DVD Review: The Mummy on Blu-Ray
Doug Nye - McClatchy Newspapers
Jul 22, 2008
After flirting with the now-defunct HD-DVD format, Universal Home Video is leaping back aboard the Blu-ray express in a big way. On Tuesday, the studio will released three titles in high definition Blu-ray.
At the top of the list is "The Mummy" (1999), starring Brendan Fraser as adventurer Rick O'Connell, who leads an expedition to Egypt's Hamunaptra, known as the City of the Dead.
There, thanks to a series of hair-raising events, they unleash a 3,000-year-old mummy who is set on finding his true love from ancient times. Rachel Weisz plays archaeology buff Evelyn Carnahan, who falls for O'Connell but is also stalked by Imohotep, the risen mummy.
Technically a remake of the more subdued "The Mummy" (1932) starring Boris Karloff, this update is packed with edge-of-your- seat excitement and compares favorably to the Indiana Jones genre of moviemaking. There are plenty of extras, including a peek at "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which will be released theatrically Aug. 1.
Also from Universal is "The Mummy's Returns" (2001). It's nine years later, and Fraser and Weisz are as husband and wife living in London with their 8-year-old son Alex. The mummy has been revived again and kidnaps Alex, who is wearing a special ancient bracelet. It's back to Hamunaptra.
The film also introduces the legend of the Scorpion King.
"The Mummy returns" is just as breathlessly paced as the first one. Both are excellent examples of how Blu-ray can enhance the home theater movie-viewing experience.
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