Tale Of The Mummy Review by Bobby LePire. Edited by Courtney McAllister.

 

Mummies, as far as movie monsters go, are underrated if you ask me. Their reasons for coming back and terrorizing the fools that are dumb enough to raid their tomb are numerous- romantic, vengeful, lust for power, quest for eternal life, to just name a few. Due to this ambidextrous nature, watching a mummy movie is always an interesting experience, if only just to see what route the filmmakers went with. So, when the director of “Highlander” decided to try his hand at a modern day (for its time, so 1998) set mummy flick, you can bet that it’s a definitively unique and crazy version, unlike any other mummy movie before or since.

 

The broad strokes of the plot aren’t too original, but it’s still enjoyable:

After reading her grandfather’s journal from the early 1940s, Samantha Turkel (Louise Lombard) decides to re-excavate that same area in the Egyptian desert for the mummy of Talos, with modern technology. Once they reach the tomb proper, the archaeology team is shocked to discover that it is not really a tomb, but more of a shrine to the death Talos caused while he was alive. Taking an amulet as a memento awakens Talos, who proceeds to hunt down various folks connected to the amulet and past lives as his servants. The murder spree sparks an investigation by Detective Riley (Jason Scott Lee) and his partner Detective Bartone (Jack Davenport). Who will be the next victim? Can Talos be stopped?

 

While the plot is pretty basic cursed mummy stuff, its execution is anything but. We’ll start with my absolute favorite thing- the look of the mummy, before resurrection. Unlike literally every other mummy movie I know about, Talos here isn’t a shriveled corpse with still juicy bits, but rather just the wraps used in the mummification process. So for a good two-thirds of the movie, the attacks are committed by flying, murderous wraps, and it is really cool to see! They can take humanoid shapes like a giant fist, an upper torso, or even a creepy spider-legged thing. This allows each attack to feel fresh, because all the various shapes they can take kill in different ways- they envelop an entire car to get to its driver, they throw up floorboards to trip up a lady, they sneak under doors to attack people in the shower- just a slew of different attacks, so the movie never gets stale. It is a little odd that the wraps seem to be unending, as they just keep wrapping around and around and around and around, but hey, magic curses are already a pretty big part of the story, so I won’t really complain about that.

 

The design of Talos after acquiring all but one organ (the heart) is certainly original, but also baffling and kind of silly- with no skin, blue muscular chest with bright veins, pitch black eyes, and cloven hooves for feet (yes, cloven hooves for feet!), he just looks goofy. I have no idea why he has cloven hooves, but they’re the most ridiculous thing about him. Everything about a reborn, but not quite fully formed, Talos is pretty unintentionally hilarious! It is one of the only aspects of the production that is, but, it’s a doozy.

 

It doesn’t help that a good chunk of this creature is rendered by CGI, and even taking into consideration the movie’s age, the CGI is shoddy as hell. The hooves look too slick and shiny to be believable, and he moves with all the speed and agility of an amputee tortoise. The computer effects used for the mummy wrappings are, generally speaking, better looking, and while they haven’t aged amazingly, still look competent. Happily, there’s a ton of practical effects being employed for the wraps’ movement and attacks, so the CGI is never overused or relied on too heavily.

 

Russell Mulcahy is best known for helming “Highlander”, rightfully considered a modern action classic. But that’s not his only success, as he has had an extensive film and television career (in fact, he’s still working to this day) and his style is always evident. Utilizing a long lens, even in tight corridors, and a camera that is always zipping this and that way, the movie has a great energy that rarely lets up. The sequences of the wraps flying high above the city have a solid creepy vibe, thanks to this style.

 

Working with cinematographer Gabriel Beristain, the movie looks crisp and clear, without losing a sense of atmosphere. The way they play with lights and shadows just before an attack, really helps give the movie a feel all its own. The editing by Armen Minasian also effectively conjures up the heebie jeebies, and the movie scores a few real scares in a moment or two.

 

Jason Scott Lee will always have a special place in my heart for his lead roles in Rob Cohen’s “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” and Stephen Sommers’ live-action Disney’s “The Jungle Book”; I love those movies! However, here, he seems to be trying a bit too hard to be aloof and cool for the first half of the movie, which makes it a little hard to connect to his character. As a romantic lead, and as a more traditional action hero later on, he fares much better. His co-star Louise Lombard is pretty terrific as Samantha. She’s confident, cocky, kicks ass when necessary, and sounds quite believable as an archaeologist that gets in over her head.

 

Sean Pertwee has a very important role as an archaeologist gone mad by the curse of Talos, Bradley. He chews scenery quite capably, and brings a manic energy that suits the role well. Jack Davenport has a thankless role, but he doesn’t sleepwalk through, and injects some fun where he can. Shelley Duvall has a small role as a psychic, and is all crazy eyes and mile wide stares, which is appropriate mind you. Also, there’s a super young Gerard Butler as Samantha’s fiance, who of course dies right off the bat. It’s pretty cool to see an early role of his, a little before he became super famous.

 

So, I have gone this far into the review without discussing the most insane thing about it, and the thing that makes me love it so much- it is a bit spoilery, so I choose to get the bulk of the review done before this, so you can get a sense of the energetic insanity that is this movie. But, this now contains spoilers, so read at your own risk. The people that the mummy are attacking are reincarnated versions of his servants, whom, just after his demise, ate various body parts of his, to keep safe ‘until such a time as they are ready to be claimed’. So, from each reincarnated victim (including one dog), he takes just the eyes, or just the lungs, etc. At the end, Talos has captured Samantha, and Riley comes to save her. It turns out it was a trap to lure Riley there… because Riley, not Samantha, is the reincarnated princess that ate his heart! I love this twist! It is exciting and cool to see a mainstream theatrical release do this sort of thing, and while not too deep, it is notable and surprising. So, does Riley save the day and stop Talos?... No, no he doesn’t. The mummy wins. Another ballsy part of the movie! Spoilers are now over.

 

This movie has some flaws, but its energy, atmosphere, and acting (for the most part) make for a fun watch. Its unique take on the mummy monster, mythology, and reincarnation make a nice talking point. Goofy, but seriously fun!