7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An Egyptian mummy returns to life to stalk the reincarnation of his lost love.
Starring: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van SloanHorror | 100% |
Drama | 6% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
French: DTS 2.0 Mono
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Take a moment and imagine what modern horror would be without Universal Pictures. Without founder Carl Laemmle and his vision for the future of cinema, or his son Carl Laemmle Jr., who inherited the keys to the studio kingdom in 1928, when talkies were rapidly displacing silent films and promising groundbreaking new strides in moviemaking and the movie-going experience. Without early horror pioneers like Tod Browning, James Whale, Karl Freund, George Waggner or Jack Arnold. Without iconic creature actors Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Claude Rains, Lon Chaney, Jr., Elsa Lanchester or Ben Chapman. Without Dracula, the indispensable 1931 classic that left a more lasting mark on vampire movies and lore than any other vampire film before or after (save Nosferatu). Or Frankenstein, which pushed boundaries, shocked audiences and has been received with overwhelming enthusiasm ever since. The Mummy, bold in its atmosphere and unforgettable in its tragic romance. The Invisible Man, which features some of the most astonishing special effects and perhaps one of the most unnerving depictions of mounting madness of the era. The Bride of Frankenstein, a complex, wickedly funny, altogether unpredictable sequel that in many regards surpasses its predecessor. The Wolf Man, a once-chilling character drama that examines the frailty of man and the beast within. Phantom of the Opera, though more a twisted love story than a traditional horror picture, a film that nevertheless caused some theaters to stock smelling salts in in the event that a moviegoer fainted upon the removal of the Phantom's mask. Or Creature from the Black Lagoon, which frightened audiences above the water and below with a scaly monster unlike any they had seen before. Needless to say, modern horror, and really the genre in whole, would be completely different than what we know.
It would be a mistake to accuse The Mummy's restoration and 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer of foul play, especially if the accusation revolves around over-processing the original elements. The softness that graces the image is inherited and the restraint exhibited by the film's grain field isn't indicative of any invasive cleanup techniques or methodology, at least none that might be cause for alarm. Yes, the grain here is faint and largely unobtrusive, and yes, print damage and blemishes are almost non-existent. But fine detail flourishes (as in the creases and wrinkles in Karloff's monster makeup), edges are pleasing and almost always clean (with only a handful of halos to point to), and contrast and delineation are dead on. Black levels? Beautifully dark. Midtones? Lovely. The experience? Near perfect. There is some residual print flickering, but only a hint. I spotted a few instances of soupy surges of grain as well, but like every imperfection I encountered, it appears to be derived from the source elements. (And minimized most effectively, again without endangering filmmaker's intention.) I can't imagine The Mummy looking any better than it does here.
The Mummy's two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track is better than Frankenstein's problematic mix but not as sophisticated as Dracula's lossless audio. Dialogue is intelligible but often a touch muffled, voices aren't as clear as I had hoped, and a number of sound effects and music cues lack the clarity we've grown accustomed to from the best catalog classics on the market. Even so, none of it disappoints. If anything, it underwhelms, although even that strikes me as too misleading. The Mummy has a softer, lower noise floor than Dracula or Frankenstein, air hiss isn't an issue so much as it is an infrequent interruption, and the effects that seem subdued are more likely prioritized faithfully to a fault. Had Universal included a movie-specific restoration featurette with each Classic Monsters entry, fans would be able to understand the challenges the Mummy preservationists faced and more readily appreciate what they were able to accomplish.
The Mummy is a fascinating entry in Universal's Classic Monsters collection, and has far more to offer the modern cinephile than most casual filmfans might assume. Even the film's heightened sense of melodrama doesn't render The Mummy obsolete (insomuch as an eighty-year old creature feature can be viewed as au courant). After all, Karl Freund's undead romance has played a pivotal role in the shaping of classic and contemporary horror, and there's something about tracing an entire genre of film back to its source. (Or sources as it were). Universal's Blu-ray edition isn't stale or stagnant either, thanks to its careful restoration, first-rate video transfer and solid DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix. Compared to Dracula and Frankenstein it's light in the extras department, but the Essential Collection has more than enough special features to make up for a few thinner supplemental packages. Ultimately, The Mummy is as much a classic as Dracula and Frankenstein. It says a lot when a 1932 horror movie stands head and shoulders above an action-packed, wildly successful 1999 adaptation of the same name, and speaks to the original film's enduring spirit.
1932
w/ Glow in the Dark Art
1932
1932
1932
1932
w/ Glow in the Dark Art
1932
Includes "Drácula"
1931
1941
1933
1935
1931
1944
1940
1931
1954
1936
1945
1944
1943
1942
1939
1943
1943
1942
1944
2014