With Universal Studios getting ready to reboot their classic monster franchises in the near future, indie filmmakers seem to be gravitating towards projects revolving around the baddies of yesteryear, too. I recently reviewed one mummy tale with Isis Rising, but it seems that isn’t the only new mummy movie around. Judging by its trailer, Johnny Tabor’s Day of the Mummy had tons of promise, but unfortunately, the film itself really didn’t reach any of its potential.
Synopsis:
Jack Wells has arrived in Egypt in search of the famous diamond known as The Codex Stone. His journey leads him to the tomb of the cursed King Neferu, cursed not by name but by nature. With his centuries-old slumber disturbed by timeless human greed, the King rises from the dead with a blood-lust that cannot be quenched and a raging fury that will shred flesh from bone, bringing terrible and tormented death to all who dare witness the Day of the Mummy.
Just like another film I recently reviewed (see Grace: The Possession), Day of the Mummy is almost entirely shot from a first-person perspective. While this video game style of making a film is cool in theory, I really hope this doesn’t become the ‘next big thing’ in indie horror. It is entertaining when done right, but between Grace and now Mummy, I have been disappointed enough. Also like Grace, this film is plagued with weak acting, bad writing, and characters I just don’t give a damn about. Even Danny Glover popping up at the bottom left corner of my screen every few minutes couldn’t bring this movie back to the positive side of a review…
All is not lost, however, in Day of the Mummy. While the film started out with some really terrible CGI sequences, the rest of the film managed to present some pretty neat practical effects and make-up, redeeming itself a bit. Damien Leone and his team of artists did an awesome job with the design and sculpt of King Neferu, which really was the shining star of this whole production. With all of the negative things going for it, the creature design was truly the saving grace for this film.
If you’re a fan of the classic monsters like the wolfman or the mummy, you might want to give this one a fair shot. Give the film a watch and let me know what you liked or disliked about it, in the comments below. You can pick up a copy on DVD from Image Entertainment and RLJ Entertainment today!
I give this film 1.5 precious stones out of 5.
