Visually Staggering DVD Stuffed with Extras
Director Stephen Sommers' lush, visually staggering film is presented here in a beautiful, color-saturated, anamorphic widescreen print preserving its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The sumptuous, layered soundtrack is highlighted using Dolby 5.1 digital surround sound. In addition, the film is offered in both English and French languages with captions available for the hearing impaired.

The most impressive extra in this overstuffed DVD package is the detailed documentary Building a Better Mummy. This 50-minute film is a tremendously interesting trip through the layer upon layer of effects work that was done to make The Mummy come to life. The documentary includes interviews with key cast and crew personnel, along with various effects geniuses from Industrial Light and Magic. It may be the most thorough walk-through of the complicated film effects process yet offered on any DVD.

Complementing the documentary, the feature-length commentary by the very enthusiastic director Sommers and editor Bob Ducsay walks us through the more traditional aspects of making a film this large in scope. Sommers and Ducsay's detailed commentary, together with the documentary, ultimately paint an intricate portrait of the painstaking and gargantuan task involved in bringing this film to the screen.

As if that isn't enough, the disc also has a visual and special-effects formation section in which five key scenes from the film are broken down and then reconstructed by visual effects supervisor John Berton. Though an interesting idea in theory, this section is a little tedious, as too much navigation is required to view very short snippets of information.

An unusual and impressive offering on this disc is its detailed Egyptology 101 section. Though not quite a complete education, there is enough information presented here to give a real sense of life in Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs. Divided into five sections, our education begins with a tutorial on artifacts, where we learn about canopic jars, the book of the dead, scarabs and sarcophaguses, hieroglyphics, and even how to make a mummy. There are also sections covering each of the Egyptian gods and a recounting of the 10 plagues unleashed by the Lord after the Pharaohs refused the Hebrews the right to worship their god in the desert. There is even a clickable map of ancient Egypt that offers information about select locations.

Three incredibly insignificant deleted scenes are also included in this package. Thankfully they are strung together so that a minimum of navigation is required to access them. These are strictly one-time look-see materials. Also included are two versions of the film's theatrical trailer, one long and one short, as well as previews for Universal's current theatrical release For Love of the Game and the upcoming Schwarzenegger flick End of Days.

The cast and director bios included on the disc also offer trailers for select cast members' other feature work. In reading about Brendan Fraser you will find access to a trailer for Gods and Monsters, and in the biography of Arnold Vosloo there is an offered trailer for his Darkman II. Production notes recounting the shooting of the film are also included.

A Slew of DVD-ROM Features
There is also a slew of DVD-ROM features on the disc. These include two screensavers from the film and five wallpaper images. There is also more story information (very similar to the production notes section), behind-the-scenes notes, and very detailed filmmaker biographies not included in the previous cast and crew bio section. Finally, there are nine Mummy postcards you can send to friends, family, or your favorite Mummy dearest, and a highly touted but extremely goofy Mummy game. The game itself involves avoiding ravenous scarab beetles in order to become more powerful, eventually earning the ability to summon a human to assist in removing beetles or in fetching body parts. These slave-like humans are commanded by spells, earned by scoring points. Though mildly amusing once or twice, the game is really no big deal.

This collector's edition of Universal's new instant classic, however, definitely is a big deal, one of the most impressive and detailed DVD presentations yet offered. Put on this disc, sit back, and prepare for your own private unearthing of The Mummy.