I have long been a fan of Mummy movies. The classic Universal Mummy movies from the 1930's and 40's along with the Hammer Studios Mummy movies remain favorites I go back to again and again. It has been a while since we've had an actual scary Mummy movie though. The Stephen Sommers/Brendan Fraser Mummy movies were fun adventure films but it would be a stretch to call them horror films. So naturally when I saw previews for the film THE PYRAMID, a new horror mummy movie, it went on my watch list. And you can never go wrong with Alexandre Aja involved.
THE PLOT
Archeologists Nora and her father Holden have uncovered the tip of a previously undiscovered pyramid in the desert outside of Cairo. Civil unrest is sweeping through Cairo, erupting in riots and public disobedience. Just as the archeological team unearths an entrance to the pyramid tensions in Cairo rise and the team is ordered to evacuate the area for safety. Nora and the others can't risk the find of the century possibly being swept out from under their noses by another team. They decide to head into the pyramid rather than leave. Inside they discover various oddities that don't match any other recorded pyramid. Then one of them thinks they see something moving in the darkness. The floor suddenly gives way. A member of their group is pinned underneath a massive stone. Something takes his body in the dark. Unable to go back the way they came, they must now explore the pyramid to find a way out while something in the dark preys on them one at a time.
THE GOOD
The Concept. Easily the strongest aspect of the film is the story. Ideas are presented that I've never heard of nor seen in a Mummy movie before. The premise is that the pyramid is three-sided as opposed to four and that the pyramid was buried on purpose to get rid of something. The story incorporates the ancient aliens theory with Egyptian mythology in a very cool way. The film also touches on pieces of the Book of the Dead, the Egyptian gods Osiris and Anubis. The writers mixed all these ideas together into one intriguing plot which held my attention for the duration of the movie.
Hot Chicks and Monsters. Not going to lie, one of the reasons I kept watching was lead actress Ashley Hinshaw. One of the appeals of horror films are the attractive women within them. Hotties can't carry a horror film alone however. The second ingredient is a compelling monster. This movie has both. The monster in this film was not what I expected and was actually quite refreshing. They also didn't skimp on blood and gore which was appreciated. Actor Denis O'Hare (AMERICAN HORROR STORY, TRUE BLOOD) also costarred in the film as Nora's father and was a welcomed addition.
THE BAD
Handheld Camera. Sadly this is another handheld camera horror film and it really didn't need to be. It reminded me of the movie AS ABOVE SO BELOW which I personally wasn't too impressed with. For me, the handheld horror movie gimmick has ran its course. Luckily this movie gives us a few steady-cam shots to even things out. The other major drawback was the monster design. It looked as if the CG render of the monster was only half-finished. The CGI in general was a tad on the weak side. And then the acting fell wanting at times. Annoying characters didn't die quickly enough. So yeah, there are a fair share of weaknesses.
THE VERDICT
Not everything worked in this film, however it does possess a fair share of positives making the experience not a complete waste of time. The handheld camera technique has grown tiresome but the amount of intriguing concepts are plentiful. There's an abundance of food for thought. The writing in this film was well done while execution was both hit and miss. I will say that I found it more enjoyable than other recent handheld horror. If this movie proves one thing it's that there is still plenty of material for new Mummy horror films, which you can never have too many of.
Overall Ranking: 5 out of 10
Good. Average.
Nude-O-Meter: 1 out of 10
For more handheld horror and Egyptian scares check out the movies below
No comments:
Post a Comment