This is Universal horror of its most lazy, by-the-numbers variety. It totally lacks the atmosphere of the Dracula and Frankenstein franchises and replaces their iconic gothic style with a very dated form of exoticism that’s at least not as terribly racist as it could have gotten. Even Boris Karloff’s performance looks pretty pale here, probably due to his dialogue being mostly exposition and leaving little room for the kind of emotional expression he showcased in his mute Frankenstein (1931) role. And speaking of acting performances… most of them feel rather phoned in, everything appears kinda rushed.

And then there’s the subtext of christian morality continuing (or maybe, escalating) from its predecessors, becoming even more painfully obvious. In Dracula, bad things happen because of lust. In Frankenstein, the do because of blasphemy. In the Mummy, bad things happen because of… Science? Man should refrain from acquring too much knowledge?

No, i don’t like this film a whole lot and the problematic messages it conveys, while never achieving the visual brilliance of earlier entries in the Universal horror canon.