"The Mummy Lives" is an utterly worthless horror film that is so bad that I almost turned it off after 20 minutes of its projection time.Usually remarkable actor Tony Curtis is completely wasted as Aziru,an Egyptian high priest of the god Zoth,who come back to life as the mummy.He is looking for his long-lost love named Kia and swearing vengeance on the archaeologists,who excavated his tomb."The Mummy Lives" is a total waste of time.The plot is hackneyed and highly unoriginal and the acting is painfully bad.This is also one of the most annoyingly dull horror films I have suffered through.The action moves at snail's pace and there is absolutely no tension.Avoid this crappy howler like the plague.2 out of 10.
14 Reviews
Half a dozen major Israeli character actors wander through an abandoned movie
Nozz28 May 2010
Evidently thanks to Israeli model turned starlet turned casting director Cheli Goldenberg, a team of some of Israel's top character actors turns up for the minor, otherwise uninteresting roles in this movie. Unfortunately, the movie was abandoned by its originally intended star and director and its budget seems to have disappeared along with them. There seems to have been insufficient shooting time, to judge from the long, cheap, unnecessary opening and the abrupt conclusion. The plot is a fairly standard creaker that could have come out of H. Rider Haggard, but with one interesting twist behind Tony Curtis's character: He is tried and convicted for disrespect of the gods, but he takes his medicine and emerges thousands of years later as their defender.
boredom(among other things)reigns
disdressed1213 December 2007
oh,my word.i don't know what i just witnessed,but i know it wasn't good.this is not a good movie,at all.i'm not sure if i've ever been this bored in my life.it's supposed to be horror movie of sorts.the only problem is,they forgot to put in anything that would be scary.it's also done on the cheap,and looks it.the dialogue gives new meaning to the word abysmal.this thing may have been 95 minutes long,but it might as well have been 95 days,that's how slow it was.Tony Curtis plays a prominent role,but looks out of place in this movie.the only saving grace(if there is in one)is the actress who played the lead female character.she was more convincing than anyone else was.for that,i'll give The Mummy Lives a 2/10.
So Bad its watchable.
bdarren-0044029 August 2021
I can only agree with most of the negative reviews on many levels, however I found it strangely compelling for all the wrong reasons.
There were elements I enjoyed, but after reading one reviewer state with apparent seriousness, that this film is superior to the Hammer Classic in 1959, that in itself is probably one of the greatest pieces of comedy I have read in years.
Tony Curtis was totally miscast, comparing his casting to the casting of Christopher Lee is plainly ludicrous.
Christopher Lee was often cast as Foreigners due to his imposing height and darker looks, especially in Swashbuckling roles before he achieved fame in the Hammer Horror films.
Tony Curtis looks like an Italian Restaurant owner at a fancy dress party, but don't get me wrong because I normally like him in most films.
In the Hammer Classic, Christopher Lee was able to add pathos to the character with astonishing effectiveness, just with skilfull use of his eyes.
He was able to project the eternal sadness of a man who died for his love, he wasn't just some lumbering soulless monster.
The only advantage this movie has over the Hammer Classic are the location shots, but describing the sets of the Hammer film as 'lame' shows no appreciation for the Excellent job done by the Hammer team or Art direction.
With low budgets, Hammer did wonders with set design, cinematography atmosphere , music and a stable of actors that The Mummy Lives could have benefited from.
The Mummy Lives can't even hold a candle to the Hammer Mummy sequels, let alone the Universal movies.
However I found it strangely watchable and enjoyable in a B-Movie way.
It has its moments and with better casting, direction and music, could have actually been quite memorable.
There were elements I enjoyed, but after reading one reviewer state with apparent seriousness, that this film is superior to the Hammer Classic in 1959, that in itself is probably one of the greatest pieces of comedy I have read in years.
Tony Curtis was totally miscast, comparing his casting to the casting of Christopher Lee is plainly ludicrous.
Christopher Lee was often cast as Foreigners due to his imposing height and darker looks, especially in Swashbuckling roles before he achieved fame in the Hammer Horror films.
Tony Curtis looks like an Italian Restaurant owner at a fancy dress party, but don't get me wrong because I normally like him in most films.
In the Hammer Classic, Christopher Lee was able to add pathos to the character with astonishing effectiveness, just with skilfull use of his eyes.
He was able to project the eternal sadness of a man who died for his love, he wasn't just some lumbering soulless monster.
The only advantage this movie has over the Hammer Classic are the location shots, but describing the sets of the Hammer film as 'lame' shows no appreciation for the Excellent job done by the Hammer team or Art direction.
With low budgets, Hammer did wonders with set design, cinematography atmosphere , music and a stable of actors that The Mummy Lives could have benefited from.
The Mummy Lives can't even hold a candle to the Hammer Mummy sequels, let alone the Universal movies.
However I found it strangely watchable and enjoyable in a B-Movie way.
It has its moments and with better casting, direction and music, could have actually been quite memorable.
One of the worst mummy movies ever:
lorddrewsus20 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Poor Tony Curtis, having to carry Leslie across the centuries. I enjoy bad movies that don't know they're bad and this one doesn't. Or, didn't when being filmed.
Short useless plot, bad effects, and crap for dialogue, I don't know a better example of better 90's crap horror.
That open air market scene with her running around like an idiot and being touched by third world peasants seemed like something rich people are afraid of. All throughout the movie, bad lines and crap scenes are present.
Good luck on figuring out what the hell these characters are even talking about in the middle. "I will see you at Luxor" should be the tagline.
The worst.
embrdrkbh12 June 2019
Well, one of the very worst. At least this movie has no aliens. That the only good thing I can say about it! I do love "bad mummy" movies, but this is at the bottom of my list (excluding those with aliens, which I refuse to recognize!). Tony Curtis tried to out-do Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, as far as his make-up went! The acting was bad. The writing was bad. The plot was dreadful. The costumes were ... tolerable. The history and accuracy were .... bad. Actually I'd rather give it a negative number of stars.
Who Wrote This Crap?!
meddlecore19 August 2022
Because first impressions aren't doing this film any favours.
Completely ignoring the cheesily bad acting...I'm not sure what I should be more concerned about: the fact that they are worshiping Anubis as Zeus in Egypt; that they are pronouncing Zeus, Zoss?... Zoth, perhaps?; or Tony Curtis'; attempt to channel his inner William Shatner.
Cause all of the above is cringeworthy.
But there is just something about it...that makes you WANT to like it.
The concept is pretty cool, for example.
After a divorce, a woman is drawn to Egypt- particularly Luxor- where she links up with a psychiatrist and oddly informative Egyptologist- who is actually her reincarnated lover, in the body of Tony Curtis.
She has come to watch his tomb being unearthed.
An event which marks the 3300th year the two lovers have been apart...since being murdered by the ruling class.
In doing so, they find his mummy, and awaken it's curse.
So, obviously they all start to die...while the mummy tunnels on the young divorcee as the love he died to honour all those years ago.
Now, the only thing that can save her from falling an existence based on this alternate reality is the psychiatrist that has been trying to woo her.
The whole thing paints the mummy with the allure of a vampire.
Which is cool.
The settings, scenery, locations, props, costumes and mise-en-scene are all awesome.
That is certainly what draws you into the film the most.
But despite that- and having a solid concept at it's base- the lacking execution simply hinders the whole experience.
The acting department is mostly to blame.
As I noted earlier, it honestly seems like they told Curtis to do it as Shatner?!
Personally, I don't think it is as bad as the rating here reflects.
But it's not quite cheesy enough to be good cheesy, either.
4.5 out of 10.
Completely ignoring the cheesily bad acting...I'm not sure what I should be more concerned about: the fact that they are worshiping Anubis as Zeus in Egypt; that they are pronouncing Zeus, Zoss?... Zoth, perhaps?; or Tony Curtis'; attempt to channel his inner William Shatner.
Cause all of the above is cringeworthy.
But there is just something about it...that makes you WANT to like it.
The concept is pretty cool, for example.
After a divorce, a woman is drawn to Egypt- particularly Luxor- where she links up with a psychiatrist and oddly informative Egyptologist- who is actually her reincarnated lover, in the body of Tony Curtis.
She has come to watch his tomb being unearthed.
An event which marks the 3300th year the two lovers have been apart...since being murdered by the ruling class.
In doing so, they find his mummy, and awaken it's curse.
So, obviously they all start to die...while the mummy tunnels on the young divorcee as the love he died to honour all those years ago.
Now, the only thing that can save her from falling an existence based on this alternate reality is the psychiatrist that has been trying to woo her.
The whole thing paints the mummy with the allure of a vampire.
Which is cool.
The settings, scenery, locations, props, costumes and mise-en-scene are all awesome.
That is certainly what draws you into the film the most.
But despite that- and having a solid concept at it's base- the lacking execution simply hinders the whole experience.
The acting department is mostly to blame.
As I noted earlier, it honestly seems like they told Curtis to do it as Shatner?!
Personally, I don't think it is as bad as the rating here reflects.
But it's not quite cheesy enough to be good cheesy, either.
4.5 out of 10.
Still not afraid of mummies
blumdeluxe7 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"The Mummy Lives" tells the story of a young woman who feels a strange desire to travel to Egypt and visit the pyramids. Once there, she becomes the center of interest for the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian man and soon has to fear for her life.
In many aspects, the film looks like a typical low budget horror movie, which in large parts could originate from the fact that it didn't age all too well. Some of the pathos included leaves you rolling your eyes and many otherwhise strange decisions are simply explained by some "overnatural" intuition and powers. Unfortunately, this leads to a movie that never really catches its audience and rather flows along than to shock or produce significant highs and lows.
All in all there are better films of this genre. Some of my criticism might be explained through the age of the film but to be fairly honest, there are enough contrary examples.
In many aspects, the film looks like a typical low budget horror movie, which in large parts could originate from the fact that it didn't age all too well. Some of the pathos included leaves you rolling your eyes and many otherwhise strange decisions are simply explained by some "overnatural" intuition and powers. Unfortunately, this leads to a movie that never really catches its audience and rather flows along than to shock or produce significant highs and lows.
All in all there are better films of this genre. Some of my criticism might be explained through the age of the film but to be fairly honest, there are enough contrary examples.
Tony Curtis?
BandSAboutMovies10 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
You may notice that after Cannon breaks up, both Menahem and Yoram go to the works of Edgar Allan Poe - this is based on the story "Some Words with A Mummy" - and if you think for a second, it makes sense, as Poe has a great name for horror but is also dead and his stories are in the public domain.
Aziru (the very Egyptian Tony Curtis) made love to Khonshu's - called Xoth here - concubine Kia and had to pay the price, getting entombed for centuries until a Rupert Murdoch-esque media owner named Lord Moxton (Jack Cohen) loots the temple that Aziru has been buried inside. Lesie Hardy plays Sandra Barnes who, you guessed it, is the reincarnation of Kia and now, Aziru must act as Dr. Mohassid and make his way through modern life to find her.
Also: this movie starts with nearly five minutes of explosition about how the Egyptians invented astrology and I was there for all of that.
This is a movie where Tony Curtis says stuff like "Get out of my tomb!" and decides that if they say it's based on Poe, no one will realize that it's the same exact movie as the Universal version of The Mummy, except you know, really boring. Yes, a movie where Tony Curtis is a mummy who must killed the people who robbed hsi tomb and also kill Sandra so that he can pay back his debt to Xoth ends up being slow and that's ridiculous.
This was the last movie directed by Gerry O'Hara, who guided me into puberty with his Oliver Reed-starring Fanny Hill and Joan Collins movie The Bitch, and it was written by Nelson Gidding, a far step removed from his scripts for The Haunting and The Andromeda Strain.
At one point, Ken Russell was going to direct this and Christopher Lee or Anthony Perkins would star. Producer Harry Alan Towers said it was a mistake to hire Curtis, as he didn't fit the movie. I know - I just wrote a few hundred words saying exactly that and didn't put up thousands of dollars to make this movie.
Aziru (the very Egyptian Tony Curtis) made love to Khonshu's - called Xoth here - concubine Kia and had to pay the price, getting entombed for centuries until a Rupert Murdoch-esque media owner named Lord Moxton (Jack Cohen) loots the temple that Aziru has been buried inside. Lesie Hardy plays Sandra Barnes who, you guessed it, is the reincarnation of Kia and now, Aziru must act as Dr. Mohassid and make his way through modern life to find her.
Also: this movie starts with nearly five minutes of explosition about how the Egyptians invented astrology and I was there for all of that.
This is a movie where Tony Curtis says stuff like "Get out of my tomb!" and decides that if they say it's based on Poe, no one will realize that it's the same exact movie as the Universal version of The Mummy, except you know, really boring. Yes, a movie where Tony Curtis is a mummy who must killed the people who robbed hsi tomb and also kill Sandra so that he can pay back his debt to Xoth ends up being slow and that's ridiculous.
This was the last movie directed by Gerry O'Hara, who guided me into puberty with his Oliver Reed-starring Fanny Hill and Joan Collins movie The Bitch, and it was written by Nelson Gidding, a far step removed from his scripts for The Haunting and The Andromeda Strain.
At one point, Ken Russell was going to direct this and Christopher Lee or Anthony Perkins would star. Producer Harry Alan Towers said it was a mistake to hire Curtis, as he didn't fit the movie. I know - I just wrote a few hundred words saying exactly that and didn't put up thousands of dollars to make this movie.
Cheap and Charming Fun
classix_fan5 October 2014
THE MUMMY LIVES certainly isn't the biggest budgeted or best mummy flick ever made, but it's far from a waste of one's time and it's actually quite fun. I had a wonderful time watching it. You just have to know what you are getting yourself into: This is a very low budget old fashioned PG-13 mummy flick with a very out of place Tony Curtis. Curtis is completely miscast, but he plays his role with such terrific panache it's a joy to behold. You just have to be willing to accept this weird little low budget flick on its own terms. Just sit back and enjoy the modestly budgeted spectacle of ancient ruins, magic rituals, snakes, nightmares, mummies, forbidden love, murders, and blood. It's all very cheap yet charming, and its flaws are all part of its appeal. THE MUMMY LIVES is a low budget affair,but it delivers good fun and is a nice way to spend time on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Interesting Concept
ghoultown28 April 2009
It's definitely lacking, with the costumes, lighting and acting. Nediocre direction, and Tony Curtis is definitely miscast.
However, had they been given a better script, and bigger budget, it could have actually been something really good.
Since I'm only familiar with the first Boris Karloff movie, as well as the newer series of course, I'm not quite sure how the Mummy movies work.
But I found it really interesting that the girl who the Mummy's after keeps getting these dreams and hallucinations as if she were mad.
It's a horrible film. It has plenty of potential. However, the fact that it's untapped makes it seem worse than it really is.
However, had they been given a better script, and bigger budget, it could have actually been something really good.
Since I'm only familiar with the first Boris Karloff movie, as well as the newer series of course, I'm not quite sure how the Mummy movies work.
But I found it really interesting that the girl who the Mummy's after keeps getting these dreams and hallucinations as if she were mad.
It's a horrible film. It has plenty of potential. However, the fact that it's untapped makes it seem worse than it really is.
Movie of intrigue
NightwolfSeaman26 August 2006
I had first seen this movie with my fiancé long after the movie had come out. I watched the movie with him. He had told me the movie was quite good and interesting. He had filled me on what I had missed. I sat through the remained of the movie with all interest. The storyline was excellent and the scenery was exquisite in the movie. Tony Curtis was phenomenal in the move as the mummy, looking for his long lost love in woman who was having dreams of the ancient past. Since I first saw the movie I have seen it an additional two times.
In my honest opinion, this movie is worth seeing. It was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's story "Words With A Mummy". I now own the movie to be amongst my personal movie library. If I felt for any reason the move didn't deserve such an honor with me, I wouldn't have purchased it.
By watching this movie a total of three times, I would recommend anyone who is an avid fan of Tony Curtis and Edgar Allen Poe, to see this movie.
In my honest opinion, this movie is worth seeing. It was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's story "Words With A Mummy". I now own the movie to be amongst my personal movie library. If I felt for any reason the move didn't deserve such an honor with me, I wouldn't have purchased it.
By watching this movie a total of three times, I would recommend anyone who is an avid fan of Tony Curtis and Edgar Allen Poe, to see this movie.
A very interesting Mummy (the character)
Wuchakk23 January 2015
"The Mummy Lives" is an American direct-to-video flick from 1993 starring Tony Curtis in the titular role when he was 67 years-old. The plot's typical to older mummy movies: Forbidden love in the ancient Egyptian world results in the guilty guy getting entombed alive, usually with the object of his desire. In the modern day the tomb is desecrated by archaeologists and the mummy seeks vengeance. The refreshing twist here is that when Curtis' character is resurrected he looks like his normal self, at least his face anyway; his hands look like death itself. Leslie Hardy plays a woman interested in Egyptology and she may be the mummy's beloved, Kia, reincarnated. Greg Wrangler plays a psychologist who takes interest in her.
This is a drama/mystery with light horror elements so don't expect heavy gore and scares. While it's clearly low-budget, it has numerous strengths, particularly the basic fish-out-of-water plot with the ancient mummy becoming a pretty interesting character in the modern world. I'm not sure how he knows how to speak English though, but I assume the god he prays to gives him the knowledge/power.
In any case, the Mummy's offended by the desecrations of Egyptian crypts and points out the obvious: How can archaeologists justify desecrating burial sites? How much time has to go by for such activity to be deemed acceptable in the name of research and science? The Mummy also makes a great point to the woman: The modern world is science-oriented, but passionless; and without passion there is no life. While the Mummy is a somewhat fascinating character and you find yourself rooting for him, the ending drops the ball. I don't want to say too much, but the Mummy essentially becomes the hero in the film and the filmmakers contradict this by insisting on tacking-on a more conventional horror ending. The film was unique as it was so they should've just gone all the way, if you know what I mean. I wish they had the courage to do this because it could've been a great or near-great independent movie.
Still, there's enough good here to recommend it to fans of unique independent movies (however, if you're addicted to a strict Hollywood "blockbuster" diet, flee as fast as you can). For one, the three main characters are effective and, like I said, the Mummy is an interesting character and you'll find yourself rooting for his cause. Although Hardy is too thin for my tastes, she's a likable and worthy protagonist; and Wrangler is an excellent masculine co-star. Secondly, you can't beat the authentic Egyptian locations. Compare this with Hammer's "The Mummy" (1959), which was shot entirely in England with lame "Egyptian" sets. Speaking of which, people criticize Tony Curtis for being miscast in this movie and yet Christopher Lee played the same character in the Hammer film and no one seems to criticize him as being miscast, not to mention that film is regarded fairly well while this one is typically lambasted, which is odd because -- low-budget or not -- this is the better film. Thirdly, the score is diversified and all-around excellent.
The film runs 97 minutes and was shot in Egypt and Israel.
GRADE: C+ or B- (keeping in mind that it's a low-budget direct-to-video flick)
This is a drama/mystery with light horror elements so don't expect heavy gore and scares. While it's clearly low-budget, it has numerous strengths, particularly the basic fish-out-of-water plot with the ancient mummy becoming a pretty interesting character in the modern world. I'm not sure how he knows how to speak English though, but I assume the god he prays to gives him the knowledge/power.
In any case, the Mummy's offended by the desecrations of Egyptian crypts and points out the obvious: How can archaeologists justify desecrating burial sites? How much time has to go by for such activity to be deemed acceptable in the name of research and science? The Mummy also makes a great point to the woman: The modern world is science-oriented, but passionless; and without passion there is no life. While the Mummy is a somewhat fascinating character and you find yourself rooting for him, the ending drops the ball. I don't want to say too much, but the Mummy essentially becomes the hero in the film and the filmmakers contradict this by insisting on tacking-on a more conventional horror ending. The film was unique as it was so they should've just gone all the way, if you know what I mean. I wish they had the courage to do this because it could've been a great or near-great independent movie.
Still, there's enough good here to recommend it to fans of unique independent movies (however, if you're addicted to a strict Hollywood "blockbuster" diet, flee as fast as you can). For one, the three main characters are effective and, like I said, the Mummy is an interesting character and you'll find yourself rooting for his cause. Although Hardy is too thin for my tastes, she's a likable and worthy protagonist; and Wrangler is an excellent masculine co-star. Secondly, you can't beat the authentic Egyptian locations. Compare this with Hammer's "The Mummy" (1959), which was shot entirely in England with lame "Egyptian" sets. Speaking of which, people criticize Tony Curtis for being miscast in this movie and yet Christopher Lee played the same character in the Hammer film and no one seems to criticize him as being miscast, not to mention that film is regarded fairly well while this one is typically lambasted, which is odd because -- low-budget or not -- this is the better film. Thirdly, the score is diversified and all-around excellent.
The film runs 97 minutes and was shot in Egypt and Israel.
GRADE: C+ or B- (keeping in mind that it's a low-budget direct-to-video flick)
The Mummy Lives is quite a different mummy film but Tony Curtis delivers!
Movie Nuttball17 December 2002
Warning: Spoilers
The Mummy Lives is a good mummy film.It is very different from all the rest.I was very surprised to see the legendary Tony Curtis in a film such as this one.He put on a good performance.The introduction of the film is very interesting with the star and the figures. The woman talking through the prolog sounded quite serious! The music is pretty good.The sets and costumes look like the real thing.I am a very big fan of mummy films and this one is pretty good to watch if you like the other mummy films but like I said its quite different but in a good way!
NOTES:
The picture on front of the box of the film isn't even in the film and on the back of the Tony Curtis' Mummy is seen that looks like the grim reaper or some evil being.This look of course has excellent make up but is only seen for a brief second in the film if seen at all:(
The box looks exactly like a Warner Brothers box but it is from Cannon Video.
NOTES:
The picture on front of the box of the film isn't even in the film and on the back of the Tony Curtis' Mummy is seen that looks like the grim reaper or some evil being.This look of course has excellent make up but is only seen for a brief second in the film if seen at all:(
The box looks exactly like a Warner Brothers box but it is from Cannon Video.
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