# Mummy, The (1999)

### reviewed by
Robert Workman

Bob the Happy Bastard's Quickie Review:

    THE MUMMY

Brendan Fraser's stuck in the past again, but at least this time he has something better to do than to quote sitcom lines and try to woo Alicia Silverstone...

Fraser is the lead star of The Mummy, the second directorial effort from action director Stephen Sommers (who also brought us the decent thrill ride that was Deep Rising). It's a rough adaptation of the 1932 film, and I say rough because it focuses more on special effects than on some guy in bandages, like Boris Karloff was engulfed in.

But who cares, the movie has a sort of swashbuckling quality to it you can't get from, oh, say, Godzilla or Armageddon. Fraser plays a soldier who gets a premonition during a battle with soldiers in an Egyptian ground. Basically, it's a little sign from the mummy buried underneath- a priest named Ihmoetep who was buried alive for taking part of murdering the King and making out with his mistress. His plan- wake back up and wake her up also, making him invincible.

Of course, Fraser returns to the site years later with a librarian (Rachel Weisz) and her brother (John Hanna), along with a former buddy of his (Deep Rising's Kevin J. O'Connor) and some "Americans"...and guess what? Yup, Ihmoetep (Arnold Vosloo) awakens and wreaks havoc. Fire flies from the sky, flesh-eating beetles crawl about, and, well, Ihmoetep's plan begins to unfold.

OK, so it's not really all that new a story, but the way Sommers tells it is entertaining enough. The special effects from Industrial Light and Magic are top notch, and the acting from Fraser and Weisz isn't half bad either. The action is pretty intense (favorite scene: the sandstorm) and there are a few shocking scenes just to jolt you horror-loving folks as well.

No, it's no Phantom Menace beater, but if you're looking for a solid warm-up to the summer movie season, you won't find a better film under wraps than The Mummy. If this doesn't give Fraser forgiveness from Blast From the Past and Encino Man, then nothing will.

    RATING: 8 (out of 10)

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