Die Mumie

If you take away the over-the-top digital effects, this film doesn’t have much to offer. Yes, Sommers knows how to give the impression that his films are epic. His work is filled with beautiful views of sandstorms, Egyptian cities in their heyday, or in a kind of eye-catching splendour of their ruins (the set of the crumbling Egyptian mansion must have been terribly expensive), and the dungeons full of treasures are also eye-catching. But the film has otherwise aged terribly, unlike its predecessors, because much of its charm is based on digital attractions, and those no longer impress anyone in the face of today's technology. The Mummy in its early stages is downright digitally awful (but not in the good creepy sense of the word), and Arnold Vosloo overacts like a pig until he becomes a caricature of himself. The only thing that survives unscathed to this day is Jerry Goldsmith's music; it's beautiful, even after repeated listens. It's also quite nice that the film doesn't take itself too seriously and is surprisingly funny in places, like when the offending skeleton heads are blown off like in a baseball game, or when Rachel Weisz demolishes an entire library in a domino effect – that’s the first scene I always remember when I think of Sommer’s The Mummy. (27.09.2021)

Wenn die Tricks verblasst sind, wird von der Mumie kein Aschehaufen übrig sein. Im Gegensatz zu Indiana Jones fehlt dem Film die wesentliche Zutat, die jeder wirklich gute Abenteuerfilm haben muss - ein Held. Dieser hier ist ein ondulierter Schönling ohne ein Fünkchen Charisma. Ein hübsches Gesicht macht noch keine gute Figur... Vor drei Jahren war der Eindruck dank der technischen Seite erstklassig, heute wirkt Die Mumie auf mich wie anständig gekleideter unterer Durchschnitt... Verglichen mit Dr. Jones rauscht dieser ägyptische Kerl vollständig durch... (30.01.2004)

An relaxing popcorn adventure ride with a flavor of Hollywoodized Egyptian mythology. Decent special effects, good production design and a charismatic hero are the main pluses. The somewhat infantile style of humor is the biggest negative. This is not a new Indy by any stretch of the imagination, just as it is not a remake of the original Universal Mummy; but the truth is that Fraser's escapades manage to fill the gap that was left by them. Although only partially. (24.01.2007)

A fantastic adventurous tangle of many supporting characters, a charismatic villain, a characteristically courageous protagonist, and a beautiful and clumsy girl in distress. I could watch this heartfelt affair from morning to evening, Jerry Goldsmith's music and Sommers' enthusiastic direction helped create an unforgettable ride. (21.04.2007)

Stephen Sommers is very good at this kind of films. This one has a reasonable mix of action, humor, and tension, which unfortunately is sometimes overly disjointed and mainly quite boring. The onslaught of visual effects and action scenes is truly impressive, and Jerry Goldsmith's music is beautifully atmospheric. But The Mummy is ultimately a one-time affair, as I have no desire to watch it again. The Egyptian mythology is distorted and the main villain, Arnold Vosloo, is quite an annoying caricature. However, the chemistry between the actors is excellent. Both Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are great and interact excellently on screen. Pity about the deficiencies in the direction and especially the scriptwriting, as visually the film is practically perfect. (18.06.2006)

No film has come as close to my beloved Indy as the first The Mummy. Well deserved full rating! PS: Even at seventy, Jerry Goldsmith never lost his breath and flair. Brilliant! (22.08.2009)

I can unashamedly call The Mummy one of the seminal films of my childhood, and I'll try to capture its magic as simply as possible: a fearless and likeable hero in Brendan Fraser, a really cool and scary bad guy played by Arnold Vosloo, plus a lot of great one-liners and tons of catchy and dynamic action – or how little it takes to make kids happy. (13.07.2011)

Als ich jünger war, habe ich die Mumie regelrecht verschlungen, und mindestens einmal im Jahr fand ich Zeit, mir Sommers' Genre-Mix anzusehen, dem es weder an abenteuerlicher Action noch an Romantik oder gar einem Hauch von Horror mangelt. Mit zunehmendem Alter habe ich festgestellt, dass ein Film manchmal zu mir passt, manchmal aber auch nicht so sehr. Im Vergleich zu dem vorherigen Werk des Regisseurs Octalus - Deep Rising bietet Die Mumie definitiv bessere Charaktere (und Darsteller): Rachel Weisz war wirklich charmant als intellektuelle Bibliothekarin, die sich nach den im ägyptischen Sand verborgenen Geheimnissen sehnt, John Hannah spielte die Rolle des verrückten Bruders (des Diebes) hervorragend und Arnold Vosloo als blutrünstiger Imhotep überzeugte mich ebenfalls. Im Fall von Brendan Fraser ist es wie mit dem Film selbst - mal gefällt er mir, mal nicht. Ich darf nicht vergessen, Bernard Fox' kleine, aber sehr humorvolle Rolle des betrunkenen Piloten Winston zu erwähnen. Ursprünglich hatte ich der Mumie vier Sterne gegeben und sie dann auf drei herabgesetzt - aber Tatsache ist, dass ich gerne auf den Film zurückkomme und ihn genieße (trotz der manchmal wilderen CGI). (30.05.2019)

When it came to going to the cinema and especially to television, it absolutely hooked me and I was obsessed with it, but after some time has passed, the magic has faded a bit. However, I still enjoy it and I always like to be reminded of it, just not as often. Those characters are simply great, especially Rick and Eva, the others not so much. Except for the mummy, it's still divine. (04.04.2015)