Under Wraps

This is a very entertaining movie about 3 sub-teenagers who encounter a mummy who has been awoken from its sleep and must be returned to the crypt before midnight Halloween. The "horror" content is about nil and the movie is suitable for viewers of all ages (I believe it is "G" rated). The mummy's encounters with people in the world are very entertaining, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It reminded me a lot of "Harry and the Hendersons".

I thought that I hated Under Wraps but, as it turns out, I was thinking of a completely different Disney Channel Original Movie. My mistake. Under Wraps isn't that bad. Yes, this is absolutely geared towards kids and no, it's not scary at all, but there's something endearing about this corny Halloween story. It's a gateway movie for young children and those that don't enjoy horror, introducing the concept of mummies in a safe & silly environment. And, truthfully, it's one of the better mummy movies out there. Most of them aren't that good. I'm glad I finally unraveled my feelings on Under Wraps.

Here we have what's considered to be the first ever DCOM. It's 25 years old at the time of this review, and it shows a bit. While Scream Team is full of clever jokes and fun characters, Under Wraps takes a more slapstick approach with its comedy. With the emphasis being on the mummy's wandering about in the modern world, every other aspect of the storyline feels like a side story. On a positive note, the kids have great chemistry with each other and their acting performances are excellent. But much of what we're given here feels like something we've seen elsewhere. It's just entertaining enough but not too thrilling.

You wouldn't expect a story like this to work as well as it does. Three friends in middle school named Marshall (Mario Yedidia), Gilbert (Adam Wylie), and Amy (Clara Bryant) find, and accidently reanimate a mummy they dub Harold (Bill Fagerbakke). Harold breaks loose and runs around their small California town and the kids have to find him before Harold is caught by these mobster type villains who want to sell him on the black market. My describing the plot makes it seem like a really lazy set up but it's done surpringly pretty well. It's actually a pretty fun movie. The three main characters were all really enjoyable to watch, almost reminding me of E.T. or The Goonies. They don't swear or do anything like that but they act snarky to each other, they call each other loser, they act like real kids. It's obviously aimed for a child audience but (personally) I think there are things that can appeal to adults as well.

This movie is great. It is so much better than the woke remake. It is innocent and funny and doesn't force feed you obvious wokeness Disney is famous for now.