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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Underrated Mummy movie proves to be great entertainment, August 3, 2004
This review is from: Tale of the Mummy (DVD)
I had never heard of this movie until three days ago, but given my interest in the original "Highlander" (which Russell Mulcahy also directed), a like of the Sommers Mummy movies and an appreciation of Christopher Lee movies I decided to give 1999s TALE OF THE MUMMY a chance.
I am glad I did! This movie was not at all scary but like the Sommers original MUMMY movie a lot of fun with a good dose of suspense, intrigue and (something the other movie lacked) a great twist in the end.
Actually, in some respects I prefer this Jason Scott Lee fantasy adventure horror suspense movie.
Firstly in addition to the prelude which includes the Lee cameo, there were a number of recognizable names from British cinema - notably Honor Blackman, Jack Davenport and Sean Pertwee.
The movie lacked the flashy special effects of its more famous counterpart, but what it lacked in effects it more than makes up for in plot and real suspense. In many ways it is a superior movie with some great performances by all the principals - including the very beautiful Louise Lombard (who I felt bore a striking resemblance to Amanda Tapping of STARGATE SG-1 fame). Jack Davenport (often mentioned in fan circles as a possible replacement for Pierce Brosnan for the part of 007) also made an impression as a English detective attempting to solve a series of grisly murders in the British capital.
The story begins in 1940 with an expedition to Egypt. Sir Richard Turkel (Lee) is excited to hear that after nine months of digging, an entrance has been discovered to a tomb. Moments later however it is up to Turkel to sacrifice his own life in a (successful) attempt to seal off the tomb for (he hopes) all eternity.
Skip forward 59 years (it's never explained why it took over half a century) and Sir Richard's granddaughter Sam Turkel (Lombard) is on the verge of entering the tomb first discovered by her illustrious ancestor. The tomb we learn is that of Talos, a Greek religious cult leader who was sent into exile for practicing dark magic, and who subsequently found a new home in the Pharoah's Egyptian court.
The finds are transported back to London where they are put on display at the British Museum. Then, after what is believed to be a "break-in" a series of paticularly gruesome murders begin across the city.
The murder mystery is an interesting element in this movie, something that is missing from the Fraser-Weisz vehicle that was playing to packed theaters that summer. In fact, without giving too much away it's interesting how this mystery develops in the closing moments of TALE OF THE MUMMY.
Overall, I found this a very entertaining and enjoyable movie that should satisfy not only fantasy horror fans, but also mystery fans. Highly underrated it makes good use of location shooting and offers strong production values and an intelligent, engaging plot. You may not have heard of TALE OF THE MUMMY before but one things for sure - you will not soon forget it.
Recommended.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Why wasn't this theatrical?, October 1, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Tale of the Mummy (DVD)
Forget that shallow eye-candy, George-of-the-Jungle-starring-theatrical piece of fluff; "Tale of the Mummy" is the years best 'mummy' film!!! This has a truely original story, giving the mummy sub-genre a breath of fresh air. The acting is first rate, the script well-written and intelligent, and the special effects are the stuff nightmares are made of. This film is a must-own for anyone who collects genre films... and even for those who don't.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Underated British Horror, With A Twist!!!, October 26, 2003
This review is from: Tale of the Mummy (DVD)
Being released at around the same time as Brendan Fraser's 'The Mummy' put this British offering at an imediate disadvantage. It might not have had the flashey special effects of it's mainstream Hollywood counterpart, but it was I felt superior in every other way. The digital morphing effects of the mummy wrapping were excellent, but some of the physical effects were a little disapointing. But in general the engaging storyline made up for this. Released in the UK as Talos The Mummy, it was out here before 'The Mummy' but went by mostly unnoticed, (not even being available to buy on DVD) and probably would have done no better in America if it had been released earlier. I, myself only rented it becasue I was a fan of Louise Lombard's earlier television appearance in the 1920's period drama 'The House Of Eliot'. For much of the film Jason Scott Lee did seem somewhat out of place, not really pulling off his attempts to make Riley the enigmatic character he seemed to want him to be. Jack Davenport giving a much more rounded preformance as Detective Bartone. Also, much better use could have been made of Honor Blackman as hard-nose Captain Shea. Though it's interesting, perhaps for the benefit of an American audience, that the American police ranking system is used for the chacters rather than the British one. The film benefited from a cameo appearance from Christopher Lee, giving it a very Hammer-esque feel from the start. Sean Pertwee as cocky Bradley Cortese, driven mad by visons of horror is truely unsettling. The flash backs to Talos before he died work for the most part, but at times ditract from the tension of a scene. Visually, they're very striking, and while explaining the origin of the myth Sean Pertwee is all the more unsetteling because we know he's right. Louise Lombard compensates well for Jason Scott Lee's unanimated preformance in the scenes they share, but neither I think gave the best that they're capable of. It was Lysette Anthony's wonderfully understated prefomance that stole the film for me, but unfortunately did fizzle out a bit at the end. The idea of setting the super-natural aspects of the film against the back drop of a murder mystery was a good one, it gave the film a fresher, more modern feel as opposed to a more Indiana Jones style action-adventure. But it perhaps wasn't excecuted as well as it could have been, because the mummy is such a large presence in itself, as the viewer there was never really a feeling that anyone else could have been responsible. The London setting as well added to that modern feel, and the deaths all taking place in confined places: a nightclub, and underground car park, even on the London underground; it all added intesity and the feeling of no escape. It did seem a little implausible that so many of the characters carried guns, but somehow it all added a sense that these were events taking place in some parallel universe, harder and less inviting than our own. For a British audience there were wonderful camoes by Bill Treacher and Elizabeth Power as Louise Lombard's next door neighbours, unknown in America but famous in Britain for there roles in a weeknight soap opera playing a philandering husband and his mistress. On this DVD some of their scenes which appear in the UK vesion had been cut, as have some other early scenes in favour of a death scene which is only refered to and not seen in the UK version. Which is a shame really, as one of the scenes cut is a lecture on how to preform a post-mortem given by Lysette Anthony's charcter, which provides an important added layer to the charcter. Indeed, the DVD itself might have benefited from some bonus material like deleted scenes. As it is it's a little bare, with just some recommendations of other films. As a viewer used to Hollywood endings I was pleasantly surpised by this film, and the second twist coming so quickly after the first I hardly had time to catch my breath. But personnaly I always perfer to watch a film that keeps me thinking about it after it's finished, rather than have forgotten about it before the end credits have finished. Having read most of the other reviews given to this film, there seems to have been a genarally negative response. It not ever going to be a cinema classic, and the best advise I can give is rent it before you buy it, but keep an open mind. If you're expecting a carbon copy of 'The Mummy' you'll only be disappointed, but try and put aside any expectations and you might just find a really enjoyable film.
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