EGYPTIAN mummies from a hidden ancient city come to life in this fun animated adventure for children, which is originally a Spanish production.
The version currently playing in cinemas here is in English, featuring the voice talents of a British cast.
Directed by animation filmmaker Juan Jesus Garcia Galocha and distributed by Warner Brothers, the story begins in Egypt, where mummies living in a secluded and thriving underground metropolis go on about their daily lives.
Apparently, not all mummies go on to the afterlife once they die and they pretty much enjoy life away from the prying eyes of regular humans in their secret sanctuary.
The movie focuses on Princess Nefer, former champion charioteer Thut and his younger brother Sekhem, as well as their pet baby crocodile, who team up and go on a wonderous journey to retrieve an old ring belonging to the royal family.
The ring was stolen by the pompous and ambitious archaeologist Lord Carnaby who is out to make a name for himself.
This leads the heroic group of ancient Egyptians on a trip to present-day London in search of the pilfered gem in order to set things right.
To complicate matters, Lord Carnaby discovers their existence and goes all out to ensnare them in order to be the first ever archaeologist to have an exhibit featuring a live mummy.
Along the way, romance blossoms between the princess, who has a passion for singing, and the chariot rider, who has to face his inner demons.
The animation in Mummies is quite seamless and well crafted, with the character and facial designs similar to Hollywood productions, such as the Hotel Transylvania franchise.
There are a lot of references and fun nods to various landmarks and cultural cues in London, and the humour comes mostly from the fish-out-of-water moments of the main group of mummies as they try to adapt to and understand modern conveniences and inventions.
A scene in a famous department store involving a public address system was a hoot, but the other jokes were a hit-or-miss affair.
While the movie is punctuated by many entertaining action scenes, there's also a fair bit of music and singing in other sequences, where some of the song choices were a bit suspect.
Overall, it's a fun movie that children will probably enjoy more since it ticks all of the boxes for an entertaining experience on the big screen.
Unfortunately, adults would find it harder going, with many of the big lapses in logic as well as the movie's over-the-top premise.
The story line works only if the viewer is prepared to suspend reality and the flow is also quite predictable with not enough clever jokes to keep older cinemagoers engaged.
It might also be due some things lost in translation, since the movie was produced with the Spanish language in mind.
It's a mildly decent watch suited for families if going on a cinematic ride with harmless mummies is your thing, but more discerning viewers might do better to look elsewhere to pass their time.
MUMMIES
DIRECTED BY Juan Jesus Garcia Galocha
FEATURING THE VOICES OF Joe Thomas, Eleanor Tomlinson, Celia Imrie, Dan Starkey, Hugh Bonneville, Shakka and Sean Bean
DURATION 90 minutes
RATING P13
