moriarty is working on his, as are the other henchmen. But, Segue was the fastest and nimblest with the digits and wasn't caught fidgeting about. There are some spoilers contained in the review, not like the resolution type of thing, but... well... you know, mentioning some of the cool stuff. Ahhhh... taint to bad... Go on... It's mainly safe...
Head Geek
This is Segue Zagnut. I saw The Mummy and I'm ready to speak. This is the first movie for summer. This movie will herald
the beginning of an incredible movie season. And as a beginning it is perfect. It's not good enough to stand up to the finish, but
it rings in a start that's very strong.
The Mummy stars Branden Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo. It starts almost four thousand years ago
(that's BC), in Egypt. Vosloo (he plays the Mummy) is buried alive as punishment for loving the Pharaoh's sacred girlfriend... oh
and killing the Pharaoh. Next, it jumps to 1925 (that's AD), where Fraser is fighting for his life in front of Egyptian ruins. These
ruins are suppose to be hiding the huge stash of the Pharaoh's financial empire. We know it also holds the Mummy, waiting to
be brought back to rule the world through fear. The first third of the film is spent trying to find the gold and accidentally
unleashing the mummy. The rest is spent trying to send him back.
This is not a brilliant film. The story is simple. The dialogue is simple. For the most part the performances are simple. But it
plays well. It is fun. This is the kind of film that as a kid I went to the theater for... heroes and goblins, action and scares. The
movie never takes itself completely seriously, which gives it a relaxed charm. It allows you to not have your intelligence be
insulted even with many jumps in story logic. The look, the pacing, the humor and especially the action are confident.
Fraser sells it and I have never been a Fraser fan. Anyone who has the level of success he has had and still chooses to do a
movie like 'Blast from the Past', is not someone who's choices I trust. Yet, he was very good in 'George of the Jungle' believe it
or not and I understand also in 'Gods and Monsters'. In this, he makes the macho hero lines that could have been tired clichés
work, much like Keanu Reeves did in 'The Matrix'. Many of the ending fight scenes are just Fraser and digital stunt men in
combat to the death. These scenes are exciting and the Mummy henchmen officially make 'Jason and the Argonauts' look like
the dark ages of special effects.
Everyone else is fine and no one holds back the film by trying too hard to make it real. Or for that matter not trying hard
enough either. The film lands some where between 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and 'Goonies', which means that I think
opinions will be varied. Some will love it because it is fun, light and exciting. Others will hate it because it isn't dark, edgy or
new. I can image a version of this directed by Sam Raimi, that could've had everything right, but without that, this will do. The
Mummy is the perfect start to an overwhelming summer.
I think I've said too much. I've haven't said enough. Consider This...
Segue Zagnut
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Reader Talkback
Cool! by Spud | Apr 29th, 1999 01:23:38 AM | i want my mummy by perrin_aybara | Apr 29th, 1999 01:25:14 AM | macho hero lines by perrin_aybara | Apr 29th, 1999 01:28:22 AM | Deep Rising? by smilin'jackruby | Apr 29th, 1999 06:24:41 AM | MUMMIES? what in tarnations by rat | Apr 29th, 1999 06:31:46 AM | Mummie & Phantom Menace by Elan Vitale | Apr 29th, 1999 06:35:20 AM | harryhausen by m2298 | Apr 29th, 1999 06:53:19 AM | Effects in Mummy, TPM and my
grade 2 artwork by Violet Fire | Apr 29th, 1999 07:35:56 AM | Mummy, TPM and CGI by Woland | Apr 29th, 1999 08:22:09 AM | Who cares? by jmb | Apr 29th, 1999 08:43:47 AM | Want to see a truly great
mummy flick? by plasticmonster | Apr 29th, 1999 09:12:26 AM | ho-hum by L'Auteur | Apr 29th, 1999 09:28:59 AM | A guy with Kharis-ma by RobinP | Apr 29th, 1999 10:52:04 AM | Attn: Violet Fire by CaptBlood | Apr 29th, 1999 11:56:52 AM | Attn: CaptBlood by Violet Fire | Apr 29th, 1999 05:51:43 PM | Indiana Jones 4 by JoeBanks | Apr 29th, 1999 07:08:37 PM | I hate to admit ... by Elan Vitale | Apr 29th, 1999 07:33:23 PM | CGI Mummies by awill | Apr 29th, 1999 07:47:34 PM | And samples it's
peanut-buttery goodness! by Wolfpack | Jul 22nd, 2006 05:58:22 PM |
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