This is How Movies Should Be Made

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

With a dreamlike atmosphere and languid pace, this won't be for everyone, but it's got loads of mood and a creepy/old world vibe that is totally great even 80 years later. Probably still the peak of mummy movies.

Growing up I was always used to the mummy series that stared Brendan Fraisier. Nowadays, when I go back and watch this film, I can see the major similarities. Neat thing about this film is that the Mummy doesn't come to life and wreak havoc in the same day, nor does he simply go around trying to kill everyone in a day. For its time, this must have been a real thriller, because the enemy is not immediately known. It's been nearly a decade since the remains of Imhoptep were "stolen" and an Archaeologist went completely mad. Then all of a sudden, an old and wise Egyptian seems to know exactly where to find the remains of his long dead love. It's definitely a landmark film, beautifully made and casted wonderfully with the famous Boris Karloff. I would watch it again.

After the success of Frankenstein and Dracula in 1931, why wouldn't Universal quickly pump out another monster movie. The next film to release was The Mummy, bringing back Boris Karloff, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan to star yet again. Edward Van Sloan's character was very similar to that of Van Helsing and Karloff didn't seem to full develop the spirit of The Mummy. Perhaps more scenes should have involved Karloff in his actual lumbering Mummy state than the true version of himself. Other aspects of the film didn't really jump out either. The story was a bit on the weaker side, with the backstory hard to follow and the movie's climax wasn't up to par. Karl Freund made a nice attempt being the filmmaker of The Mummy but it certainly isn't a stand-out classic such as other Universal monster movies.

The Mummy is directed by Karl Freund and written by Nina Wilcox Putnam, Richard Schayer and John L. Balderston. It stars Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan, and Bramwell Fletcher. Music is by James Dietrich and cinematography by Charles J. Stumar.The first of Universal's Mummy films follows the story of Imhotep (Karloff), who after being awaken from his tomb by expedition workers, believes his lover has been reincarnated in the body of a modern woman.It's undeniably slow moving, it's stagy, and away from Karloff the acting and dialogue is just about reaching average qualities. Yet there's a haunting quality to the pic, with a number of genuinely eerie sequences. The shadowed photography helps greatly for funereal atmospherics, while it's somewhat refreshing to find a film of this type not resorting to shock tactics to get your attention.An important film in a lot of ways and well worth a look for those interested in the history of Horror Film. 7/10