The Movie:

While we all have seen clips from the original Boris Karloff Mummy from 1932, the modern day imagining hit theaters with a bang though admittedly it had nothing to do with the classic. 1999 was a big year for Stephen Sommers' The Mummy and the franchise quickly became a phenomenon with the sequel, Returns, following only two years later. Many components went into making this new Mummy as successful as it was but for the most part it was thanks to some decent CGI for its day, enjoyable action sequences, a fun script, and spot-on acting from its main cast. Granted these elements go a long way to making any film successful but the bottom line for this particular one is that everything just clicked right from the start.

The film begins in 1290 B.C. in Egypt where the High Priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) is having an affair with his beloved Anck-su-namun. This may seem well and good but considering Anck-su-namun is a mistress of the Pharaoh Seti there are inherently some flaws in that plan. Seti busts in on the two and it inevitably leads to his murder. For his betrayal Imhotep and his priests are mummified alive but a special cursed mummification is saved for the High Priest. Basically he's to remain undead for all eternity and if he's ever awoken he'll be an invincible plague upon mankind. Great for the Egyptians who did this; bad for us!

At any rate the film fast forwards to the year 1932 A.D. and joins the adventures of Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) who is a Captain of a French Foreign unit fighting a battle in Egypt. Just when all hope seemed lost for Rick his enemies back away in terror and the ground beneath his feet begins to erupt and form the image of a face. Generally when this happens it's not a good thing. Once again the movie shifts forward but this time around it's only by a few years. We see an aspiring Egyptologist name Evie (Rachel Weisz) being gifted a box and map by her brother Jonathan (John Hannah). Soon enough the two come across Rick O'Connell who is being held on death row but they must save the man since he is the only known survivor who can lead them to Hamunaptra, city of the dead.

This leads the trio on a trip back to Hamunaptra in search of treasure and what have you. Queue up the discovery of the Book of the Dead and Evie unwittingly reading from a few pages and all the sudden hell breaks loose. Deadly scarabs scuttle about, locusts swarm, the sand seems lively, and oh, the dead happen to resurrect. Imhotep soon returns to Earth and what transpires is a fight for the world as Rick, Evie, and Jonathan must do everything in their power to take the mummy out. The Mummy is an over-the-top thrill ride from start to finish and it's arguably one of the most endearing action movies from the past decade.

There are many reasons The Mummy entertains but probably the biggest is the cast. Fraser, Weisz, and Hannah all work incredibly well together and the film simply teems with energy when they're all on screen. Vosloo plays Imhotep wonderfully and he brings a semi-serious tone to the otherwise hokey plot. All around you can tell by watching this picture that the cast had a great time making it and that definitely comes through. Of course you can't have a successful cast if your script is poor so thankfully that aspect of this film is good as well.

While the story of The Mummy may be a rather straightforward ruckus action adventure with some very light horror elements it's presented with a certain whimsical charm. From the one-liners being shot off every few minutes to the jokes that take some time to build up, just about every ounce of humor here is successful. If you have never seen the film then you're in for a nonstop, white knuckled experience that will keep you laughing; chuckling at the very least.

Sommer's approach to make The Mummy as ostentatious and wild as possible pays off big. His vision and crew captured lightning in a bottle with this film and from the start it's clear that the movie is a success. Sure its plot is light and yes some of the scenes are downright silly but when you get right down to it this is a fun, entertaining film that always promises a good time. If you have never actually seen it before then unwrap those bandages and break out of your sarcophagus and pick this release up. You'll be glad you did!

Despite the additional content included with this two disc DVD The Mummy Deluxe Edition features a newly restored picture. Just like its successor, The Mummy Returns, the film is presented with its original 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio. Both films have received some fantastic treatment from Universal and it's safe to say that the franchise has never looked so good.

In the case of The Mummy you can expect some define clarity in the picture that wasn't there before and darker moments that simply hold up better. I'm not saying that the original transfer for The Mummy was bad by any means. It does stand to reason though that after so many years without a touch-up job most any film will look dated; especially one with a focus on special effects and action. Such was the case with this one as the original transfer featured grain and some overall softness that didn't quite capture the quality that it could have. The picture never really stood out but it was acceptable to say the least. Thankfully the Deluxe Edition fixes most all of the complaints regarding the film's presentation on DVD. Shadows have much more definition now and grain is basically a thing of the past. Some of the changes are quite subtle but all around the image has been tightened up and it simply looks gorgeous. You would do well to replace your old version of the film with this latest transfer simply for the improved quality.

The Mummy was definitely designed to be a theatrical experience and as such you should expect your home theater to get a workout. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is rather immersive with some fine moments throughout the film that use the rear channels quite well. From crumbling rocks to hordes of scarabs underfoot and even the gallop of horses there's always some form of presence on the rear speakers. I must say that the music tends to drown most other components of this track out from time to time though I suppose that's par for the course. At any rate the sound is very clean and the track is nice and diverse with a fine presence on the soundstage.

It's worth noting here that if you're coming to this version from the "Ultimate Edition" of the film then you're missing out on the DTS track. This "Deluxe Edition" only features Dolby Digital so that's something of a downgrade for most. For spoken languages there are alternatives to the English here including 5.1 offerings for French and Spanish. Subtitles for all three languages are available as well.

Much like The Mummy Returns, The Mummy receives a decent spread of bonus material that is both new and familiar.

The first disc features a selection of deleted scenes which last only a couple of minutes. These are brief and slightly humorous though actually not quite as enjoyable as the content intended to be in the film. In addition to these scenes are three audio commentary tracks and each provides a unique experience. These are the same commentary tracks pulled from the "Ultimate Edition" of the film and feature one with Stephen Sommers and editor Bob Ducsay, another with Brendan Fraser, and the final one with Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Arnold Vosloo. The Sommers and Ducsav track was easily the most informative while the one with the three actors as more entertaining. Fraser's commentary was interesting as well but it was definitely the driest of the three.

Moving on to the second disc we get an interesting assortment of special features. First up is a digital copy of the film which can be installed on your PC or laptop. I still don't really see what the point of this is but that's something to be debated on the forums. After that is Another light supplemental here is a brief sneak peak at Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. This offering basically features the producers of the third installment patting themselves on the back about a job well done. There's really nothing that interesting in this feature since it basically serves as an extended trailer with some behind the scenes footage.

The first part of "An Army to Rule the World" is featured on the second disc. This little inclusion takes a look at the production of the film with some talk about the decision to make some CGI mummies as well as guys wrapped in bandages to serve as a nice throwback to the 1932 Karloff film. All around it's interesting to watch but it's very brief compared to some of the other features. If you picked up The Mummy Returns then you get the second part of that feature as well as the same offering of "Unraveling the Legacy of the Mummy". It's kind of cheap to include the same feature on the original and sequel though I suppose it does fluff up the "Deluxe" aspect of this release compared to previous editions.

"Visual and Special Effects Formation" offers an interesting and informative look at many of the more spectacular scenes in this film. For those of you returning to see what you're double dipping on this is one of those features. Newcomers will enjoy the wealth of detail and commentary about the production of the special effects though. The same can be said with "Building a Better Mummy" which clocks in at just about 50 minutes and offers a more substantial look at the special effects that brought the mummies to life. If you haven't seen it before you should definitely check this feature out.

New to the "Deluxe Edition" is a storyboard to film comparison which lasts about six minutes. These bits are kind of interesting with some crude artwork depicting how the scenes will turn out running adjacent with the final version of the scene. A four minute photograph montage is included here as well but as you'd imagine it's not particularly informative since it just shows some stills from the film and location shooting. Aside from a trailer for the film the only other features here are text based with information about Egyptology and the history of the Pharaohs.

Like its main antagonist, The Mummy withstands the test of time and is just as prominent as ever. The film may be almost ten years old but it's every bit as fun now as it was in 1999 when it was originally release. The action, the cast, the special effects, and script all create a wonderfully over-the-top experience that carries you along for a wild ride. This is simply a great movie that should be in your collection if it's not already and it's always a nice go to for a film to pass the time with.

The "Deluxe Edition" presents the movie with a newly restored transfer that definitely improves upon the image quality. Shadows are stronger, the picture is sharper, and there is noticeably less grain throughout the film. The loss of the DTS track from the "Ultimate Edition" does kind of hurt a bit and the fact that this release shares similar bonus features with The Mummy Returns' "Deluxe Edition" is silly as well. It's not a huge upgrade in terms of extra content but the video presentation should definitely entice anyone who owns a prior edition.

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