Universal Pictures, Rated PG-13
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Written by Lloyd Fonvielle & Kevin Jarre& Stephen Sommers (I)

I have an affinity for the old Universal horror movies. I can view The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein any time of the day or night. I also enjoyed 1932's The Mummy, though not as much as the other two, probably because James Whale did not direct it. Despite the pacing, it was still an effective thriller. Now we have the remake, which does take many elements of that genre and uses them to great effect.
I don't mind the fact that it rips off Raiders of the Lost Ark since that movie took off from serials and this movie comes very close to capturing the feel of a serial and a '30s horror film. The problem is it captures it too much. The film is like a class in Cliches 101. One can predict the plot (involving two groups of explorers unleashing an ancient mummy, yadda-yadda-yadda) after watching it for about 10 or 15 minutes (or maybe less).
Rachel Weisz is perfect as Evelyn, the female lead. She was born 60 years too late if you ask me. Arnold Vosloo is a good Imhotep the mummy, mostly there to provide a palette for the many special effects which vary greatly in effectiveness. The rest of the cast, including John Hannah as Evelyn's brother, are superb (aside from Beni, the most tiresome comic relief of the year in a "serious" film, and I am counting Jar Jar). Then there is Brendan Fraser. As Rick, the hero of the movie, he is no Indiana Jones. Fraser has spent his career it seems playing fish out of water. He was born to play George of the Jungle and others like that. He comes across a bit too daft and immature to play this type of character. Perhaps in a few years but he just doesn't quite pull it off here.
The movie is a lot of fun, especially if you like derring-do (of course The Mask of Zorro is a good deal better), but the cliches do get tiresome after two full hours. ** 1/2

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