Mummies (U)

Beneath the shifting sands of the mighty pyramids, the Pharaoh presides over a secret afterlife for Egyptian mummies. In this subterranean kingdom, the Pharaoh calls upon Hathor, goddess of love, to help his daughter Princess Nefer find a worthy suitor and her messenger, a fiery phoenix, chooses charioteer Thut. Fame-seeking archaeologist Lord Sylvester Carnaby steals the royal family's wedding ring and the soon-to-be-weds give chase along with Thut's younger brother Sekhem.

LondonNet Film Review

Mummies (U) Film Review from LondonNet

Spanish filmmaker Juan Jesus García Galocha, who previously worked as art director on Tad The Lost Explorer And The Secret Of King Midas, makes his directorial debut with a computer-animated adventure that imagines the Egyptian afterlife as a world hidden from prying eyes where bandaged citizens go about their day-to-day business, fall in love and even marry. When greedy human interlopers gate-crash this secret realm, a trio of mummies reluctantly ventures to 21st-century London for a fish-out-of-water comedy co-written by Jordi Gasull and Javier Barreira…

Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Ricky Roxburgh polishes an English language translation that relies on a single running gag – the chief villain’s subservience to his well-to-do mummy (voiced by Celia Imrie) – to carry the simplistic narrative through protracted diversions. Chase sequences by chariot and a red London bus are well executed with bright, crisp visuals and the introduction of a pet baby crocodile that communicates in breathy squeaks like a dog toy fulfils the brief of a cute critter to charm young audiences. As solid, undemanding family entertainment, Mummies ticks every box except for originality. Pixar’s magnificent Coco bridged the divide between the living and dead with considerably more imagination, directorial verve and catchier original songs.

Beneath the shifting sands of the mighty pyramids, the Pharaoh (voiced by Sean Bean) presides over a secret afterlife for Egyptian mummies. In this subterranean kingdom, the Pharaoh calls upon Hathor, goddess of love, to help his daughter Princess Nefer (Eleanor Tomlinson) find a worthy suitor so she may ascend the throne with the royal family’s treasured ring on her wedding finger. Hathor’s messenger, a fiery phoenix, chooses charioteer Thut (Joe Thomas) and he is entrusted with the ring for the seven-day period leading up to the nuptials. Failure to produce the precious jewellery will result in Thut sacrificing his tongue and eyes.

Fame-seeking archaeologist Lord Sylvester Carnaby (Hugh Bonneville) and bumbling hench-twins Danny and Dennis (Dan Starkey) steal the heirloom and spirit it away to the Carnaby Museum in London. The soon-to-be-weds give chase along with Thut’s younger brother Sekhem (Santiago Winder) and their pet crocodile. Far from home, Egyptian interlopers are introduced to curious British customs and rely on the kindness of strangers including music producer Ed (Shakka) to reclaim their stolen property.

Mummies resolutely avoids on-screen violence and doesn’t place characters in serious jeopardy so there is never any possibility that Thut will relinquish his tongue and peepers by the end credits. The script gets tongue-tied when it comes to elegantly articulating emotions including a messy final act that resolves deep-rooted insecurities with minimum effort. Galocha’s picture doesn’t completely unravel over the course of 88 minutes but there are a noticeable rough edges and loose ends.

– Sarah Lee