Blu-ray Review: The Mummy from Universal Studios
The Mummy
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Editor’s note- to learn more about Universal’s impressive Blu-ray efforts, see their great new website at www.universalhidef.com. It’s the best studio website I have seen to date and shows that with Blu-ray, you get much more than better pictures and sound.
Blu-ray Movie Review by: Lance Rhinehart
The 1932 classic film inspired this incredible 1999 remake and it brought with it all the special effects and movie magic that propelled it into an award winning classic for the second time. Now Universal Studios has released The Mummy on Hi-def Blu-ray with interactive U-control features that guarantee another advance in movie entertainment thrills. The Blu-ray visuals and sound bring the film to a new concentration of commingling between audience and film.
As we all know, Brendan Fraser as Rick O’Connell launches the Mummy series with an attention grabbing performance that is no less remarkable than its storytelling aspects. His companions, the mesmerizing and disarming Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and the comedic charmer (John Hannah) complete the protagonistic trio as they race toward the ancient and mysterious city of Hamunaptra. They are in competition with an overzealous coalition of American, cowboy wannabe treasure hunters. Keep in mind that before anyone ever reaches the cursed city, obstacles of all sorts make for adventurous and even laughable mayhem that keeps the story moving at an adrenaline rushed pace mirroring the endeavors of the characters themselves. The film yields a balanced combination with a strong helping of hair raising, some goofability, and the right sprinkling of the historical and the mythological to keep a serious film watcher in awe of the well executed adventure spectacle. Additionally, the casting enhances the story by matching strong talent in actors whose natural countenance already reminds the audience of familiar character types encountered in comics and pulp fiction of the oldest and best variety.
From Beni, the opportunistic, cowardly con-man who is willing to change ethics and values on a dime if it suits his purpose to the sedulously morose protectors of the ancient curse ready to kill or die for the purpose of keeping the mummy in the ground and the unsuspecting world safe from undead tyranny, all who strive for Hamunaptra are only getting warmed up to face off against an other worldly foe. Upon arrival at the city, archeologists want artifacts, treasure hunters want wealth, and adventurers take what they can get; however, even Evelyn Carnahan (Weisz), an underappreciated and unrecognized librarian wants to show the academic community what she’s made of. Each of them meets more than he or she suspects when the mummified corpse of the Egyptian priest Imhotep (Arnald Vosloo) is inadvertently brought to life by a reading from the Book of the Dead. Everyone involved finds themselves in a fight and or flight for their lives.
Special performances to note would be those of Vosloo and Hannah: Vosloo for his ability to turn a villain into a character who evokes sympathy for his desperation in love, yet brings us to a genuine sense loathing for the inhuman lengths he is willing to go to get it, and Hannaha for his side-kick-like character who admittedly “lies” to everyone, but still imbues a definite good-guy vibe while managing to be heroic on his own from time to time. Of course the chemistry among the protagonists works so well that the audience can easily accept some overly uncanny circumstances which bring the plot events smoothly together. And don’t forget that the story itself has that classic hero journey that we as viewers never tire of undergoing, probably because of its immense aesthetic satisfaction.
The stunning Blu-ray visuals and sound not only bring the film to a new concentration of commingling between audience and film. The Blu-ray interactivity invites…and when the viewers respond they become less like viewers and more like participants; consequently, they proverbially sign on with Rick, Evey, and Jonathon to help defeat Imhotep and return from certain death with a little something and a little someone to show for the effort.
A great movie, a great Blu-ray effort- highly recommended.
