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The Mummy
Collector's Edition
(Widescreen)
review by Zach B.
Rated PG-13
Studio: Universal
Running Time: 125 minutes
Starring Brenden Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah,
Johnathan Hyde, Kevin J. O'Connor
Screenplay by Stephen Sommers
Story by Stephen Sommers, Lloyd Fonvelle and Kevin Jarre
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Retail Price: $29.95
Features: Commentary with Stephen Sommers and Bob
Ducsay, Building A Better Mummy Documentary, Cast and
Filmmakers Bios, Production Notes, Egyptology 101 Deleted
Scenes, Visual and Special Effects Forumlation, Theatrical
Trailers
Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, French 2.0 Dolby Surround, English Subtitles,
Chapter Search
The summer of 1999 seems like it was last week to me, but
it's hard to believe it's been a good while as of writing
this since the new "Mummy" made its debut. I did miss it in
theaters, and personally, I didn't know how well the film
was going to do. It was an early summer release, but "Star
Wars Episode 1" was right around the corner, and at the time
Universal was releasing a string of box office bombs.
However, "The Mummy" became one of the biggest hits of 1999,
as it made well over 100 million domestically and earned
some really nice reviews. I guess it also revived Universal
in a sense, because they've been doing a lot better ever
since. I was surprised it did so well, but I really
shouldn't have been: there's a lot to like about this
adventure.
I don't know if you'd even consider "The Mummy" a remake,
I'd say, more of a franchise revival, something for the new
generation. It's very loosely based on the original
Universal film from decades a go. In this "update" or
whatever you'd like to call it, Evelyn, a librarian and her
brother Johnathon are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the
like. Her brother ends up stealing a rare artifact of some
kind from Rick O'Connell, who was once at the mythical city
Hamunaptra. When the two go to ask O'Connell about it, he's
in a cell being held captive and about to be sentenced to
death. Evelyn convinces him to be released (it requires a
bribe) and soon the three are off with the artifact to
uncover ancient secrets, exploring and whatnot. They are
joined by a rival team out to get some riches as well, and
pretty soon they unleash the Mummy and it's all tied
together with your predictable but very fun romantic
chemistry between Evelyn and O'Connell, some trickery and
incredible special effects loaded action sequences packed
with suspense.
"The Mummy" is pretty much what summer movies are about,
and it has a lot of factors that probably made it a big
success. It's pure popcorn entertainment, it's kind-of
"Indiana Jones" like (and many people did make comparisons
to this film and that series). There's a good story with
very good acting, some great directing from Sommers and a
load of excellent, well executed action sequences that never
got dull or boring. When you think the film may get slow,
Sommers knows exactly what to do and something new happens,
and it all picks up and you're entertained by it. It's not
that the script and story is terrible, it's just pretty one
sided and in reality, nothing new when you strip away the
excellent Industrial Light And Magic effects, the exotic
setting and costumes and interesting characters. Still, what
you take away makes it what it is. It's a good story, but
you don't see a movie like this for the story. You see it
for a good old time, and that's what you get.
There is one fine ensemble cast in this movie. Brendan
Fraser makes the leap from very likeable, goofy and charming
comedic actor to the dashing, heroic leading man. Fraser,
who I think has some great range and great timing is perfect
as Rick O'Connell. He acts and plays it out the way the
character should be: fun, cocky and like Fraser himself,
likeable. Rachel Wiesz and John Hannah, Fraser's companions
on the quest play off him really well, and with Wiesz, they
have excellent chemistry. They do a fantastic job in
establishing their characters. Arnold Vosloo, Oded Feher and
Kevin J. O'Connor do some great work in more minor roles and
are also great to watch (and all three are on a commentary
track on this disc, what luck... but more on that later).
Stephen Sommers, who was responsible for such films as
"Deep Rising" and some Disney family fare ("The Adventures
of Huck Finn", the live action "Jungle Book") knows what
he's doing here. He has some great direction and vision, and
brings such an amazing world to life with his script and
mind. The editing is great and so are the sound effects, as
well as some very good camera shots. And of course, you have
your ILM effects which you can't effect. Whether it is CGI
mummies, bugs or battles, they are really impressive and
make the movie even more fun.
"The Mummy" is a just a well rounded, fun movie. Grab the
popcorn, crank up your speakers and enjoy the two hour ride.
The film is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and this
still ranks as one of the best Universal transfers I've ever
seen. Places where I expected artifacting and shimmering
there was little to none. Colors are saturated really well,
bringing the bright yellows and dark tones of Egypt to full
life. Detail is also exceptional, and the black level is
very consistent and constructed perfectly. Interior and
exterior shots were really impressive too, sort of like a
moving portrait. If there's any complaints, it's that
there's some dirt and grain here and there, as well as some
noise. Also, during a few scenes a line splits down the
picture toward the left for only a few seconds, as the image
remains a bit soft during that time. No doubt though, it's
one fine transfer. A
full
frame version is also available, so choose which one you
want.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is incredibly discrete, as
"The Mummy" is an excellent movie to show off your sound
system with. 5.1 was made for movies like this. There's
plenty of great surrounds as an adventurous, bone-chilling
atmosphere is created. During Chapter 2 there's some
excellent dynamic range, as with all of the action
sequences. From the fights, the screams, Mummys popping out,
the insects crawling and the guns going off, everything
here's a real winner. It's mixed with much creativity, and
dialogue sounds very clear here. There's just a lot as far
as sounds with the movie, because, it's an action
blockbuster type of film. Jerry Goldsmith's fabulous score
sounds amazing as well. There's a French 2.0 track and
English subtitles.
A Commentary With Writer/Director Stephen Sommers and
Editor Bob Duscay. Duscay has edited every Sommers film
since they were in film school together, and the two seem to
be pretty good friends. They are very relaxed and are really
enjoyable to listen to. They make jokes, are very talkative
and never sound dull. They share good production stories and
do remember quite a lot about making the movie. This is how
a commentary should be in my opinion. Very informative, but
light in a nature.
Building A Better Mummy is an excellent
documentary that lasts a sold fifty minutes (!). The
documentary uses clips from the original "Mummy", behind the
scenes footage, clips from this recent version and a whole
slew of interviews. This is a very in-depth documentary that
offers very good insight from the cast and crew. They talk
about the original "Mummy", the story, the characters, the
special effects and a whole lot more. This is really well
made and a blast to watch, so if you liked the movie, give
this a spin. You won't be disappointed. It's in full frame
in English, but I was quite pleased to find English, French
and Spanish subtitles.
Egyptology 101 is a really nice supplement to give
background on ancient Egypt. In addition to some nice text
reading about Gods, Artifacts, Immortals, Plagues and Maps,
there's some nice pictures. Each section has a lot of
information, so if you're into this kind of thing, you'll
really like it. I personally got a lot out of it and again,
it goes great with the movie. There's a lot to learn here.
Cast and Filmmakers gives filmographies and nice
biographies for the cast and crew (duh) while the
Production Notes give a great deal of information of
the film. Each have nicely designed menus.
There are Three Deleted Scenes that are in
non-anamorphic widescreen and two channel sound. It's easy
to see why they were cut, and total two minutes and eighteen
seconds. Not much, but still fun to watch.
Visual And Special Effects Forumlation is a nifty
feature that's narrated by the film's special effects
supervisor, John Berton. Five scenes ("City Of Thebes",
"Scarab Burial", "Serious Trouble", "Imhotep Eats Scarab"
and "Rick Rescues Evelyn") are here and in similar to some
Disney animated DVDs, you go from an early stage of the
production to the final. You can choose to watch the Plate
Photography, Visual Effects Elements, Composited Shot and
Final Feature Sequence for each. Nicely done and
interesting.
Finally, there's the Theatrical Trailer and
Teaser Trailer for the film as well as a Universal
Showcase for "End Of Days" and "For Love Of The Game"
(BOO!). Also, within the bios there's "Darkman II" (for
Vosloo) and "Gods and Monsters" (for Fraser). Each is in
full frame.
Another stellar Universal Collector's Edition. Great 5.1
and transfer, as well as good supplements. Be sure to check
it out.
 (4/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
(4.5/5)
 (3.5/5)
(4/5,
NOT an average)
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