Tale of the Mummy (1998)

Plot Outline: A group of archaeologists discover the tomb and sarcophagus of Talos, an Egyptian prince. But in doing so they break the seal and unleash a curse upon themselves. 50 years later the mummy returns back to life and sets out through London to collect various body parts to make it whole again.

The Review: It sounds routine but this has enough decent ideas to raise it above most of it's mummy-related genre. The special effects aren't too bad considering it wouldn't have had a high budget. The mummy doesn't look too bad at times, especially when it assumes the shape of a spider. But the special effects are mere eye candy. What about the rest of the film? Well there are quite a few plot holes but considering the in-depth back story, its nothing much to worry about (although its kind of disturbing to think that every newspaper seller in London carries a handgun!). The script could have done with as much work on it though. We have a lot of tried-and-tested dialogue, including the obligatory "let's split up to cover more ground" line in the face of imminent danger. Jason Scott Lee isn't a suitable choice as a lead role for a British detective because of his American/Chinese accent, but he does have a certain charisma to him to hold your attention. The rest of the cast is made up of talented (and less talented) British actors, including Christopher Lee who does always does an excellent job and is no exception here, adding a touch of class with his appearance. The only thing that spoils this film from being a little gem is the terrible ending of about 10 minutes. I didn't have a clue what was going on as everyone was being killed off or turning on each other. Then we have a resurrection, attempted plot twists, and a final scene which opens up a possible sequel. It was all very confusing, although I assume the bad guy won for a change judging by the end.

Final Verdict: It's a shame about the ending and script because Tale of the Mummy was enjoyable and had enough horror, suspense, gore and entertainment to keep it afloat. But the problems it had, sunk it in the end.

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