THE MUMMY TRILOGY [1999 / 2001 / 2008 / 2013] [3 Film Collection] [Blu-ray + Digital ULTRAVIOLET] [UK Release] Rediscover all three adrenaline filled feature films from THE MUMMY franchise in this newly packaged trilogy.
‘THE MUMMY’ [1999] In 1925, in the Sahara Desert, a group of treasure hunters stumble on a 3,000 year old tomb and the mummified incarnation of an Egyptian priest out for revenge: As punishment for killing Pharaoh Seti and sleeping with his mistress, Egyptian priest Imhotep was mummified alive and cursed. But in 1923 he is inadvertently resurrected by treasure hunters and must be stopped before he can wreak his final vengeance on the world.
‘THE MUMMY RETURNS’ [2001] Ten years after the events of the first film, Rick O'Connell [Brendan Fraser] and Evelyn O'Connell [Rachel Weisz] are settled in 1935 London, where they are raising their son. When a chain of events finds the corpse of Imhotep [Arnold Vosloo] resurrected, the O'Connells go on a desperate race to save the world from unspeakable evil and to rescue their son before it is too late.
‘THE MUMMY: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ [2008] Taking off the wraps once more, but this time the action moves to China for round three of the Mummy adventure. For 2,000 years the ruthless Chinese Dragon Emperor [Jet Li] and his vast army of warriors have been frozen in time, cast in clay, waiting for their moment to rise again. When young archaeologist Alex O'Connell [Luke Ford] is duped into bringing the ancient warlord back to life, he soon realises he has to call in the only people he knows with experience and knowledge of how to battle the undead and his parents, father Rick O'Connell [Brendan Fraser] and mother Evelyn O'Connell [Maria Bello]. As the emperor attempts to re-unite with his massed warriors and finally fulfil his dream of world domination, Alex O'Connell and his family, along with mystical, high-kicking sorceress Zi Juan [Michelle Yeoh] and a rival cast of undead, have to pull out all the stops to keep the evil tyrant from achieving his ends.
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THE MUMMY FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1999 Awards Circuit Community Awards: Nominated: Best Visual Effects. 1999 Bogey Awards, Germany: Win: Bogey Award in Gold for ‘THE MUMMY.’ 1999 Golden Screen, Germany: Win Golden Screen Award for ‘THE MUMMY.’ 1999 International Film Music Critics Award: Win: Film Score of the Year for Jerry Goldsmith. 2000 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Sound for Chris Carpenter, Chris Munro, Leslie Shatz and Rick Kline. 2000 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects for Ben Snow, Chris Corbould, Daniel Jeannette and John Andrew Berton Jr. 2000 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Saturn Award for Best Make-Up for Aileen Seaton and Nick Dudman. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Actor for Brendan Fraser. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Actress for Rachel Weisz. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Director for Stephen Sommers. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Writer for Stephen Sommers. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Music for Jerry Goldsmith. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Costumes for John Bloomfield. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Special Effects for Ben Snow, Chris Corbould, Daniel Jeannette and John Andrew Berton Jr. 2000 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: BMI Film Music Award for Jerry Goldsmith. 2000 Csapnivalo Awards: Nominated: Golden Slate for Worst Movie. 2000 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards: Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Arnold Vosloo. Nominated: Best Score for Jerry Goldsmith. Nominated: Best Makeup/Creature FX for John Andrew Berton Jr. and Nick Dudman. 2000 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated: Best Visual Effects for John Andrew Berton Jr. 2000 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing, Effects & Foley for Jonathan Klein (supervising foley editor), Leslie Shatz (supervising sound editor), Mark Pappas (foley editor), Richard Burton (sound editor) and Thom Brennan (sound editor/foley editor). 2000 MTV Movie + TV Awards: Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence for the sand monster scene. 2000 Online Film & Television Association: Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Visual Effects for Ben Snow, Chris Corbould, Daniel Jeannette and John Andrew Berton Jr. 2000 Satellite Awards: Nominated: Golden Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects for Chris Corbould, John Andrew Berton Jr., Mark Freund and Steve Hamilton.
THE MUMMY FILM FACT No.2: The visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Magic, who blended film and computer-generated imagery to create the titular Mummy. Jerry Goldsmith provided the orchestral score.
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THE MUMMY RETURNS FILM FACT No.3: Awards and Nominations: 2001 Bogey Awards, Germany: Win: Bogey Award in Gold for ‘THE MUMMY RETURNS.’ 2001 Golden Schmoes Awards: Nominated: Worst Movie of the Year. Nominated: Biggest Disappointment of the Year. 2001 Golden Screen, Germany: Win: Golden Screen Award for ‘THE MUMMY RETURNS.’ 2001 GoldSpirit Awards: Win: Best Action Soundtrack for Alan Silvestri. 2001 Teen Choice Awards: Win: Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Sleazebag for Dwayne Johnson. Nominated: Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Drama/Action Adventure. Nominated: Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Actor for Brendan Fraser. 2001 The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards: Win: Worst Supporting Actor for Dwayne Johnson. 2002 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Freddie Boath. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Make-Up for Aileen Seaton, Jane Walker and Nick Dudman. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Special Effects for Daniel Jeannette, John Andrew Berton Jr., Neil Corbould and Thomas Rosseter. 2002 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards: Win: Top Box Office Films for Alan Silvestri. 2002 Empire Awards, UK: Nominated: Best British Actress for Rachel Weisz. 2002 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards: Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Patricia Velasquez. Nominated: Worst Film. 2002 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Male Movie Star for Brendan Fraser. 2002 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing, Effects & Foley, Domestic Feature Film for Ann Scibelli (sound effects editor), Jon Olive (sound effects editor), Jonathan Klein (foley editor), Leslie Shatz (supervising sound editor) and Malcolm Fife (sound effects editor). 2002 MTV Asia Awards: Nominated: International Award for Favorite Movie. 2002 World Stunt Awards: Nominated: Taurus Award for Best Fight for Dee Harrup and Nikki Berwick. Nominated: Taurus Award for Best Stunt by a Stunt Woman for Dee Harrup and Nikki Berwick. 2002 Young Artist Awards: Nominated: Best Performance in a Feature Film for Supporting Young Actor for Freddie Boath.
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THE MUMMY: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor FILM FACT No.4: Awards and Nominations: 2008 National Movie Awards, UK: Nominated: Best Action/Adventure. Nominated: Best Performance for a Male for Brendan Fraser. 2009 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. 2009 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards: Win: Top Box Office Films for John Debney. 2009 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: BMI Film Music Award for Randy Edelman. 2009 Costume Designers Guild Awards: Nominated: Excellence in Fantasy Film for Sanja Milkovic Hays. 2009 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing, Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film for Becky Sullivan (supervising sound editor/supervising adr editor), Daniel S. Irwin (supervising dialogue editor), John C. Stuver (dialogue editor) and Michelle Pazer (adr editor). 2009 Visual Effects Society Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture for Jason Iverson, Mike Meaker, Richard Mahon and Sho Hasegawa for the avalanche sequence.
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THE MUMMY [1999]
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J. O'Connor, Jonathan Hyde, Oded Fehr, Erick Avari, Stephen Dunham, Corey Johnson, Tuc Watkins, Omid Djalili, Aharon Ipalé, Bernard Fox, Patricia Velasquez, Carl Chase, Mohammed Afifi, Abderrahim El Aadili, Jake Arnott (Mummy), Mason Ball (Mummy), Isobel Brook (Mummy), James Traherne Burton (Mummy), Peter Chequer (Mummy), Porl Smith (Mummy), Ian Warner (Mummy), George Lane Cooper (uncredited), Sean Cronin (uncredited), Ray Donn (uncredited), Howie Dorough (uncredited), Andrew Elias (uncredited), Lisa-Beth Harris (uncredited), Alex Lorre (uncredited), João Costa Menezes (uncredited), Taylor Murphy (uncredited), Jim Templar (uncredited) and Paul Woodadge (uncredited)
Director: Stephen Sommers
Producers: James Jacks, Kevin Jarre, Megan Moran, Patricia Carr and Sean Daniel
Screenplay: Kevin Jarre (screen story), Lloyd Fonvielle (screen story), Stephen Sommers (screen story/screenplay), John L. Balderston (1932 screenplay) (uncredited), Nina Wilcox Putnam (story) (uncredited) and Richard Schayer (story) (uncredited)
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography: Adrian Biddle, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
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THE MUMMY RETURNS [2001]
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velasquez, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Shaun Parkes, Bruce Byron, Joe Dixon, Tom Fisher, Aharon Ipalé, Quill Roberts, Donna Air, Trevor Lovell, Brian Best (uncredited), Max Cavalera (uncredited), Sean Cronin (uncredited), Salem Hanna (uncredited), Paul Sacks (uncredited), Stephen Sommers (uncredited) and Rocky Taylor (uncredited)
Director: Stephen Sommers
Producers: Bob Ducsay, Don Zepfel, James Jacks, Megan Moran and Sean Daniel
Screenplay: Stephen Sommers
Composer: Alan Silvestri
Cinematography: Adrian Biddle, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
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THE MUMMY: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor [2008]
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, Luke Ford, Isabella Leong, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Russell Wong, Liam Cunningham, David Calder, Jessey Meng, Tian Liang, Albert Kwan, Jing Wu, Binghua Wei, Jing Guo, Alison Louder, Marcia Nasatir, Emerald Starr, Helen Feng, Stella Maryna Troshyna, James Bradford, Daniel Richard Giverin, Ken Tran, Allan Yuk-lun Chou, Fernando Chien, Mac Jeffrey Ong, Chris Mark, James Mark, Mike Ching, Darryl Quon, Alex Chiang, Paul Wu, Larry Lam, Brian Ho, Vi-Hung Luv, Huy Phong Doan, Kyle Burnett Cashulin, Charles Esposito, Michael Scherer (Yeti), Scott Taylor (Yeti), Kham Tri Vixaysy, Don Lew, Regis Attiow, Tony Wai, Yungstun Wu, Xiang Guangxu, Cong-Quyen Lam, Freda Foh Shen (Narrator) and Vic Armstrong (uncredited)
Director: Rob Cohen
Producers: Bob Ducsay, Chiu Wah Lee, Chris Brigham, Doris Tse, James Jacks, Jianxin Huang, Josette Perrotta, Marc Pitre, Matthew Stuecken, Pengle Xu, Qin Lei, Sean Daniel, Stephen Sommers and Zhonglun Ren
Screenplay: Alfred Gough (screenplay), Miles Millar (screenplay), John L. Balderston (1932 screenplay) (uncredited) and Stephen Sommers (2001 screenplay) (uncredited)
Composer: Randy Edelman
Cinematography: Simon Duggan (Director of Photography)
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Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 and 2.40:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Italian: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
German: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Spanish: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Japanese: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Português, Swedish and Traditional Mandarin
Running Time: 356 minutes
Number of discs: 3
Region: All Regions
Studio: Universal Pictures
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Now that the third film ‘THE MUMMY: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ is now in the franchise and has now been added to this Blu-ray 3 Film Collection, it is now time to give my opinions on these 3 Films. And what better way to do so than to give them a royal treatment, which is so filled with riches, that even the boy king Tutankhamen would want them in his Blu-ray video collection?
Normally this would be the part of the review where I’d summarise the story of each film, but I’m thinking if you’re reading this, then you are already pretty familiar with Rick O’Connell [Brendan Fraser] and his adventure seeking pals. Suffice it to say, these aren’t your granddaddy’s original black-and-white Mummy films. Each of these modern-day offerings is packed to the gills with amazing special effects, cool creatures, high adventure, and enough action for ten other films.
Seeing them all in the full 1080p encoded images is nothing short of glorious. It is films like these that really make the Blu-ray hi-definition format shine. Every single thing on the screen, every bit of dried and rotting flesh, every amazing landscape are all brought to life in what can only be described as stunning detail. If you ever thought to yourself that there wasn’t that much of a difference between standard-definition 480i and 1080p, prepare to have your mind changed and blown away. You just cannot help but stare at the screen and have a big grinning smile.
As for the Special Features and Extras, holy cow, this release is packed to the gill! Most of the older extras are from their previous DVD releases, but there are a couple of things that appear on both of these releases, and then of course there are the Blu-ray goodies lurking about and check out the details below.
There’s no doubt with the advent of the Blu-ray technology is changing the way we watch films. From the crystal clear images, has to be seen to be believed picture quality to the amazing sound mixes and the overall depth of interactivity between film and supplement material, there’s just nothing like it. Whether you’re a fan of the series or you simply want to see what your shiny new player can do, these releases are a must-buy that you absolutely shouldn’t miss!
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THE MUMMY MUSIC TRACK LIST
'Al Nahla Al 'Ali (The Tall Palm Tree) (Written by Metqal Qemawi Metqal, and Yunis Al Hilali) [Performed by The Musicians of the Nile]
'Al Bahr Al Gharam Wasah (Love Is As Vast As A River) (Written by Mohamed Murad and Yunis Al Hilali) [Performed by The Musicians of the Nile]
Revive La Ilusion (Written by German Pedro Ibanez) [Performed by Septeto Habanero]
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THE MUMMY RETURNS MUSIC TRACK LIST
FOREVER MAY NOT BE LONG ENOUGH (Written by Glen Ballard and Edward Kowalczyk) [Performed by Live]
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THE MUMMY: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor MUSIC TRACK LIST
MY SWEET ETERNAL LOVE (Lyrics by Rob Cohen) (Music by Randy Edelman) [Performed by Helen Feng]
TULSA OKLAHOMA (Written by Ed Palermo and John Palermo) [Performed by Eugene Ruffolo]
TRIBECA BOUNCE (Written by Bruce Fowler) (Produced by Bruce Fowler) [Performed by Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks]
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME (Written by Albert von Tilzer and Jack Norworth)
The Flower Duet (uncredited) (Written by Léo Delibes) [Performed by Joan Sutherland]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Universal Pictures presents ‘THE MUMMY TRILOGY’ on Blu-ray high definition for the first time in a simply stunning 1080p images, plus an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and 2.40:1. Universal Pictures has certainly done themselves proud for what was their debut on the Blu-ray format. ‘THE MUMMY TRILOGY’ remains impressive not only in its foreground detail, but medium-wide objects and background information is handsomely rendered as well. Human characters need not be up-close and centre-framed to see the remarkable detail present on them; medium-wide shots of faces show off every pore, facial hair and bead of sweat with lifelike clarity. Detail in rocks, statues, façades, and even the sand on the desert floor is all top-flight and looks life like realism in the textured appearance. A slight amount of grain covers the image and adds to the deep, theatrical quality of the movie. Once again, Universal Pictures has delivered nearly perfect images, one that fans everywhere are going to love. Universal Studio has consistently released high-quality Blu-ray releases and dedication to the format.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal Pictures ‘THE MUMMY TRILOGY’ smashes onto Blu-ray with an excellent 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. The audio tracks on the 3 Blu-ray discs are a totally perfect complement to the pristine video 1080p transfer, and it never misses a sonic beat. The film's score on the 3 Film Collection are totally powerful and very engaging, even more so thanks to its presentation in a the DTS-HD format. Every speaker is utilised, and while the scores are firmly entrenched up front, the rear channels are active and carry the soundtrack, too, completing the experience. The battle scenes in all the films features excellent dynamics sounds. Whenever gunshots ring loud and true and the chaos of the battle scenes in all 3 films fills every speaker and rattles the subwoofer. More mundane sounds, like flowing water over the side of boats, the slightest bit of audible music in the background is played, and the squeaking and squealing of animals are all meticulously placed and adds a realistic atmosphere to the all scenes. Indeed, atmospherics are generally first-rate throughout the soundtrack on all 3 films. The film music and action sound effects play in perfect harmony, both presented at the perfect volume, one in relation to the other, and as fun and adventurous as the films by themselves, the music and effects make it all the more entertaining listening experience. All the soundtracks on all the films create a totally natural explosive experience, and very satisfying experience it is, especially as shots are fired and come from every direction. Short bursts of automatic gunfire and single shots from lever and bolt-action rifles scream out from every corner, all coming together to form action-scene harmony in all 3 films. Dialogue reproduction is practically pitch-perfect in every scene. These are A-grade soundtracks and Universal Pictures ever-growing list of reference quality Blu-ray soundtracks, are one of the finest listens on Blu-ray today.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Because there are far too Special Features and Extras, I will just List what each item is and if you want to know more detail information, then please check out via the different web sites that will give you the information you require.
THE MUMMY:
Audio Commentary with Director Stephen Sommers and Editor Bob Ducsay
Audio Commentary with Actors Oded Fehr, Kevin J O'Connor and Arnold Vosloo
Deleted Scenes
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Sneak Peek) Visual and Special Effects Formation
An Army to Rule the World Part 1
Unravelling the Legacy of The Mummy
Building a Better Mummy; Storyboard to Final Film Comparison
Photograph Montage
Theatrical Trailer
My Scene
U-Control
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THE MUMMY RETURNS:
Audio Commentary with Director/Writer Stephen Sommers and Executive Producer/Editor Bob Ducsay
The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor [Sneak Preview] An Army To Rule The World Part 2
Unravelling The Legacy of The Mummy
An Exclusive Conversation With The Rock
Spotlight On Location
The Making of The Mummy Returns
Storyboard to Final Film Comparison
Music Video: Live “Forever May Not Be Long Enough”
My Scene
U-Control
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THE MUMMY: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor:
Audio Commentary with Director Rob Cohen
Deleted and Extended Scenes
The Making of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor From City to Desert
Legacy of the Terra Cotta
A Call to Action: The Casting Process
Preparing for Battle with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li
Crafting the Emperor Mummy;
Creating New and Supernatural Worlds
My Scene
U-Control
Finally, THE MUMMY TRILOGY film franchise has been a staple diet of cinema and home cinema for almost a decade. Whether through official sequels or spinoff films, fans of the franchise have always had their appetite for more Mummy-centric action fulfilled in one form or another. Although the trio of official Mummy films have regressed one after the other in a fairly linear fashion, each offers plenty to enjoy, particularly from an action and special-effects perspective. The change in director and the replacement of a key star in the third film certainly spelled trouble for the franchise. While the film retains much of the charm, special effects wizardry, and action that defined the first two films, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor lacks in spirit, vitality, and perhaps most important, in its script. It's a shame to see the franchise go out on a sour note, if this is indeed the end. Universal Pictures entrusted this series in the capable hands of Blu-ray, and all three films are now forever preserved with nearly impeccable and certainly reference-grade quality, available at the whim of fans everywhere looking and sounding about as good as the days the debuted in theatres. Across the board, the films offer first rate visuals and dynamic soundtracks, along with plenty of special features that should keep any serious Mummy fan busy for some time. Despite the downturn in quality of the sequels, particularly the third film, the Mummy trilogy makes a fine addition to any Blu-ray collection, and this set is the perfect way to indulge in all three films. The only really negative aspect to the film ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ is that they replaced the really excellent actress Rachel Weisz, with the equally useless actress Maria Bello, who I thought was totally dreadful, as well as totally wooden and couldn’t act her way out of a wet paper bag, as since that film, I have never seen her anymore in any other films, so just shows you how untalented she is. Why couldn’t they have persuaded Rachel Weisz to appear one last time in this final franchise film and pay the money that Rachel Weisz was asking for, as I felt it left me slightly cold and wanting more out of this film, but despite this slightly negative aspect of the film, it was still a good rollercoaster film and the other actors helped to make the film turn out to be a good 3rd and final Mummy film. By the way, did they think the public would be fooled by Universal Pictures decision to change the actress, come on Universal Pictures we are not that dumb or total idiots? Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
