The movie begins with an archaeological expedition unearthing the tomb of an ancient Egyptian priest named Imhotep (played by Boris Karloff). One of the archaeologists accidentally reads a sacred scroll, resurrecting the mummy of Imhotep. Now, Imhotep seeks to revive his lost love.
First, we must acknowledge the very realistic portrayal of British colonial grave-robbers stealing cultural artifacts in the name of science. That hasn’t aged well.
Grave-robbing aside, the movie begins in excellent fashion, with an atmosphere of ancient tombs and curses. Unfortunately, though the film starts strong, it slows down after the iconic opening. Most of the movie features people standing around in fancy Victorian parlors, delivering lines with a stiffness akin to wooden boards.
While the screenplay is weak, several performances are even worse. Zita Johann (who plays the female lead Helen Grosvenor) is beautiful, but her performance feels empty. The worst is David Manners, playing Helen’s love interest Frank Whemple. He delivers his lines as if reading off a script. It is hard to feel invested when the two romantic leads have zero chemistry—you almost wish Imhotep would just show up and end it all.
The only one who shines is Boris Karloff. Karloff is an early horror icon and his makeup is exceptional. However, he only appears in full mummy costume in the opening scene, wearing a simpler costume for the film’s remainder. While this makeup is still impressive, the creepy details are only visible in close-up shots. From far off, he simply looks like a slightly wrinkly man in a flowing robe.
If Karloff were in full costume for more of the film, it would be a stronger movie. Regrettably, this was not an option, as the mummy makeup famously took eight hours to apply and two hours more to remove. While the decision to use a simpler costume is understandable, the film suffers for it.
“The Mummy” is not without its strong points. Besides the opening scene, highlights include the scenes shown in the cauldron pool and the final climax, both of which have excellent production design. Yet, even at a short 73 minutes, “The Mummy” suffers from a plodding pace. Barely a horror film, it would improve if you removed all scenes in Victorian parlors.
Unless you are a fan of Universal’s early monster movies, I recommend just watching the opening scene and the climax.
