I know what you are thinking: this title sounds familiar...but it also doesn't. I will explain why that is. This movie was marketed as a tie-in to Dawn of the Dead, hence the title. This was extremely common back in the day and is also annoying. This movie has nothing to do with Romero's classic (overrated as its social commentary may be). It is a weird mix of the Mummy film and the zombie film. The result...is interesting to say the least. How interesting? Find out in my review of...
Our story begins with a bunch of tomb raiders (not the hot kind) breaking into an Egyptian tomb. The lone American (don't ask the film to explain this) warns them not to go in until morning. Why? Because the tomb is rigged with poison gas and that is the real 'curse of the mummies.' Of course, both of them wander in while the other man is asleep and get exactly what is coming to them. So, the horror is based solely on people being dumb-asses? That sounds about right.
*
The plot proper begins with two divergent plot-lines. On one side, you have a fresh pair of robbers working with the American. On the other, we have a group of models and a photographer driving around Egypt on a fashion shoot. When the models wander too close, one of the dumb robbers shoots at them. This, naturally, makes the models wander over to the tomb that is supposed to be robbed in secret. Yeah, wander aimlessly towards the gunfire. This is when the real stupid shit happens. The models decide that the tomb would make for a great location and the armed robbers can do nothing to stop the 98-lb women. Why?!?
*
The tomb's new visitors treat it with the dignity and respect that it truly deserves. By that, I mean they stomp all around the place and set up lighting rigs. To each his own, I suppose. After dilly-dallying about for a while, some mysterious things start to happen. The movie shows us this with random shots of coffin lids moving a little and other such exciting action. If you like women standing around and posing, inter-cut with random things happening that are unrelated, this is your movie.
*
The movie picks up about forty minutes in or so. A mummy finally rises, but does not immediately go on a rampage. Like the movie, he is not in a hurry to go anywhere or do anything. A couple of people die here and there, plus we get some more footage of some crazy, screeching lady that played a part earlier. One poor makeup girl gets mummy ooze (not what you're thinking) on her right hand and it burns her. Meanwhile, the mummy still does not do all that much, but his zombie-ish henchmen get fairly active. Do I really need to tell you how this movie ends? Have you not seen this movie six times over already?
*
This movie is fairly-entertaining...if you can be forgiving. The movie breaks no molds, save for the inclusion of a mummy into the mix. The fact that they actually shot some scenes in Egypt is a nice touch. As we learned in Manhattan Baby (a future review for sure), that is just not enough to save a movie though. When you really look into the other works by this director, you learn where to set your expectations. His other film of note: Queen Kong. That says it all, really.
*
What is a better mix than Spaniards and chainsaws? Nothing! Stay tuned...
Damn, come on Tim! The last 20 minutes is filled with some zesty scenes of gore by hyperactive ghouls and the guy playing the mummy was certainly the tallest performer to ever don the gauze.
ReplyDeleteThe score was pretty damn lively, too and some of the behind the scenes technicians were behind the importing of the Power Rangers show for American consumption.
This one scared me as a kid where the station amazingly showed it uncut very late at night. Funnily, the print on television was much brighter than either the VHS release or the Anchor Bay UK DVD from a few years ago.