The Mummy Blu-ray

The Mummy

 (1999)

The Mummy Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
A full-scale re-imagining of Universal Pictures' seminal 1932 film, The Mummy is a rousing, humorous, suspenseful and horrifying epic about an expedition of treasure-seeking explorers in the Sahara Desert in 1925. Stumbling upon an ancient tomb, the hunters unwittingly set loose a 3,000-year-old legacy of terror, which is embodied in the vengeful reincarnation of an Egyptian priest who had been sentenced to an eternity as one of the living dead.

For more about The Mummy and The Mummy Blu-ray release, see The Mummy Blu-ray Review

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J. O'Connor
Director: Stephen Sommers

The Mummy Blu-ray Review

Universal may be late to the Blu party, but their first disc shows they mean business.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, July 11, 2008

Know this: this creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat, he will never sleep, he will never stop.

Perhaps it is only my imagination, but has there been a movie made in the past decade that has received more home video releases and more air time on television than The Mummy? Right or wrong, there is no doubt the movie is ingrained in many a movie buff's minds, and for good reason. It's a wonderful action/adventure film with plenty of laughs, nonstop action, likable lead characters, a dastardly villain, exciting special effects, and a love story (two, actually, one of which is the foundation of the story) for the ladies in the audience. The Mummy is slowly but surely working its way towards cinema classic status, but not in the same category of classics such as Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, or Bridge on the River Kwai. It's headed for classic status among easygoing, fun-loving, adventure-seeking film buffs who recognize The Mummy as one of the finest popcorn adventures of our time, a movie that is perfectly blended with the aforementioned ingredients to satiate many a filmgoer's hunger for lighthearted yet well-made and respectable adventure.

Brendan Fraser and company insist on a good review for 'The Mummy.'

Engaged in a forbidden love, the ancient Egyptian priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo, Darkman II) is condemned to a fate worse than death for his sins, while his mistress, the Pharaoh's beautiful lover Anck-su-namun, commits suicide. Centuries later, in the years following the first World War, bookworm and historian Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz, The Fountain) and her bumbling brother Jonathan (John Hannah, The Hurricane) discover an ancient map believed to lead to the lost Egyptian city of Hamunaptra. Determined to discover its riches and secrets, they enlist the aid of a condemned-to-death, adventure-seeking American, Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser, The Air I Breathe), to lead the way. Squaring off not only against the pitfalls and perils that await every turn, the heroes also face competition from a rival group of American treasure hunters, led by unscrupulous local, Beni (Kevin J. O'Connor, There Will Be Blood). When Evelyn inadvertently revives the mummified and not-wholly-decomposed corpse of Imhotep that was recently unearthed, the ancient priest takes it upon himself to call on an ancient technique to revive his true love, Anck-su-namun, and reclaim his body and power. That is, of course, unless Brendan Fraser has anything to say about it.

Underneath the glitz and glamour of the film's locales and special effects, the charms and natural beauty of Rachel Weisz, and Stephen Sommer's (The Mummy Returns) slick direction, what really makes The Mummy work so well is the charm, charisma, and lightheartedness of the film's star, Brendan Fraser. Fraser is an action star with a funny bone, taking the role seriously but playing the part of Rick O'Connell with tongue-planted-in-cheek. "I only gamble with my life, not my money," he says, reminiscent of the finest wisecracking heroes the screen has ever seen, from Inigo Montoya to John McClane to Indiana Jones. While comparisons to the later, especially, are inevitable, Rick O'Connell is a hero all his own, a reluctant hero seeking "fortune and glory" like Dr. Jones, but with half the smarts and twice the wit.

I don't have a problem when a classic is re-imagined (not remade) some 67 years after its initial release. It's the barrage of nearly straight remakes of films from the 1970s and even 1980s that really get under my skin. What's the point (The Omen, anyone)? While Boris Karloff's portrayal of the famed Imhotep is likely never to be topped, 1999's version of the story doesn't tread on sacred ground, but instead charts new territory and offers audiences something new and audacious both in terms of its then (and still) impressive special effects and its humor-laden hero. Speaking of special effects, I must admit to never being all that impressed with them in this film. I've generally noticed that dated special effects don't hold up all that well in a high-quality 1080p high definition presentation, but seeing these effects on this Blu-ray disc was like seeing them anew; indeed, "death is only the beginning," and The Mummy resurrects a classic horror movie monster with vigor and brilliance while remembering that it is a summer popcorn movie at heart and never, ever pretending to be anything but.

The Mummy Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Universal Studios presents The Mummy on Blu-ray high definition for the first time in a simply stunning 1080p, 2.35:1 high definition transfer. The studio has certainly done themselves proud for this, their debut on the victorious optical disc high definition format, and color me thrilled if this is any indication of things to come. The opening, expansive shots of ancient city of Hamunaptra are bathed in a golden hue. The clarity, detail, and color schemes on every object in these shots, including the gold paint on faces and the gold-colored and trimmed furnishings adorning the splendidly constructed palace, are terrific. The cloth in which the film's villain, Imhotep, is mummified, looks marvelous: this transfer shows off every fine detail, thread, and fray of the cloth. While I was blown away by the opening shots of the movie, I was equally impressed by the vast majority of what was to come. The Mummy remains impressive not only in its foreground detail, but medium-wide objects and background information is handsomely rendered as well. Human characters need not be up-close and center-framed to see the remarkable detail present on them; medium-wide shots of faces show off every pore, facial hair and bead of sweat with lifelike clarity. Detail in rocks, statues, façades, and even the sand on the desert floor is all top-flight. Look at the lifelike realism in the textured appearance of Evelyn's hat in chapter three. The mask worn by Imhotep as he and Beni meet up with one of the American gold seekers in chapter 11 is just one more example of the nice detail that is present throughout the disc. The mask showcases every scratch, dent, nick, and other blemish and adds a realistic flair to the image.

The Mummy doesn't just excel at providing deep, realistic detail. Colors are absolutely fantastic, too. Whites are true and natural, and the film's primary brown, tan, and golden hues are stunning and rich. Colors never falter, and along with the fine detail, they are this disc's undeniable strength. Flesh tones appear a bit warm and on the reddish side of the scale, but this tone fits in with the warm, earthy look of the rest of the movie. Background images aren't completely sharp, but there is very little softness nevertheless. I did note a few foreground shots that exhibited some soft edges, but the vast majority of the picture is sharp, clear, well-defined, and breathtaking. The print exhibits the occasional speckle and blemish, and I did note a bit of shimmering on tightly-striped objects (Evelyn's scarf as seen in chapter four, for example), but all in all, it looks fantastic. Blacks are solid and true throughout, and detail is never lost in the shadows, either. Look at the nighttime shootout on the boat in chapter five as an example. A very fine layer of grain is present over the image, and it adds to a perfectly cinematic, high quality, exciting visual presentation of The Mummy. Universal has hit this one out of the park. It may not be a completely perfect transfer, but for a film approaching ten years old, and one that has seen countless releases over multiple home video formats, this is easily the best I've ever seen the film look. If The Mummy looks this good, I cannot wait to review Doomsday to discover how well Universal handles a brand new release.

The Mummy Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

The Mummy smashes onto Blu-ray with an excellent DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This audio track is a perfect compliment to the pristine video transfer, and it never misses a sonic beat. The film's score is powerful and engaging, even more so thanks to its presentation in a lossless format. Every speaker is utilized, and while the score is firmly entrenched up front, the rear channels are active and carry the soundtrack, too, completing the experience and oftentimes leaving me breathless with its wonder and power. The battle scene early in the movie features excellent dynamics and sound placement. Gunshots ring loud and true, and the chaos of the battle fills every speaker and rattles the subwoofer. More mundane sounds, like the flowing of the water over the side of the boat in chapter four, the slightest bit of audible music in the background as it is played from somewhere inside the boat, and the squeaking and squealing of an animal off to the side is all meticulously placed and adds a realistic atmosphere to the scene. Indeed, atmospherics are generally first-rate throughout the soundtrack. The film's music and action sound effects play in perfect harmony, both presented at the perfect volume one in relation to the other, and as fun and adventurous as the movie is by itself, the music and effects make it all the more entertaining. One of the plagues wrought on Egypt, the attack of the meteors, offers wonderful surround presence and the screaming flight paths and impact explosions flow seamlessly across the soundstage, making the experience both entertaining and all-encompassing. Arguably the movie's most famous scene, Imhotep's sand attack on the airplane in the final act of the film, offers deep, rattling bass, and consistent use of the surrounds, and amongst all the chaos and confusion is a fantastically clear and accurate meshing of various action scene sounds that is never too harsh or undefined. To top things off, dialogue reproduction is perfect throughout. This is an A-grade soundtrack in all regards, and I've never heard The Mummy sound so good.

The Mummy Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

The Mummy regenerates once again on home video, this time on Blu-ray, and it brings with it a multitude of supplemental features, headlined by three commentary tracks. Track number one features writer/director Stephen Sommers and editor Bob Ducsay. This is an interesting but ultimately standard commentary track that discusses various aspects of the film, beginning with the technical side of the making of the film's various early effects shots and drifting to ideas behind introducing characters, pointing out various other effects shots, some scenes that needed re-writes, and so on. This one is worth listening to if you need some background noise. Track number two is a solo performance by actor Brendan Fraser. Fraser generally falls into the trap of discussing the action on-screen (or laughing at it, when the situation calls for laughter). Plagued by random moments of dead air, many none-too-insightful comments, and generally inconsequential anecdotes, this track is only for most die hard of Fraser or The Mummy fans. The third and final track features actors Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Arnold Vosloo. This is a much more lively and entertaining track, and I can only imagine that adding Fraser to this mix rather than allowing him to run solo may have made more sense, but this track is probably the best of the three. Vosloo in particular shares some interesting information into his character, various stories from the set, and other interesting anecdotes. If you can only listen to one track, I'd recommend this one.

A five-part feature, Visual and Special Effects Formation (480p), is next. Viewers can go further in-depth into the various stages of the creation of some of the locales and effects sequences seen in the film, accompanied by audio commentary. City of Thebes, Scarab Burial, Serious Trouble, Imhotep Eats Scarab, and Rick Rescues Evelyn are all broken down into four different stages of completion: "Plate Photography," "Visual Effects Elements," "Composited Shot," and "Final Feature Sequence."

An Army to Rule the World, Part 1 (480p, 4:02) is a short feature that examines the use of extensive special effects seen in the film, as well as homages and throwbacks to the original 1932 version of The Mummy. Unraveling the Legacy of 'The Mummy' (480p, 8:07) looks at the history of the classic Universal horror pictures of old, with an expected emphasis on 1932's The Mummy, featuring interview clips with Stephen Sommers, make-up effects artist Nick Dudman, and others as they look at the place of both The Mummy and The Mummy Returns in Universal horror lore. Building a Better Mummy (480p, 49:55) is an exhaustive examination into the film's CGI-laden villain that examines everything from ensuring the character moves like a humanoid to the various layers of computer animation that show a CGI character being chopped in half, for example. Any viewers with a thirst for knowledge into the world of computer-generated effects will find themselves enthralled by this feature.

A Storyboard to Final Film Comparison (480p), a feature that allows viewers to see several complete scenes played against the original storyboard, is next. Scenes included are as follows: Anubis Chamber, Desert Sandstorm, The Sahara, Final Fight, Hangman's Noose, Scarab Run, and Trouble in Cairo. Three deleted scenes (480p, 2:21), a photograph montage (480p, 4:18), and a short promotional piece for the new film, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor are included. The Mummy also features Universal's excellent U-Control system. When activated (a tutorial is available in a sub-menu), various behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and more will appear in a picture-in-picture box in the lower right hand corner of your screen. Effectively, this is a standard extra implemented as an advanced feature. The integration into the film works perfectly, and the information contained therein is fantastic.

The Mummy Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

The Mummy is a pure adventure delight, replete with the unwilling but handsome, wisecracking, and capable hero, the smart damsel-in-distress, a few goofy sidekicks, and a fearsome, seemingly unstoppable enemy. What more could a movie fan want? This Blu-ray, of course. Universal's debut disc is a stunner, and puts to shame many discs released by studios with much more experience under their belts. Fans couldn't have asked for much more than this package, except, maybe, for high-definition extras. Nevertheless, with first-rate video and audio qualities and enough supplements to fill a sarcophagus, fans of the The Mummy and Blu-ray fans everywhere will want to add this disc to their collections. Welcome aboard, Universal. Keep up the terrific work! Your lead-off Blu-ray disc is highly recommended!

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