In 1921, an archaeological expedition led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) finds the mummy of an ancient Egyptian high priest named Imhotep (Boris Karloff). An inspection of the mummy by Whemple's friend Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan), reveals that Imhotep was condemned to death not only in this life, but also in the next hinting at some transgression. Along with Imhotep is a casket with a curse engraved upon it, against the warnings of Dr. Muller an over eager assistant opens the casket and reads aloud the scroll inside that causes Imhotep to come to life leaving the assistant in a state of madness. Ten years later, Imhotep has assimilated into a mysterious Egyptian historian named Ardeth Bey. He calls upon Sir Joseph's son Frank (David Manners) and Professor Pearson (Leonard Mudie) and shows them where to dig to find the tomb of the princess Anck-su-namun. After locating the tomb, the archaeologists present its treasures to the Cairo Museum, where Ardeth soon encounters Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann), a half-Egyptian woman whom Ardeth has nefarious plans for.
Released in 1932, The Mummy was the first incarnation of Universal's ancient Egyptian themed movie monster that inspired four follow-up films as well as an Abbott and Costello send up. While the film received mixed reviews upon initial release, it was a financial success. The movie isn't as strong as its contemporaries like Dracula, Invisible Man, or even Frankenstein, but it does have a certain level of atmosphere as well as a strong performance from Boris Karloff.
Karloff is really good as Ardeth Bey/The Mummy playing the character as a dark romantic figure in line with Dracula in contrast to his previous year's performance as Frankenstein's monster. While Karloff is threatening in the role, he plays Ardeth with a certain level of mystique that makes him simultaneously alluring with so strong chemistry between him and co-star Zita Johann. What isn't as great here is the story. I think there's a lack of a strong protagonist in the film with both Frank and Joseph Whemple being rather underwhelming and Dr. Muller is just kind of there. There's also not much tension in a lot of scenes as modern day (at the time) Cairo is just too bright and busy of a place to elicit any true feelings of isolation or unease. Even the ultimate resolution of the film doesn't really have anything to do with our characters and is a literal Deus Ex Machina.
There's a level of historical curiosity to The Mummy and a lot of films owe a huge debt to its existence, but it's easy to see why reviews were mixed at the time. While Karloff's performance is both threatening and darkly romantic, there's a lack of much in the way of drive or a compelling protagonist for Karloff to square off against. The movie also has trouble figuring out how to tie itself up and relies on a rather underwhelming ending. Not my favorite Universal Monster film, but there's some merit to it.
Released in 1932, The Mummy was the first incarnation of Universal's ancient Egyptian themed movie monster that inspired four follow-up films as well as an Abbott and Costello send up. While the film received mixed reviews upon initial release, it was a financial success. The movie isn't as strong as its contemporaries like Dracula, Invisible Man, or even Frankenstein, but it does have a certain level of atmosphere as well as a strong performance from Boris Karloff.
Karloff is really good as Ardeth Bey/The Mummy playing the character as a dark romantic figure in line with Dracula in contrast to his previous year's performance as Frankenstein's monster. While Karloff is threatening in the role, he plays Ardeth with a certain level of mystique that makes him simultaneously alluring with so strong chemistry between him and co-star Zita Johann. What isn't as great here is the story. I think there's a lack of a strong protagonist in the film with both Frank and Joseph Whemple being rather underwhelming and Dr. Muller is just kind of there. There's also not much tension in a lot of scenes as modern day (at the time) Cairo is just too bright and busy of a place to elicit any true feelings of isolation or unease. Even the ultimate resolution of the film doesn't really have anything to do with our characters and is a literal Deus Ex Machina.
There's a level of historical curiosity to The Mummy and a lot of films owe a huge debt to its existence, but it's easy to see why reviews were mixed at the time. While Karloff's performance is both threatening and darkly romantic, there's a lack of much in the way of drive or a compelling protagonist for Karloff to square off against. The movie also has trouble figuring out how to tie itself up and relies on a rather underwhelming ending. Not my favorite Universal Monster film, but there's some merit to it.