I am not even sure why I should do a movie review on a film such as the 1932 Mummy film. It is fondly remembered and considered a classic. Why does my opinion on the film even matter? Well, I thought that at first than realized what does my opinion matter on any movie? Everyone has different tastes and opinions, my job isn’t to love or hate a film, it’s to explain why I feel a particular way about a movie.
“The Mummy” from 1932 is a culturally important film and a staple of the Universal Studios Monsters universe. It is a classic horror film and has a great story. Keep in mind, in 1932, “The Mummy” was wonderfully fresh. That is part of the reason it has been remade so many times.
Now as far as my feelings on the movie, well, I feel like it was a movie whose remakes were better years later. That doesn’t mean there weren’t standout parts of the film. Boris Karloff was legendary for a good reason. He had a creepy yet charming presence. No other actor to play the Mummy since has outdone Karloff. He is a hard act to follow. It also used it’s budget to great effect. Many of the makeup effects still stand the test of time.
Now, “The Mummy” remains one of my least favorite classic monster movies. Aside from Karloff, most of the other performances were over the top and hammy. The dialogue was also too lofty in a lot of scenes. Some more actions sequences would have been welcomed. At around only 70 minutes, the film still manages to feel long.
“The Mummy” is the rare Universal Studios monster to never receive a direct sequel. The movie was instead remade in 1940 in the form of “The Mummy’s Hand”. I wish I could say I loved “The Mummy”, but I would be lying. It may be a classic, but a classic isn’t necessarily a perfect movie.
Grade: C
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