This is another volume on the shelves for my "Under the Radar Video" series. "Mummies Alive" came out in the mid 90's which was a time when animated shows were really at their peak. I remember hearing about his show when I was still a 90's kid, but I was just not about to get to it as there were just a lot of others I was into.
The animation is solid, it's as good as any from the 90's as it's very colorful and fluid. Action is good as it's the kind you'd see from most 90's action cartoons, it really keyed into the "Power Ranger" mania going on in the 90's. As we see the mummies transform into these costumes that have these abilities, my favorite one is Toph's as it's the form of a snake. Each of the costumes have different abilities and reflect on their personas.
But I really like the concept of the show which feels like a Neil Gaiman tale, as it's Egyptology coming into modern day reality. I thought that was cool as I like Egyptology and, on a side note it's my niece's favorite mythology; it's not a mythology that's touched upon much.
It's true that the show might have a bit of inconsistencies, like they have this pyramid computer how the heck would they know what's going on without a monitor, let alone how can that even read and upload data when they only have hieroglyphics on the bricks. Let along the car they drive; how could that be possible when auto mechanical engineering wasn't even discovered in Egyptian times. But that's just part of the charm of this show as its pulp fantasy, that shelves logic and reason and focuses on fun.
The characters are solid and there is a solid voice cast for them, two of them familiar alumni.
My third favorite character is Presley who thankful isn't some annoying stereotypical kid which is good as their only purpose was to fill empty space. It's true that he kind of falls into that cliche special kid, one with the power to save all or chosen one, but that doesn't bother me as by its nature it's a MacGuffin device; let alone gives the character a purpose which justifies his existence in the show.
He's intelligent, has a spunky and energetic persona, a bit of a slacker but doesn't stay that way long as he knows when playtimes over and getting back to work. I like there's a bit of a coming-of-age story with him from learning responsibilities, finding the right girl, and so on. I even like that he can hold his own against danger even without the Mummies around and is useful as he isn't just a student but a mentor/guide figure for the Mummies as they all are outsiders to our modern reality.
My second favorite character is Neph-Tina voiced by Cree Summer. Her character is sexy with personal to boot. Really like how energetic, charismatic, and sassy (in a good way) she really is. Even like that she's a bit rebellious as she really doesn't like to be told what to do, follow certain sets of rule or even orders at least ones she doesn't agree with or don't agree with her.
My favorite character is Rath voiced by Scott McNeil. Really love his voice and mannerism sort of reminds me of David Hyde Pierce. He's a highly intelligent and intellectual person but a little uptight or neat freak. His character is inventive and a little quirky as he is constantly inventing and experimenting, some of them work but some don't, it's funny how in some of those inventions he's on the right track or even ahead of his time, if it weren't for one small, overlooked detail.
If there is one thing, he's guilty of being a bit of an egotist, though that's really more on his upper class/aristocratic upbringing what are you going to do, but we can forgive for this as it's harmless. Despite how big his head may 'be deep down, he really does have a warm heart as he truly does care about his friends and does his very best to help them and others along the way.
The only bad thing is it has the same problems as the show "Defenders of the Earth". From the action being a little redundant, as the mummies most of the time are fighting a bunch of throw away henchmen and most of the time the main villain Scarab who is a decent villain and isn't a bad opponent but is most of the time alone which isn't totally fair. This of course is because of the lack of a rogue gallery, there are sometimes more challenging opponents but don't stand out as your villains of the week. There is one villainess that's kind of interesting who has a bit of depth as she was once a student of Rath, so it's once again that "Student versus mentor" motif. But unfortunately, she was not in the show that much. This won't mean much but the music is kind of unmemorable as it's kind of lackluster, it consists of some repetitive beats you'll want to get out of your head. Not to say they were bad, but too much of one beat doesn't make a good concert.
However, the real drawback of this show is the writing is a bit weak, there are good episodes to be had but not nearly enough that are memorable. The show would have benefited from having some episodic arcs and plot and character development. Even cut back on some of the humor which did sometimes feel inappropriate and imbalance the show, though it's not as bad or excessive as the show "DC Legends of Tomorrow" which is a review for another time.
It would be cool if there was some revival of this show or maybe even another season, which is possible considering "X-Men 97" but with this we go even further than before, raise the stakes by making things darker. Have the Mummies fight rogues that are more than a match for them as well as other creatures from mythology like "Skinwalkers" from Native American mythology. But most importantly have some character and plot development. Though if anything personally I'd like a licensed comic book series based on this show, which could either continue or be a revival. Well, these are thoughts to consider anyway.
This show is a 90's artifact worth uncovering.
Rating: 3 stars.
