THE MUMMY

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sensuality, violence, language, thematic elements

Rated:

The kind of movie that has to grow on you over time, The Mummy is a tongue-in-cheek glimpse into Egyptian mythology. The story is as old as the temples of Egypt -- high priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) conspires with the less-than-half-dressed mistress of the Pharaoh to do the ruler in and both are captured. The mistress, believing her beloved can raise her from the dead, kills herself, but before Imhotep can finish his incantations, he is buried alive and infested with inside-eating bugs, then placed under a curse. If anyone dare awaken him, he will wreak havoc on the earth, and woe to all who fight him.

Thousands of years later, Rick O'Connel (Brendan Fraiser), an American Foreign Legion officer, stumbles upon the long-lost tomb while battling Arab raiders in the 1920s. Barely escaping with his life, he later hooks up with Evie (Rachel Weiz) and Jonathan (John Hannah), two archeologist wannabes who are seeking for fame, fortune, and the Book of the Dead -- an ancient Egyptian novel that holds great power and history and takes them to the tomb, followed closely by a rival band of American treasure seekers. Unfortunately, through a series of bumbling mistakes, the interlopers accidentally set Imhotep free. Mostly bone and marrow, he's sickening enough to make you want to puke, and the film only gets worse as it goes along. Imhotep steals organs from unwilling humans in a gruesome fashion, kisses Evie when he's only half-human, and then sets about destroying the earth. His quest, however, is to bring his one true love back from the dead... talk about a dry girlfriend! The premise is enough to make everyone groan, but still the film was a sell-out .

I'm not much into Mummy movies, and never intended to see this film, save it was dropped directly into my lap when it aired on Starz, and having nothing else to do and an acute curiosity, I sat down and watched it. Ironically, it has a great sense of humor and kept me in stitches for the first part of the film. Evie, I especially liked for her beauty, character and spunk. From the moment she stepped onto the screen and knocked over every bookcase in the library, I knew I would like her. Violence and gore abound in this two-plus hour film, much of it unneeded and stomach-turning. I really didn't want to see acid eating through human flesh, bugs that can infect your skin and eat you from the inside out (after first crawling up your arms and legs inside your skin!), and skeleton warriors little more than bones and sinew. Pharaoh's mistress wears a mesh top and thong bottom, and although you can't pick out the details, it's rather unnerving and unnecessary. Also, I wasn't certain, but it seemed in some shots that Evie's black Egyptian pantaloon dress was rather sheer as well. 

I'd say The Mummy is one to stay away from. Not only is it disturbing in its body and gore count, but it strictly defies truth. If there were a cursed thing on earth (a mummy, for example) it could be broken, and not by some muttered incantation from an ancient book, but by the power of Jesus Christ. Of course, Hollywood's never worked at that angle. Perhaps they should.