5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Centuries ago, under the sands of ancient Egypt, a prince was buried and his tomb eternally curses so that no man would ever again suffer from his evil ways. But hundreds of years later on a greedy search for treasure, a group of archaeologists break the curses seal of the tomb. Every man vanishes without a trace, leaving behind only a log book - and a deadly warning of the legend of the bloodthursty TALOS. Fifty years later the log book ends up in the hands of the granddaughter of the head archaeologist, and she defiantly sets out to retrace his steps. Discovering the forbidden treasure, she recovers a sacred amulet and once again unleashes the savage power of the tomb.
Starring: Jason Scott Lee, Louise Lombard, Sean Pertwee, Gerard Butler, Christopher LeeHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.30:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
I have confused terror with pleasure.
In Director Russell Russell Mulcahy's (Resident Evil: Extinction) Tale of the Mummy, there's an awful lot
of terror and not a whole lot of pleasure. But even the "terror" isn't exactly the "good" kind of terror. No, the film isn't frightening or even partially
scary. The terror comes in just how slow, predictable, and pointless the movie plays. On the flip side, the only real "pleasure" comes in the form of a
few
fleeting moments with the venerable Christopher Lee (a slow week in Lee's schedule must have matched up with this film's shooting schedule) and, of
course, the end credits which roll mercifully before even ninety minutes and after a typical bad movie goofy ending shot that will leave audiences rolling
their eyes rather than recoiling backwards into their seats with fear, glad that the movie is over and not pondering the consequences of that last shot,
what it means for the movie, the franchise, and even their own lives! Scary! No, this movie just lays a big old fat egg. It's the epitome of the
inconsequential film, the sort most will catch briefly while flipping channels, only the most unfortunate few sitting through it -- attentively -- from
beginning to end.
Hey, you're pretty ugly to me, too, so there.
Tale of the Mummy's Blu-ray transfer doesn't exactly impress, faring only marginally better than a generic up-converted DVD image. Echo Bridge's high definition transfer features unsurprisingly flat details, even in what should be a visually complex and rich dig site environment. Instead, pebbly and sandy terrain, wooden beams, and archaeological clothes fail to produce much in the way of complex detailing. On the plus side, the image retains a natural grain structure and suffers through only a handful of excessively soft shots, but never is this transfer absolutely razor-sharp. Colors are flat, uninspiring, and boring, whether the earthy dig site hues or brighter shades in the city. Blacks fluctuate between washed out and far too dark. This transfer also suffers through some difficult color transitions on faces, general background banding, light haloing, and a fair bit of print wear. It's clear this disc has been sourced from an older, mediocre print. Fans won't be thrilled, but it's not an abomination of a transfer, either.
Tale of the Mummy's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless sound is a tick or two above the usual Echo Bridge quality. This audio presentation enjoys good range, a strong sense of space, and nice surround usage throughout. The track's weakest moment comes at the beginning where a din of screaming and chanting people hardly sounds as clear, distinct, and natural as one might expect. However, the quietly deep rumblings inside the tomb play with a little more perceptible sense of space and accuracy. Music enjoys suitable clarity, a wide soundstage, and some surround usage, whether score or heavy dance beats playing at a club. Action scenes enjoy a fairly crisp and well-defined low-end rumble, evidenced in one earlier scene when a house is torn to bits. Swirling bandages easily maneuver through the listening area, flying through the back channels as they attempt to ensnare a victim. A few other distinct directional effects are to be enjoyed, and a scene featuring heavy rain and thunder nicely immerses the listener into the moment and environment. Dialogue is generally well-balanced up the middle and satisfyingly clear and precise. For an Echo Bridge soundtrack, this one's pretty good.
This Blu-ray release of Tale of the Mummy contains only the film's trailer (HD, 1:15).
Tale of the Mummy represents the classic inconsequential modern movie. The picture might be technically proficient and its special effects may not be terrible, but there's no rhythm, no perceptible heartbeat, no reason to watch. The story is unoriginal, the characters terribly bland, and the atmosphere hardly intoxicating. Christopher Lee's always worth watching, and his scenes early in the movie are the film's best. Why not tune in for those and pass on the rest? After all, who needs to sit through eighty more minutes for that goofy final clichéd shot? Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of Tale of the Mummy features decent video and quality audio, but no meaty extras are included. Best to pass by this one.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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