Universals originalMummyis well regarded as a part of Universals classic run of 30s monster films.
To be blunt, it does not stand up in the same way as the better knownDraculaandFrankenstein.
It lacks the set pieces of other Universal horrors, and the pacing is funereal.
Much of the cast is taken fromDracula(as is the main title music, TchaikovskysSwan Lake).
It does not work it merely emphasises the lack of other highlights in the film.
Of course, as soon as he dies, someone does in fact bring up the Princesss tomb.
These intruders are Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and his wise-cracking compadre Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford).
They are unemployed archeologists in need of a dig to utilise their skills and grow their bank balances.
Once inside, they quickly discover a coffin, and the surprisingly fresh Mummy inside: Kharis.
Masquerading as an Egyptologist, Andoheb has joined the expedition and activates the undead bodyguard.
Unlike Imhotep, who requires an incantation to come back from the dead, Kharis is technically not dead.
He is barely conscious, kept in a state of suspended animation by a drug derived from tana leaves.
They dont even give a reason why Kharis would not harm her.
This abrupt character turn leads to an ending filled with random cliches.
Our heroes embrace and stroll off into the sunset.
Hes just mindless muscle for Andoheb.
And while George Zucco gives the role a certain sadistic relish, as a character Andoheb is completely useless.
Apart from Cecil Kellaway, the rest of the cast leave little impression.
This is a real shame because Chaney could be a truly empathetic screen presence.
Just check outThe Wolfman(1941) or his performance as Lennie inOf Mice And Men(1939).
Its the kind of melodramatic role that Chaney could have really milked.
But no cover him up and just have him stagger around a bit.
As with the previous movie, there is some re-capping of previous events with a quick montage.
This time it is delivered by George Zuccos Andoheb from the previous movie.
Last time we saw him, he was bald and seemingly dead.
Bey gets shot dead and Kharis hoofs it with the girl.
It all ends with Kharis seemingly perishing in the burning Banning estate.
Morale of the story: sometimes bloodthirsty mobs do have their uses.
Chaneys back and this time its for love!
He is tasked with bringing Kharis and his beloved Princess Ananka back to Egypt.
Guess their previous failures forced them to re-brand?
Here, he dies again after passing on information to his successor, Carradine, about Kharis.
After sending his wife to bed, the doctor follows the recipe and brews the leaves.
Thats the problem with this movie.
He cannot even fight off a neighbourhood dog.
Ultimately, Kharis is just a super-strong stooge for whoever resurrects him.
There is nothing interesting about Kharis as a character, because he does not have one.
The other major problem with this movie is that there is no main character we can get behind.
Kharis overhears this and kills him.
This leads to a sequence involving the dog chasing down Kharis as he tries to get away with Amina.
Lon Chaney Jr. makes his final appearance as the undead Kharis and I am really regretting this project.
Thankfully the promise of Hammer and Christopher Lee is keeping me going.
This does give the movie a little more juice.
Its a nice bit of scene setting and more fun than the series has previously been.
If you are wondering how our undead heroes made the trip south, keep wondering.
They are just there.
The location and set-up are interesting enough that an explanation is unnecessary.
They are here to excavate the bodies and take them back to the museum.
Unlike his predecessors, he is aided by a human follower, Ragheb (Martin Kosleck).
It is unclear whether it is Kharis or these two who have been killing the workers.
I wonder if Tom Tyler got royalties for his cameo?
While he slowly chases her through the woods, Ananka conveniently passes out near a road.
They pick Ananka up and drive away.
She is easily the most sympathetic character in the film.
The hero just happens to turn up to save the girl and blah blah blah.
Kharis destroys the monastery; Ananka reverts to her desiccated form and the hero marries the heroine.
Its a creepy touch, and more than the character has received in past entries.
Ultimately,The Mummys Curseis no better and no worse than the otherMummyfilms of this era.
Recognising that the series had run dry, Universal put the series on ice.
It would take nearly 15 years before audiences saw Kharis again…
Considering how fast the originalMummyseries declined, it is surprising that this did not happen sooner.
Klaris (stuntman Eddie Parker) takes the place of the much abused Kharis to torment our bumbling heroes.
A few words about our undead antagonist: Overall, a major improvement.
The effect here is much more arresting and alive.
The film has a few other points of interest.
Considering the lack of original ideas in past Mummy movies, this movie is positively inspired.
Apart from our villains, this is pretty by-the-numbers stuff.
The result was one of their best films.
Though it is titledThe Mummy, it draws more inspiration fromThe Mummys Handand its sequels than the 1932 original.
This is to the good Lees Kharis is a more soulful and ultimately terrifying creature than the Universal iteration.
One only wishes they gave him more screen time.
As our hero, Peter Cushing is his usual reliable self as archeologist Stephen Banning.
Crippled during the initial discovery of Anankas tomb, he is initially spared from Khariss wrath.
Though physically handicapped, he bravely attempts to save his friends from Lees unstoppable monster.
Ultimately, wit wins out over brawn, as Banning outmanoeuvres Kharis and the priest who resurrected him.
Like Lee, Pastell is head and shoulders above the similar characters from the Universal series.
This does not sit well with the Mummy, who kills him instead.
Hammer honcho James Carreras takes the helm as both writer and director for Hammers secondMummypicture.
It is a major qualitative dip from Fishers work.
The story is pretty similar to previousMummyfilms, but is filled with meaningless digressions and tangents.
The scene in which the Mummy, Ra, kills King is the scariest part of the film.
Carreras shoots the scene in a fog-filled alley staircase.
Almost as good is the attack on an elderly Egyptologist.
He turns to face his living room windows, which are completely obscured with fog.
The viewer hears the sounds of a dog barking and then being cut off.
In an improvement on previous Mummy pictures, this Mummy is given an eerie aural signature heavily modulated breathing.
Overall, the story makes little sense and there is a lack of forward momentum.
However, it turns out that Beauchamp is actually Ras brother.
Written and directed by John Gilling, this movie benefits from a more developed story and characters.
The characters look like theyve been in the desert for a few months.
This movie is not that well-regarded, but I found it all rather enjoyable and involving.
Played by Eddie Powell (Christopher Lees stunt double), his movements are too casual and lack menace.
At one point, he even resorts to the old cat jump scare.
Finally, a mummy of a different kind.
The picture was completed by Michael Carreras, whose ham-fisted touch is thankfully not detectable in the final product.
Blood From The Mummys Tombis only the first adaptation of this Stoker story.
After so many movies, it is a relief that there are no bandages to be seen here.
Instead the emphasis is on reincarnation and possession.
However, of all theMummymovies to this point, it has the most uncanny atmosphere.
The cast are solid.
Andrew Keir took over the lead from Peter Cushing, and acquits himself well.
With the Queen a largely unseen presence, Villiers is an excellent stand-in.
As the queen/Keirs daughter, Valerie Leon matches her co-stars to help give this piece some gravitas.
Overall,Blood From The Mummys Tombis a neat little deviation from the established Mummy formula.
Various notable talents, including Goerge Romero, Joe Dante and John Sayles, were involved at various stages.
Its the usual intellectual vs brute dynamic weve seen before, but it is well-handled.
While re-watchingThe Mummy, one question kept blaring through my mind: What the hell happened to Brendan Fraser?
He is the biggest special effect in this movie.
Though he is capable of the usual action hero schtick, he feels like a regular guy.
How about our villain?
Right from the opening shot of the Sphinx, it takes you out for awhile.
Now to my real issue with this movie.
I have major problems with the character of Gad Hassan, played by Omid Djalili (The Infidel).
The filmmakers are basically equating one of the major Egyptian characters to an animal.
Its an ugly moment that feels like a joke from a movie made 50 years ago.
And so the good times have come to pass.
After the one-two punch ofBlood From The Mummys TombandThe Mummy99, we are sinking back into the dreck.
Only up a few inches, but the feeling is not comfortable.
This movie is the poster child for the wasteland of Summer 2001.
Name a blockbuster from that year.
Was there one you liked?
This movie suffers from repeating the previous movie, and simultaneously forgetting what made it so much fun.
Everything from the original returns, only augmented to laughable extremes.
Its vaguely entertaining in bits and pieces, but lacks the straightforward story of the original.
There is too much fantasy here, which robs the movie of any drama.
The terrible special effects do not help in this regard.
There are some saving graces.
The movie is still funny, with the chemistry between Fraser and Weisz patching over some poor exposition.
Summers also gives his antagonists more powers the sentries return, now capable of acrobatic feats reminiscent of Spider-Man.
They also sprout poisonous claws.
The introduction of the dirigible is the moment the movie jumps the shark from enjoyably ridiculous to stupidly ridiculous.
The how to series of hieroglyphs OConnell finds that reveal how to kill the Scorpion King are hilariously stupid.
And now onto Alex OConnell, Rick and Evies son, played by Freddie Boath.
Sometimes he is an 8 year old, other times hes wise-cracking like someone 20 years older.
All in all, he comes off as a vaguely dislikable smart ass.
Ultimately,The Mummy Returnsserves as a great example of how to do this kind of franchise poorly.
When there is a spell for any malady, what is the point of the story?
Nothing matters inThe Mummy Returns, so the stakes never feel real.
And a lot of that had to do with the tone Sommers brough to proceedings.
Under the sledgehammer direction of Rob Cohen, all the charm of these characters has vanished.
The tone is unrelentingly bland, the acting rote and the attempts at comedy… Ugh.
Jet Li not on-screen long enough to differentiate his character from Imhotep.
We start with a series of shots of the soldiers walking up the mountain.
He cuts to a mid-shot of Rick running forward, looking out of frame.
The romantic subplot feels wedged in and completely unnecessary.
However, what is truly detrimental is the complete lack of humour.
He might have gone too far with the gags, but at least Sommers knew how to stage comedy.
Cohens handling of the movies comedy moments is leaden.
Theres no looseness to the staging or the delivery, no sense of fun.
Thats the other thing the dynamic between Rick and Alex is all wrong.
It is not all bad.
Randy Edelmans score is fantastic especially during the OConnnells trek through the Himalayas.
It feels like a homage to Abbott and Costellos Club Klaris, but who knows.
The Yetis are a nice diversion.
The movie needed more offbeat moments like this.
As these films show, Alex Kurtzmans reboot is nothing new.
And hopefully, they throw away the formula this time: too manyMummymovies can be reduced to supernatural slashers.
Give us something new and unique, otherwise audiences may stay away.
