BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Deep in the Egyptian desert, a handful of people searching for a long-lost treasure have just unearthed a 3,000 year old legacy of terror. Combining the thrills of a rousing adventure with the suspense of Universal's legendary 1932 horror classic The Mummy, Starring Brendan Fraser, is a true nonstop action epic, filled with dazzling visual effects, top-notch talent and superb storytelling.

FILM REVIEW: Everything in 1999 was geared towards the return of Star Wars with The Phantom Menace. Two films came out that year the caught everyone by surprise; the first was The Matrix and the second was "The Mummy", a superior remake of the 1932 horror classic which modernises the Mummy as a terrifying monster, and delivers a film that hasn't been seen since the likes of the Indiana Jones films. This film has some big images, big scares, great and fun characters, and most surprisingly, some comedy that actually works with the scares. Director Stephen Sommers has created a fun thrill ride of a film that will entertain you throughout.

The film opens with a stunning opening prologue where the origins of the Mummy are explained. We are introduced to Imhotep, the Pharoah's high priest who has an affair with the Pharoah's mistress. When they are discovered, Imhotep kills the Pharoah and escapes to the City of the Dead where he resurrects the Pharoah's mistress after she kills herself to prevent the Pharoah's bodyguards from killing her themselves. Imhotep almost resurrects her but the Pharoah's bodyguards arrive, and proceed to mummify Imhotep and his priests alive, placing a curse on them that if they were ever resurrected they would become a walking disease on the Earth - hence the Mummy. Flash forward to the 1930's where Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) and Rick (Brendan Fraser) embark on an archeological journey to the City of the Dead. At the same time, another team is also going to the site to try and get all the rumoured bury treasure. Through their investigating and digging, they inadvertently awaken Imhotep who proceeds to suck the life out of everyone who woke him in an attempt to regenerate before proceeding to take over the world.

One of the aspects that makes this film work so well is that it effectively blends horror and comedy, two genre-types that you wouldn't necessarily think would go together comfortably. There are moments that are generally scary (such as the first scene where the Mummy awakes - seeing the rotting corpse come alive is quite thrilling), and then the tension from those scares is alleviated through some comedic banter between the characters (such as the rivalry between Rick and Bennie). To director Stephen Sommers' credit, he is somehow able to make that work while still delivering on both counts. One example is when Rick is being hanged in prison, a singularly dramatic moment, which is offset by the comedic deal struck between Evelyn and the jailer to set him free.

Sommers is also able to integrate the complicated visual effects shots in to the film with a great deal of panache; the images are rich and detailed, and the visual effects team deserve special points for their original creation of the Mummy, especially in the moments where the Mummy is regenerating and we see skin tissue and muscle forming over his skeleton. Perhaps one of the most well done visual effects is the fight sequence between Rick and five of Imhotep's mummy priests; all of the mummies are CG and Rick appears to interact with them as if they were filmed for real.

A big part of the success of this film is the casting; Brendan Fraser leads well from the front as adventurer Rick O'Connell who is our Indiana Jones for this adventure. Rachel Weisz as Evelyn is delightful to watch, although her ultra-girly, damsel-in-distress performance is a little annoying and old-fashioned at times. Arnold Vosloo is absolutely brilliant as Imhotep; I wouldn't envy his job because he not only has to be threatening, he also has to interact and also become a spectacular special effect and he somehow does it all perfectly. He exudes a certain superiority complex that's not only creepy but impossible not to watch.

It's refreshing to see a film like this, particularly after the successful Indiana Jones films. The notion of an archaeological adventure combined with historical myths and legends makes for a fascinating framework and "The Mummy" fits this beautifully. There's always been an interest in Ancient Egypt and its colourful history; this film is by no means an historical piece but it does tap in to that unquelched fascination with that period and the superstitions the ancient Egyptians lived by. Perhaps more simply, it's just a great little monster movie with some great visual and characters.

"The Mummy" is a great piece of entertainment.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The picture looks stunning; full marks to the DVD makers for the transfer as the colours, vibrancy and crispness of the picture are spot on. This is all the more well done when you take in to account that there's a big collection of extras also squeezed on to this one disc. The audio soundtrack is also spot on, making full use of the surround sound channels and will more than likely make you jump off the couch in the more scary scenes. A perfect transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras collection on this disc is the type of collection you'd want as a benchmark for most DVDs. The centrepiece extra is a stunning 48-minute making-of documentary that features cast and crew interviews and a detailed overview of what it took to make a newer, better Mummy in the new world of CG cinema. We finally have a documentary that has extensive details about how the CG was done and it's not boring! There's also great comparisons to the original 1932 film and how that influenced this remake. The focus on CG is also extended to another great extra involving how each individual element was shot and put together to make the big visual sequences with narration from the special effects supervisor. The audio commentary from director Stephen Sommers and editor Bob Ducsay is funny, informative and never dull, making a perfect making-of companion piece. There's deleted scenes, the original trailer, egypt facts, cast and crew notes and a wealth of DVD-ROM content for PCs. This is an excellent collection of extras, made all the more impressive that it was squeezed all on to the one disc with the main feature.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.