The Mummy / The Mummy Returns / The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor

The thing that I remember the first Mummy film for is its cliffhangers.

For example - at one point a character gets trapped by a swarm of beetles. Oh, wait, that's at the end of the film when Beni dies. Oh well, bad example. Still a great cliffhanger moment though.


The thing that I remember the second Mummy film for is its technical shortcomings. Much of the early dialogue just hasn't been recorded clearly. Some of the parallel editing shows too much taking place in-between scenes that run straight on. A window shatters and is then intact again.

I also remember at the time reading an interview with the actress playing Evelyn - Rachel Weisz - in which she said that she wouldn't be doing the next one.

Still, I found them to both be enjoyable, if ultimately forgettable, trips to the cinema.


Sadly, the third one has no chance of winning that accolade, although admittedly this is because I watched it on TV, off of a VHS tape, that had been recorded in Long-Play.

And you know what? It's my favourite of the three.

Alex: "It's only the greatest find since King Tut!"

Not because it's necessarily better or anything, but just because, being a runaround, I found it the easiest to follow. There are great action sequences and cliffhanger moments again, so it certainly lives up to expectations.

All three lead characters seem to have aged by different degrees over the course of the trilogy though. Evelyn has not just had a change of appearance, but also of characterisation, being no longer the clutz of the first movie. Maria Bello compensates admirably for not being Rachel Weisz by playing the older role with so much presence that you can easily believe she actually was in the first two, if only she didn't look so different. (her eyes are too small)

There's also plenty of goofy comedy on show, and the funniest line is the one that closes the whole series. (to date)

I can take or leave the Mummy series, but overall I'm glad I took it.

Available here.