Alrighty gentlemen and ladies, we gots ourselves a review of the Mummy from an escapee from a mental institution that's wanted for murder and all types of other unsavory acts.... Like raising a sun that steals credit cards and makes off with all your money. But... She is forgiven, she sent in her observations on this cinematic chiller.... Here's the lady...
I saw THE MUMMY tonight. I was given a complimentary
pass to this advance screening after an embarrassing
episode at Universal Studios' T2-3D ride. Just for
kicks, a friend of mine took me in without telling me
first what it was. If you ask me, that's kinda like
taking a VietNam vet to see PLATOON on his birthday.
Needless to say, I wasn't laughing.
Actually, nobody was because I freaked out and dove
through one of the screens. Anyway, after the police
threw a net over me and pumped me full of sedatives
the studio gave me some movie passes... anything to
keep me happy and as far away from the park as
possible.
At the screening I bumped into evil genius Moriarty
and his grotesque henchmen. Just between you and I,
these guys are awful. They tried every pick-up line
in the book on me. It was embarrassing, actually. I
told them that I was flattered but would kick their
asses if they didn't stop. They knew I wasn't playing
around and became perfect gentlemen very quickly...
just in time for the movie to start.
To put it simply, the first shot of the film made me
lose my damn mind. Words can't describe it, so I
won't even try. You just have to see it for yourself.
But I will say that it's so perfect and spectacular
that it's what you'd imagine a live-action Disney
Animated film would look like. Again... wow, wow,
wow.
Overall, the film is really enjoyable... the kind you
get the feeling was made by people who love movies and
love making them. It's grand, extremely well crafted,
and one cool ride. Rather than give you the story
synopsis, since I'm certain Moriarty will include it
in his review, I'll give you my reactions...
Writer/director Stephen Sommers does a great job
breathing new life into the old story. His Mummy
isn't a guy wrapped in bandages, slowly limping after
his victims. Instead, he's created a monster that's a
real threat that can release plagues and change form.
At the same time, though, this is a sincere tribute to
the 30's/40's Universal monster movies. I wish the
makers of those old films could see this new telling.
I bet they'd get a real thrill out of it.
The film is also very reminiscent of RAIDERS OF THE
LOST ARK and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. In many ways I feel
it's the successor to RAIDERS that the two INDY
follow-ups should have been. It's got that RAIDERS
feel... it's scary, it's gruesome, it's dangerous,
it's funny, it's old fashioned, and it's a hell of a
lot of fun. The structure is somewhat formulaic, it
does rely on stereotypes, and you have a pretty good
idea who's gonna die from the beginning. But somehow
it manages work so well that it's easy to overlook
these (I hesitate to call them flaws)aspects.
Brendan Fraser, who I don't always like, is a perfect
meaty matinee hero. He balances the action and humor
with panache. Also, not since Bob Hoskins in ROGER
RABBIT has an actor played this well to characters
later added in post production. I say this, of
course, not having seen Liam Neeson's performance in
you know what. But let's not get into that.
Even though I got to go for free, I can safely say
it's worth eight bucks because I plan to see it again
while it's in theaters. It's one of those films that
works best on the big screen. So don't be a jerk
and wait for video. Surprisingly, I can even see this
as a great date movie. Even with the mild language
and no graphic sex, it's probably not wise to take any
young children to this one, though. Like RAIDERS,
it's got a nasty edge and when people die, believe
me... they die!
So if you're up for a cool flick and can stomach the
sight of flesh-eating bugs and reanimated rotting
corpses, check it out.
-- SARAH CONNOR, 01:59, 04/29/99[END OF TRANSMISSION]
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