Before I even delve into the implications of how much I am dying to get into HD DVD or Blu ray (because its pretty obvious just how much in need of improvement some standard definition DVDs are, especially those with non anamorphic transfers...Disney/Buena Vista are you listening???), let me cover these two recent additions I have made to my still-growing standard DVD collection, and then I'll share more I have recently purchased as well...its these two that stand out right now because of just how recently I added them to the library; plus, the audio and video transfers are still fresh in my mind in terms of quality and judgement.
While I was never a real "fan" of Universal's original
Mummy from their classic monster film vaults, Stephen Sommers' "remake" (which was more like a reworking of the concept rather than an actual retelling of the creepy tale) always held a soft spot in my cinematically obssessed heart for some reason; maybe it was the effective narration in the beginning which sends chills up your spine as you get a history lesson about some of Egypt's legendary curses and mummification stories...maybe it was the clever CGI work that gets a lot of criticism by most but still looks fresh to me....maybe it was Brendan Fraser's refreshing lead role that seemed just so much better than most of the ridiculous roles he usually stars in...it was just always a cool flick to me. Sommers went on to helm another Universal monster film-based remake (well, actually, filmS based on some legendary Universal Studios monster characters) titled
Van Helsing which also worked in my opinion, but which received mostly negative press as well; here, in
The Mummy, Sommers creates more of an Indiana Jones-meets-a-CGI-created-ressurrected mummy than a full-on horror flim (which the film is widely known as, incorrectly), and originally after a theatrical run in 1999, the film found its way onto VHS and DVD from Universal in (on DVD) "Collector's Editions" in both widescreen and fullscreen versions available separately. With the news of a sequel to be launched,
The Mummy Returns (which featured wrestler The Rock and went on to spawn a third film based on The Rock's character from
The Mummy Returns,
The Scorpion King), Universal put out this
Mummy: Ultimate Edition which is being reviewed here. It seems a bit overkill and unnecessary for a title that reall isn't that jaw-dropping or legendary in terms of cinematic influence, but the most important addition on this two disc set was the inclusion of an all-new DTS track for home theater enthusiasts. I had held off buying this title for a long time once this Ultimate Edition had gone out of print, as all DVD retailers had offered the simple one disc "Collector's Edition" once again with the standard Dolby Digital track, and as you can ascertain from my username, I demanded the DTS mix on this title....Dolby Digital was simply not gonna do it for me.
And that's what stores are shelving now, folks....you can only purchase
The Mummy as a standalone Collector's Edition from Universal, or together in some kind of "Mummy Collection" which bundles the first and second films; I believe there's even a pack that includes
The Scorpion King too if you can sit through that pile of vomit. But, with the advent of the internet comes all kinds of access to great stuff previously unavailable, and a quick search found
The Mummy: Ultimate Edition available online through CDNOW.com even though it's out of print in stores. This is happening a lot with great, sought-after DTS titles that are legendary in the home theater community, including
Saving Private Ryan, The Haunting and
Gladiator. All of these aforementioned OOP titles should not be purchased in anything but their DTS versions to be found online; if they are, you are seriously missing out on some great 5.1 (and 6.1 in DTS ES flavor) surround activity to highlight these wild films.
And so I found the Ultimate Edition online and ordered it, not being able to wait to sample the DTS track previously unavailable on any edition of
The Mummy...was my anticipation rewarded? Visually, yes. Audibly, no. I'll get to that in a bit. This limited edition run of Stephen Sommers' tale of an Egyptian curse that is unleashed by treasure seekers, letting loose a horriffic "mummy" creature that is brought back to life to inflict plagues on the Egyptian world, comes in a large two-disc box (much like Buena Vista's
Pearl Harbor Director's Cut) and actually features the anamorphic widescreen version on disc one (with the 5.1 DTS track) and the full frame version on disc two (with the Dolby Digital track only and extras). While it would be rough to watch this kind of action flick in a chopped pan and scan version, it was nice to have both on hand in one edition. Gold bordering shimmers around the cover of the box, and instead of the annoying "head shots" on the standard Collector's Edition featuring stars like Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, etc., we have a cool pyramid design on the Ultimate Edition with the banner ULTIMATE EDITION playing along the top border. The presentation is perefect for a DVD collector's shelf.
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS:
DISC 1
2:35:1 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN TRANSFER, DUAL LAYER, ENGLISH CAPTIONS, SPANISH & FRENCH SUBTITLES
The Mummy has, for years in its Collector's Edition incarnations, enjoyed a reputation for being one of Universal's most colorful, rich and visually stunning DVD transfers, and that same transfer carries over to the Ultimate Edition. Wow. Outside of hi-def, this is one of the most vibrant and blemish-free DVD images I have seen; so much in fact it can almost pass as a high definition transfer. Colors are rich and fleshtones seem so pink, deep and realistic that it's almost painful to watch! At times, the palate seems to dip into an all-too-red scheme where, although there's no bleeding of any kind, oranges, reds and the like are stunningly jumping off the screen. But there's no noise, artifacting, grain or anything really negative to say about the transfer. Great job by Universal.
DISC 2
1:33:1 FULL FRAME TRANSFER, DUAL LAYER, ENGLISH CAPTIONS
AUDIO SPECIFICATIONS:
DISC 1
ENGLISH DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1, ENGLISH DTS 5.1, FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR STEPHEN SOMMERS AND EDITOR BOB DUSCAY, FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH ACTOR BRENDAN FRASER, FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH ACTORS ODED FEHR, KEVIN J. O'CONNOR AND ARNOLD VOSLOO
I didn't bother with the Dolby Digital track, which I usually dont when faced with the option of DTS, and so can only report on the latter mix. What can I say? After Universal potboilers in DTS like
The Fast and the Furious and
Jurassic Park, I was expecting a loud, aggressive beast on
The Mummy....I was a little let down. Let me explain.
The mix is loud -- no doubt about it, exhibiting that typical raunchy DTS characteristic that sounds like it's a Dolby track turned up 10 decibels....the dialogue is pretty in-your-face and understandable (a refreshing change from most DVD releases) The loudness factor is definitely cooked here....no volume problems with the rousing score filling the 5.1 soundscape richly and the wipping, whirring sounds of sandstorms and growling mummies rendered bone chillingly accurate....where this mix goes wrong is in the surround usage. There's nothing like a great, aggressive rear surround filed on a soundtrack where bullets are pinging all over the place and finding their way behind your shoulder as a gunfight seems to be taking place right in your living room. This didn't happen on
The Mummy's DTS track...onscreen gun battles found no activity to the rear, everything up front, and indeed it seemed like the whole track remained up front anchored to the center and stereo channels. This was dissapointing. Sure, there WAS obvious spill to the rear channels detected -- score finds its way there, the occassional effect to enhance a scene (such as when Imhotep's lady is ressurrected from the dead and you can hear the soul whipping gently from the back) goes into the surrounds, but for the most part, this was a front heavy affair thats very untypical of a DTS mix for a film of this genre. Compare it to the outrageous DTS ES mix found on Universal/DreamWorks'
Gladiator Signature Selection and you'll hear the difference. Bass was present, but not in great doses, and the creepy sound of scarabs eating human flesh and devouring their victims was rendered accurately, if again, not really coming from the rears.
But the track does get high marks for its output level and dialogue intelligibility, two problems that needed addressing from all DVD studios. I was just a little let down with my expectations of the DTS soundtrack on this "Ultimate Edition."
DISC 2 contained bonus materials which seemed to mainly a carryover from the previous
Mummy incarnation(s); deleted scenes, visual and special effects, storyboard comparisons, etc. There was also a DVD-ROM special features set.
Please stand by as I prepare to post another review when I get a chance, Robert DeNiro's
A Bronx Tale, now also out of print......
