Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Mummy Blu-ray Movie Review

"Burn the scroll, man. Burn it! It was through you this horror came into existence!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 28, 2012

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.

Genre king Boris Karloff elevated Frankenstein to another level. Just one year later, he did it again, this time in director Karl Freund's The Mummy, starring Karloff as cursed immortal Imhotep, Zita Johann as the woman who bears a striking resemblance to the long-dead lover he hopes to resurrect, Edward Van Sloan as wizened archaeologist Sir Joseph Whemple, and David Manners as his son, who muscles his way in to protect the damsel from the undead Egyptian priest. Johann isn't the only one who bears a striking resemblance to a specter of the past. The Mummy lifts more than a few plot points from Dracula, and does so rather brazenly. And why did producer Carl Laemmle Jr. anoint Freund to helm the project? In 1931, Freund was the cinematographer on, you guessed it, Dracula. Still, the newly promoted director wasn't oblivious to the similarities, nor was screenwriter John L. Balderston, who managed to further separate Imhotep from the Count. The Mummy doesn't simply sit on screen either, waiting for Karloff to do his thing (which he does anyway, brilliantly I might add, with grim gravitas and disarming ease). The dark romance at the heart of the tale both resonates and agitates, the creature itself is a more subtle but no less provocative marriage of man and monster than Frankenstein's hulking giant, and Imhotep's piercing eyes, weary countenance and disquieting patience makes for a more menacing adversary. And then there's Jack P. Pierce's ragged mummy, which only appears on screen for a few minutes but remains one of the legendary makeup artist's most iconic creations.

The Mummy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed (SD, 30 minutes): Another Horror Classic documentary, ported from the previously released Mummy DVD. This one looks at the then-timely appeal of the film, its unique spin on the monster movie, its production and reception, and Boris Karloff's performance as a more sympathetic creature than audiences were used to.
• He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce (SD, 25 minutes): Oft-overlooked makeup master Jack Pierce was responsible for creating the look of Universal's early lineup of monsters; characters whose appearances would go on to become as iconic as the films in which they were featured.
• Audio Commentaries: Two commentaries are available. Celebrated makeup artist Rick Baker, filmmaker Scott Essman, screenwriter and film historian Steve Haberman, collector Bob Burns and sculpture studio owner Brent Armstrong sit down together for the first, with Haberman dominating the discussion (and providing the most information about the production) and Baker showing up later in the track. The second is a solo track with film historian Paul M. Jensen, who reads prepared notes that amount to a dense Mummy essay.
• 100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era (HD, 9 minutes): Universal founder Carl Laemmle and his vision for the future of cinema. A century later, that vision still resonates.
• Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy (SD, 8 minutes): Meet the men who gave the Mummy life.
• The Mummy Archives (SD, 10 minutes): Movie posters, campaign art, production stills and other images.
• Trailer Gallery (SD, 6 minutes): The Mummy, The Mummy's Hand, The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost and The Mummy's Curse.

The Mummy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.