"The Mummy" (1932) Film Review

The Mummy (1932)

Rating: 4/5

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    After releasing two fantastic movies about Dracula and Frankenstein, Universal decides to tell a monster story not based off a prior novel, The Mummy. With the brilliant inclusion of Boris Karloff as the titular monster, they attempt to continue on this franchise, capitalizing not only on the interest in these characters, but the revolutionary visual effects and filmmaking techniques that were becoming more available. While it may have a lesser-than story compared to the two films that were released before it, The Mummy proves to be a successful and great film that showcases the talent of these filmmakers and performers. 

    Karloff's character is named Im-ho-tep, who was an ancient Egyptian high-priest who was mummified and then dug up centuries later by archaeologist Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron). When Sir Whemple's assistant accidentally revives the mummy by reading off the scroll with the warning that Im-ho-tep will come back to the land of the living, they lose the discovered mummy and decide to cut their losses. Yet, ten years later, when Whemple's son Frank (David Manners) decides to go back and is led in the right direction to discover the tomb of Princess Ankh-es-en-Amon by a disguised Im-ho-tep, they think they have discovered an incredible find. 

    What they don't realize is that Im-ho-tep, who is now taking the name of Ardath Bey, led the researchers in the right direction because he is in love with the Princess, and has a way of bringing her back to him. When Frank's new lover, Helen (Zita Johann) falls under the spell of the cursed mummy, the archaeologists must now find a way to bring a stop to the mummy before it is too late.     

    The best thing about this movie, which I'm sure many people will agree with me on, is the inclusion of Karloff as another Universal monster. He was incredible as Frankenstein a year prior, and decide to keep him apart of this franchise in the early days as the wrapped-up creature. It is very refreshing to see him in this new role of a monster antagonist, one that allows him to talk and have a wider array of reactions and emotion. He is only wrapped-up for one scene of the film, which I will go more in depth on my thoughts about in a moment, so the rest of the film really allows him to showcase his acting chops. From the way he portrays himself throughout the entire picture to the way his eyes make the viewer incredibly uncomfortable, he simply jumps off the screen as this iconic villain. 

    At the same time, I think the performances from Byron, Manners, and Johann are very good alongside Karloff. While he steals the show in every scene he is in, they do a good job leading the story forward when the mummy is out of the scene. We are able to see these conversations and worries that the characters share, which makes it even more scary when we realize that Im-ho-tep may be seeing everything they are planning against him. 

    The filmmaking techniques and stylistic decisions are absolutely fantastic. Director Karl Freund takes a lot of inspiration from the two films that came out before this one, and shot the film to near-perfection. From the cinematography to the sets, from the makeup to the way the film showcases Karloff in the leading role, it all works so well and can easily hold its own against the two films that came before it. The technique he uses in terms of focusing on Karloff's face and the way he is able to achieve such special effects here, like looking through the mummy's little cauldron-esque screen paves the way for the latter films to achieve these effects, and improve on them. 

    Now, the story is where the film falters a bit. This isn't a bad story at all, but it simply runs a little too slow and doesn't have the same magic or intrigue that Dracula and Frankenstein does. It does a great job of setting the story up and have the main conflict present throughout the entire runtime, but it seems like it sort of drifts through the middle to get to the final concluding moments of the film. There isn't much in the middle that really elevates the film or have any special interest for the viewer. 

    Overall, The Mummy does a fantastic job of following up the two previous films, and really sets this franchise into motion. Not only does it show that Universal wasn't a one-trick pony (or in this case, a two-trick pony) when it comes to the Monster films, but shows how they are able to take original material and allow it to be considered just as a good as the adaptations by many fans. This story has gone on to garner numerous reboots and sequels, but this 1932 version will always have that special spark to it.