Nostalgia and Schlock: Dawn of the Mummy
Fashion and Death in the Desert: Dawn of The Mummy
Directed by: Frank Agrama
Written by: Daria Price, Frank Agrama, and Ronald Dobrin
“They came from the dead…to feast on the living” --Tagline on the Cover
What can I say about this homage to a classic? “It came, it saw, and it tried.” Now do not get me wrong this movie was entertaining but do not think it will rock your world, but it tried. I actually did enjoy it, between the overreaction that would give Nicolas Cage a run for his money and the practical effects it was a joy to watch. Though I think they were going for horrifying.
The movie starts off with a pharaoh’s army attacking a group of civilians in ancient Egypt. The people are used as slaves and sacrifices for the pharaoh after his death. A curse is placed on the pharaohs tomb so that if it is ever disturbed the pharaoh and the people will return to earth destroying those who have disturbed his resting place. Fast forward to Egypt roughly 1981 and a group of men blow up the mouth of the tomb in the desert. They are grave robbers lead by Rick (George Peck) and they are on a mission to hunt for the treasure of the tomb. At about the same time a group across the world a group of models gather to take a trip to Egypt for a photo shoot. Though passage of time is not really clear the next scene has these models arriving in Egypt for their shoot. But I guess the night before another group of grave robbers entered the tomb where upon entrance their faces began to melt. Hey I was clear that timelines were not established. The models the following day get close to the tomb where one model fell down a dune where she saw one of the prior nights’ victims’ heads laying in the sand and instead of leaving the lead photographer figured this would be a good place to shoot. Logic right.
A crazy lady warns the crew of the curse but still the group decide to shoot their photography session. Night falls and the group prepares to relax for the next day in a camp near the tomb. Nothing particularly strange is happening but I guess they needed to film a break scene before the fun begins the next day. As the sun rises the models get close to the tomb where one of Rick’s (Peck) men spots the models and opens fire on them. Rick (Peck) comes to their rescue and apologizes for the misunderstanding. So, once again logic sets in and the head photographer runs up to meet the man like they will become best friends. The grave robbers allow him to explore the tomb and that is when the curse begins.
Let’s face it. The acting was over the top, but the violence and gore did shine through. “Dawn of the Mummy,” was a victim of its era. Everything was over the top but it also brought nostalgia to the for front as well. It paid homage to the original, “The Mummy,” of 1932 with the curse and the death by choking though it brought the gore factor of the 1980s also into is movie which gave it a bloodier turn. However, one thing we cannot deny is Rick’s acting brought a lot to the movie. He made me laugh with his insatiable overreactions throughout the movie. If anything, it is fun to just watch him. But the practical effects were decent and at times I would have liked a bit better lighting because it is sometimes hard to see certain scenes. If you are looking at this movie as a combination of nostalgia and slasher you may enjoy but be certain that it is a fun watch not particularly terrifying or scary.
**Meet Rick**
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xycLO2-xiFY
(VIdeo by TotalCults on youtube.)
--reviewed by Professor Timore