Mysteries of Egypt

It's not that bad of a film. It is a great look at ancient Egypt. Of course, it is nowhere near being one of Omar Shariff's best vehicles, but his character lends a sense of practical authenticity to the story. It does a great job of exploring the myths and (then almost unkown) truths around the pyramids, pharohs, and mystique. It is definitely a big-screen eye candy - seeing it on DVD at home just isn't as rewarding. There is some pretty good use of cgi to take you back to when Ancient Egypt wasn't so ancient. Without the explosions and aliens of Stargate-1. For those of us who will probably never set foot before the actual pyramids, having them majestically standing before us on a 60+ foot screen in sweeping grandeur is not a bad consolation prize. It makes me want to go and see for myself, in a way that the pages of the National Geographic lack.

And honestly, it wouldn't be such a treat without the over-talented Mr. Shariff.

If you get a chance to see it at your local IMAX, I would recommend doing so. The Esquire IMAX here in Sacramento plays it occasionally for school groups, so I'm assuming that others do so well. It's grandeur doesn't translate well to the television screen, so getting the DVD won't even come close.

This has to be one of my favorite IMAX films. The music by Sam Cardon was well matched with the beautiful scenery shot in this 40 min. movie. Though I have never seen either Sharif's or Maberly's other works, their roles as grandfather and granddaughter were well performed. Both roles made the movie entertaining and educational for people of all ages.

IMAX is steadily becoming a widely recognized form of large-format movies. Any film presented in the IMAX format is larger than life. Because of that, many documentaries have made their way to the big screen.

"Mysteries of Egypt" is an excellent film on the history of ancient Egyptian civilization. Centering around the architecture and religion of the times, this particular IMAX film covers the importance of the Nile, the building of the pyramids and other similar feats, the pharaohs, and in particular, the discovery of the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun. It is a must see for anyone interested in Egypt, especially if you have been there before. It is also a very effective educational tool, something that educators should utilize.

The scenery in this film is amazing, with one of the early scenes taking the viewer on a trip down the Nile, complete with a map super-imposed over the beautiful photography of the flight (a good reason why you shouldn't view this film right after eating a meal). Other views, such as aerial shots of the pyramids, shouldn't be missed. As to be expected with IMAX films, the sound in this film is spectacular as well, and make sure you see it in a theatre that has DTS. You won't be disappointed.

Omar Sharif is the main character and narrator of this film, and Kate Maberly appears as a supporting character. Sharif is perfect for the role, and has an on-screen presence in this film that is superb, especially considering this is a documentary. However, I think that Maberly takes away somewhat from the film as a whole, as her character (and the lines provided) just seems so fake. They would have been better to put someone like Natalie Portman in this role, at least her acting would compliment Sharif's. However, seeing as IMAX documentaries aren't known for attracting major Hollywood stars, I guess we should be happy that Maberly at least has some movie experience.

Overall, this film is excellent, especially if you are a fan of the IMAX format. This is one of the best IMAX documentaries that I have seen so far, and I look forward to more in the future. While some IMAX films are limited to certain theatres, I suggest you see "Everest", "Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets", "Hail! Columbia", "Speed" (not the one with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock), and "Whales".

My Rating: 9/10

I caught "Mysteries of Egypt" on New Orleans' IMAX screen, and I must say that visually, it doesn't disappoint at all. The camera work, the scenery, the vistas were all magnificent, as they are in many IMAX travelogues.

Then they turned on the sound, and things went downhill. To tell the story of the discovery of King Tut's tomb, they enlisted Omar Sharif and lil' Kate Maberly. This gives it a family feeling, and allows for some of the most insipid dialogue ever heard on the ten-story screen. This in itself wouldn't be so bad, but the filmmakers allowed some very questionable facts about the creation of the pyramids to slip through. (They were built by legions of happy Egyptian farmers during the off-season, not by the throngs of Israelites they enslaved? C'mon, guys.)

When the film ended, there was a general murmur of dissatisfaction from the crowd, as people felt that they were shown something magnificent... but treated like idiots as they were watching it. By my estimation, that feeling was right on the money.

Rating: (visuals) 8 out of 10 (storyline) 3 out of 10

What can I say? It's primarily one of those National Geographic specials benefitting from the spectaular I-Max camera; you get a lot of immense vistas of Egypt, the Nile (the waterfall is great, and the obligatory scene with the helicopter careering down the Nile is pretty cool - it features a super-imposed map of Africa on the water, showing the route of the river through the continent - just be sure you wait until after the show to eat lunch, because looking at it is a lot like trying to read the billboards on the side of the road while someone else is driving), the gigantic statue of Ramses the VI and, of course, the pyramids. You also get a lot of Omar Sharif's voice, who narrates the film (it's evident he enjoyed doing this), but you only get a little of Kate Maberly, who has only a small part. Of course, for any dedicated Kate fan, it's enough to justify the price of admission.

Let's face it - Kate brightens any movie just by being in it, no matter what kind of role she has. She's worked with director Bruce Neibaur before, in his movie ‘Friendship's Field'; when Bruce got the job of directing an I-Max film for National Geographic, and needed someone to fill the supporting role of Omar Sharif's granddaughter, someone had the excellent idea to re-hire Kate for the job.

Actually, the roles of Omar and Kate are really just a device for telling the story of the boy prince King Tut, and the search for his tomb by Howard Carter (portrayed by Timothy Davies, whose scenes are filmed in black & white; they also include some photos from his expedition and the discovery of Tut's tomb- they're fascinating to look at, since it was the only tomb to be discovered intact in modern times). The re-enactments of these events are fun to watch; of course, I don't know the first thing about Egypt's history, so I can't vouch for the accuracy, but it's entertaining nonetheless. The music by Sam Cardon is also very enjoyable.

The movie starts with Omar's voice-over, telling Kate about how exciting King Tut's burial was, as we watch a re-enactment of the same. We then cut to a restaurant in modern Egypt, as we hear Kate's voice-over, "That's a great story, Grandpa...," in an American accent (very similar to the one she used in ‘Gulliver's Travels' - it's amazing how recognizable her voice is). The camera then takes us into a room in the restaurant, revealing Omar and Kate seated at a table, with her back to us. Omar is trying to interest Kate in the rich history and mysteries of Egyptian culture, but she's primarily interested in the curse of the mummy. Eventually the camera angle changes to Omar's p.o.v., and we get our first look at Kate's face, sporting a CUTE smile (trust me, it'll knock your socks off).

After that, it's mostly re-enactments (the one where they're constructing the pyramids is the most interesting), with a continuous narration by Omar and a few questions by Kate sprinkled in for good measure. They're mostly voice-overs, although there are a few scenes of them walking around the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. My favourite is when they're at the pyramids, with Kate sitting up on one of the cornerstones, looking down at Omar, who's going on about how intelligent the ancient Egyptians were. The end of the scene shows her gazing at one of the other pyramids in the distance, apparently in deep thought (what can I say - it's not one of her more challenging roles).

We finally end up back at the restaurant with Omar and Kate; we see it's just about closing time, as most of the chairs have been stacked on the tables and the help's sweeping the floor ( actually, it's vaguely reminiscent of Louis Malle's ‘My Dinner with Andre' sans the annoying waiter). They're still talking about the mummy's curse that's interested Kate so. Omar explains that "the curse flies in the face of everything the Egyptians believed in." Kate asks, "You mean life?" (there's that CUTE smile again), to which Omar responds, "Yes...life!" You go, Omar!

Overall, I rather liked this one; it's a decent enough look into an interesting slice of Egypt's history. And Kate does do a good job with her part; her character is primarily designed to ask the questions the audience is supposed to be thinking of, and she makes a spirited go at it. Here's looking forward to her next project.