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After an afternoon at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, studying the gigantic ancient statues and the hieroglyphics and the mummies and all the other things I regularly stop to watch on Discovery Channel documentaries, it was quite obvious what I had to do next. I went right home and picked up a copy of The Mummy.
The story begins in ancient Egypt. The pharaoh is murdered by his mistress and his priest -- who had fallen in love. She kills herself, and he is captured and mummified alive with a curse placed on him. Three thousand years later, in 1925, the cursed city of Hamunaptra is a mythical city, supposedly filled with treasure. So when Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah) steals a treasure map to the mysterious city, he and his sister Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) rescue the rightful owner, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) from the gallows and persuade him to be their guide. Once in Hamunaptra, they inadvertently release the cursed mummy, who comes back to life, determined to use Evelyn to resurrect his beloved princess.
I’ve always been fascinated by all things ancient Egyptian, so it’s a given that I’m intrigued by this movie. The effects are pretty incredible, and the movie has a little bit of everything -- action, adventure, archaeology, romance...and, surprisingly, some slapstick-y goofiness (reminiscent of Fraser’s roles in movies like George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right). The humor often seems a bit out of place, though. In the end, the movie feels a little bit like Indiana Jones -- only not as smooth.
While it may be a bit silly at times, this quirky adventure is still worth checking out -- especially after a trip to see the mummies at the museum.
Looking for more movies in the Mummy trilogy? Check out Lisa Logan's review of the prequel, The Scorpion King.
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