This is the first time that I've ever seen this and it is a superior movie when compared to the 1932 original. Peter Cushing is smooth as silk and all class. And for a man with a "twisted" leg he does a pretty good job of evading the Mummy. Witness his leap atop a desk to grab a spear which he plunges through the Mummy. I was very impressed with George Pastell as Mehemet the keeper of the Mummy. The exchange that he has during a 'friendly' visit with Cushing's character Banning about disturbing the sacred traditions of others is as provoking as anything else in the movie. Now who's the better Mummy Boris Karloff or Christopher Lee? I'd have to go with Lee. He's both imposing and powerful in the way he smashes through any obstacle between himself and his victim. The imagery of the Mummy emerging from the swamp is pretty cool too. The retelling of the fate of Kharis is effective and is proof positive that you don't need blood and gore to evoke a feeling of disgust (tongue anyone?). The sets were a typical presentation of Hollywood's take on Egyptian tombs but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Everything was very colorful and it's always fun to see those old indoor stages dressed up to look like they're outdoors. There are some things that wore on me though and they aren't unique to this movie at all. The campy dialogue delivered by the older members of the cast (the senior Banning archeologist specifically) was such a cliche it had me chuckling when I guess I was supposed to be frightened or sympathetic. And the music was unrelenting. It never stopped which is pretty typical for these older movies. I could have used a little silence. There were times before the Mummy's attacks that the music sounded better suited for a carnival than a horror movie. Overall though this isn't a scary movie anymore but it's still entertaining to watch. --whit Sat Oct 2 18:26:44 2010
Review by whitsbrainVIP 5BlockedParent2022-01-15T16:50:45Z
This is the first time that I've ever seen this and it is a superior movie when compared to the 1932 original. Peter Cushing is smooth as silk and all class. And for a man with a "twisted" leg he does a pretty good job of evading the Mummy. Witness his leap atop a desk to grab a spear which he plunges through the Mummy. I was very impressed with George Pastell as Mehemet the keeper of the Mummy. The exchange that he has during a 'friendly' visit with Cushing's character Banning about disturbing the sacred traditions of others is as provoking as anything else in the movie. Now who's the better Mummy Boris Karloff or Christopher Lee? I'd have to go with Lee. He's both imposing and powerful in the way he smashes through any obstacle between himself and his victim. The imagery of the Mummy emerging from the swamp is pretty cool too. The retelling of the fate of Kharis is effective and is proof positive that you don't need blood and gore to evoke a feeling of disgust (tongue anyone?). The sets were a typical presentation of Hollywood's take on Egyptian tombs but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Everything was very colorful and it's always fun to see those old indoor stages dressed up to look like they're outdoors. There are some things that wore on me though and they aren't unique to this movie at all. The campy dialogue delivered by the older members of the cast (the senior Banning archeologist specifically) was such a cliche it had me chuckling when I guess I was supposed to be frightened or sympathetic. And the music was unrelenting. It never stopped which is pretty typical for these older movies. I could have used a little silence. There were times before the Mummy's attacks that the music sounded better suited for a carnival than a horror movie. Overall though this isn't a scary movie anymore but it's still entertaining to watch. --whit Sat Oct 2 18:26:44 2010