The Mummy

Far more ambitious than its predecessors but a notch or two below the unique event-movie experience it might have been.

It's passable entertainment, but it'll likely leave you wanting more.

Written and directed by Stephen Sommers, The Mummy would like to make you shudder, but it tries to do so without ever letting go of its jocular inconsequentiality.

It takes a while, but there finally is a signature shot from Karloff's original, of the Mummy's hand reaching up through the desert sand. It's like seeing an old friend.

It's all done with plenty of action set-pieces, some decidedly creepy thrills, and a hearty slice of cheesy humour that often hits the mark, due to the energy and timing of the cast.

A perfect blend of action, adventure, romance, horror and comedy.

The Brendan Fraser-led film The Mummy is a joyous ode to old Hollywood adventures packed with wit and charm.

It's all here: ancient curses, an embalmed high priest, two rival parties searching for archaeological treasure and dashing legionnaire Brendan Fraser romancing prim librarian Rachel Weisz.

... plenty of 1930s style, humor, and attitude (including a decidedly dated sense of cultural sensitivity), more Indiana Jones than Gothic horror.