And with more horror. And better.
The movie's proper title is either Talos the Mummy or Tale of the Mummy, depending on where you look, and I found the extended European version here, which, from what I've read of the American version (some forty minutes shorter), I recommend over the latter. This has more detail, more flesh, if you will. The mythology is considerably more on target with real life ancient Egyptian beliefs than the American Mummy trilogy, including such elements as the concept of "second death", the destruction of the soul due to the destruction of the name and image of the deceased (which was attempted on the mummy in this version, this one was very, very bad), why such a thing would even be attempted, the significance of the name containing the true essence of a person in Egyptian belief, and the element of the wedjat eye symbol (the left eye of Horus as removed during his fight with his uncle Set) serving as a strong protective symbol against negative magic. However, they also include a nice nod to the "curse culture" which appeared the world over following the discovery of King Tut's tomb, summed up in this line from one of the archaeologists in the opening: "What sort of respectable mummy would get buried without slapping a good whammy on his tomb?"
As far as the middle third, the section of a horror movie which tends to include the most jump scares, I've discovered the catharsis of seeing what's causing all the fuss after the build up (and I didn't get this from my experience with The Conjuring, which made it worse). The scene which comes to mind is the death of one of the lady on her way to her apartment, where there's all this intense build up with her being chased by some unseen force and suddenly you see a pile of animate bandages in humanoid shape, and oddly, I found that such a relief. As such I consider it, on a scale of 1 to The Conjuring, a nice intermediate.
I was impressed by the female lead, Sam, especially toward the end, when she was forced to face the thing which has been terrorizing pretty much everybody since the start, and she puts up a good fight. Without giving too much away, she tries to set the thing on fire and orchestrate her own escape from it. If you're actively looking for a feminist heroine, especially in the horror genre, look no further.
However, there's something I'm puzzled by. Why are all the "organ donors" foreigners? And the seeing-eye dog? Is there some significance to their not being Englishmen and -women? I know they imply that Talos the mummy is a foreigner to Egypt, being Greek, but that doesn't automatically mean the "organ donors" need to be from outside England (or their organs, in one case a liver comes from South Korea). Sadly this is never explained, and it would've been nice if something like this was offered. Which brings me to the ending, which doesn't wrap things up quite the way it should, either, but I think that was done on purpose. Bottom line: you're right to be nervous about the detective, and if the world is screwed, it's in the form of an Antichrist. And that in turn brings me to the Jesus symbolism of Sam in the climax. That's all I'll say on the matter so as not to give too much away, but still.
It's a general gripe I have with movies focusing on Egypt and its mythology and bringing western religions into it. The Mummy had the plagues and the 12 Medjai tribes. This version has the Jesus symbolism and the Judgement Day plot point (someone does bring up Hell, only to promptly be corrected by, of all people, a little Muslim kid (who I happened to really like and wish we could've seen more of, but oh, well)). It's considerably more toned down than the American version, and it in turn makes room for correct Egyptian mythological/magical elements. In that way, the movie is a considerable improvement upon the American version, and I recommend it even above the American The Mummy. That is, if you want a proper "monster movie". If you want summer fun, American version. Or hell, watch 'em both.
Final verdict: a lot better than everyone says it is. Definitely check it out.
Next on "For the Love of Night at the Museum": I discuss some of the so-called head-scratchers from the Night at the Museum TVTropes page.
Countdown: 282 Days to NATM 3
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