Who knows why, but in 1999 Universal saw fit to resurrect the Mummy once again, under the helm of director Stephen Sommers. Sommers' version of The Mummy is a complete 180 degree flip from the original. This mummy is an action/adventure/comedy romp. There is exactly one "horror" scene and virtually no suspense. And yet, despite having almost nothing in common with the Karloff original, this version of The Mummy still ends up being very enjoyable.

The film opens in ancient Egypt, where High Priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) has an affair with the Pharaoh's wife, Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velazquez in a memorable cameo). When the Pharaoh discovers the tryst, he's killed by Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun commits suicide. Imhotep sweeps her corpse off to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, where he attempts to resurrect her. He is stopped by the guards of the Pharaoh, who mummify Imhotep's servants alive, and then place a vicious curse upon him before placing him in a sarcophagus full of scarabs. A condition of the curse is that should Imhotep ever be released, he will have enough power to destroy the world. Cut to 1923, and we find Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) an American in the French Foreign Legion, fighting against a tribe of Arabs at Hamunaptra. Even though it looks like Rick is doomed, something scares off the enemy, letting him wander into the desert and get away. While there, he gets hold of an artifact that contains a map, which leads its way to Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), an ancient Egyptian scholar. Evy (as her friends call her) convinces Rick to take her and her brother Jonathan (John Hannah) back to Hamunaptra. Evy wants to find artifacts. Jonathan wants gold. Once there, of course, they manage to accidentally bring Imhotep back to life, who begins the process of regenerating his powers. He also takes a liking to Evy, who we find out he plans to sacrifice in order to resurrect his love, Anck-Su-Naman.

The Mummy is a blend of action, adventure, and humor. Sommers makes no attempt to replicate or even mention any previous mummy films, nor does he really try to make this film feel like a period piece. This is a strictly modern action film that just happens to take place in the 1920's. But Sommers is good enough at making mindless fun-filled pictures that it doesn't really matter. Sommers isn't the world's best writer (for example, why use a curse that could destroy all of mankind?), but he knows how to keep the plot moving without feeling completely forced and mixing in a healthy dose of action and humor, to boot.

The reason this film really works, though, is because of the two leads: Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Fraser has proven himself to be an extremely versatile actor, capable of doing comedy, drama, and action with equal aplomb. Here, he glides along effortlessly as Rick, dropping one liners as easily as he blows holes in various supernatural nasties. He has such a wonderfully easygoing nature that his presence alone ensures the film never gets too dark.

Rachel Weisz makes Evy an interesting mix of beauty and brains. She plays the role with all of the dignity written for the part, but isn't afraid to stand up against the big boys, either. She has wonderful chemistry with Brendan Fraser, and is often capable of topping him in a scene. Of course, she's also absolutely gorgeous, and so works as the prize Rick is fighting to save.

Arnold Vosloo is only okay as the title character, but he's really the most interesting when covered in various CGI effects, because those really hit home his supernatural nature. When he's fully regenerated, he actually seems somewhat feminine and not a very imposing presence.

The other major factor of the film is the heavy use of CGI. At times, such as the horde of locust or the wall of sand, the CGI effects are almost entirely seamless, and lend themselves to creating the illusion of real peril. Others, such as the initial appearance of the mummy or the various scarabs that appear, are immediately noticeable as CGI and take you out of the movie. However, in the final tally, the CGI helps more than it hurts.

The HD DVD:

The Image:
Despite only being from 1999, The Mummy does not have the kind of transfer I would expect from a recent film. Presenting the picture in a 2.35:1 1080p VC1 transfer, Universal makes us realize just how quickly a great-looking film can go bad. Outdoor scenes in full daylight look fantastic, but the transfer has trouble with darker shots and indoor scenes. Some scenes exhibit a softness that does not seem intentional, and I noticed several marks on the print. The best looking scenes make the weaker sequences all the more disappointing. You know how good the film can look, so it's frustrating that not all the elements are there.

The Audio:
Similarly, the audio seems surprisingly meek for a balls-to-the-wall action flick like this. For one thing, the surrounds are barely used for anything but the score. Even during the gunfight at Hamunaptra, with bullets flying all over the place, the effects are limited to the front speakers. During the wall of sand sequence, when the wall passes from the left side of the screen to the right, again, nothing in the rear speakers. Sometimes, such as during the climactic fight, the bass also seems to be a lot quieter than it should be. This Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track really could have used a remix. Also available is a Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Spanish and French track.

The Supplements:
Feature commentary with writer/director Stephen Sommers and editor Bob Ducsay: Director Sommers keeps things airy in this commentary which makes for easy listening in the best possible sense. Sommers' comments show that he really does know what he's doing in his movies, and editor Ducsay provides a fine sense of camaraderie. Worth a listen.

Feature commentary with actor Brendan Fraser: Fraser gives a low-key commentary. It almost sounds like he's whispering. He spends most of the commentary laughing at various things, and gives a few anecdotes. Worth a partial listen.

Feature commentary with actors Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O'Connor and Arnold Vosloo: I've always been a sucker for group commentaries, and this one is no exception. While it doesn't reach the heights of, say, the commentary on Chasing Amy, the group still keep each other lively and have many interesting things to say. Worth a listen.

Building A Better Mummy: Just short of an hour, this documentary delves into the technical aspects of the CGI used in the film. It's very in-depth, interviewing almost every one who worked on the computer side of the movie, as well as the actors who had to work with the CGI effects. Towards the end, it veers toward fluff with all the actors complementing the director, but the majority of this documentary is highly informative.

Visual and Special Effects: A collection of work in progress shots on several of the more CGI-heavy scenes, this feature seems entirely redundant in the wake of the previous documentary.

Deleted Scenes: A short collection of deleted scenes that do not add up to much.

Storyboard to Film Comparison: These features have been around since the beginning of DVD. They're exactly what they say they are. At the top of the screen, you see the storyboards for a scene shown in succession. At the bottom, the final scene. Some people love these, but I don't find them all too interesting.

Photograph Montage: A collection of promotional stills from the film played against the film's score.

Theatrical Trailer: Shockingly, Universal includes the theatrical trailer, which seems to completely miss the sense of fun that makes the film so enjoyable.

None of the supplements are in high definition.

The Conclusion:
Not nearly in the same league as the Boris Karloff classic, Stephen Sommers' The Mummy still manages to succeed at being a mindless action comedy flick. While the audio and video quality isn't as high as it should be, a good set of supplements and the sheer sense of fun in the film make this disc Recommended.

Daniel Hirshleifer is the High Definition Editor for DVD Talk.