Before Cruise, before Fraser, there was... The Mummy!
A mummy is uncovered but also a box that is warned not be opened... so they leave it alone and this movie is over! Or someone opens it, Imhotep wakes up and takes off (there is a great moment where the person who sees this completely fails their sanity check and goes crackers). Later (as in some years later) this random guide who looks like a revived mummy points at the tomb of the queen and plans to resurrect her, using the body of the nearby hottie of the lead. The lead is too busy getting caught up in the possible threat of Imhotep to notice a mere guard, so Imhotep gets his way... until she basically says no and he dies.
Seriously, spoilers and all that, but the bad guy is defeated by the lady saying "hey, lady god, can you get rid of this guy?" Deus ex nilhio really. And this is after a movie of... I can see why various reboots put action sections in, because in this movie there is a lot of talk about how menacing Imhotep is, or how dangerous this thing is... but talk is all we get! There are two moments that at best are action beats, but not even then.
At least Boris Karloff gets some good make up, although the amount of desiccation on his face varies from shot to shot. He gets a marvelous threatening presence and a wonderful low toned voice to his speaking... but that's all there is.
So it does build some atmosphere, but doesn't pay it off well.
[END]
Saturday, 26 August 2017
Universal 1932B
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
It's an unusual, 'weird romance', to be sure - and absolutely not the 'shambling serial killer from the tomb' which most expect from a Mummy film. The first in a long line of sequels and remakes sets that template, and leaves this original (yes Millennials, this is the original, not the Brendan Fraser film!) as a unique stand-alone.
But naturally, I think Hammer's 'The Mummy 'is the best version ever!
I'm enjoying your occasional looks at the original 'Dark Universe', Jamas - keep it up!
Post a Comment