More an uneasy amalgam of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Terminator 2 (1991) than an homage to Boris Karloff and Karl Freund, this big-budget, end-of-the-century Mummy nonetheless delivers the genre's requisite thrills.The film plods somewhat in its opening act, but as soon as writer- director Stephen Sommers and company establish their threadbare premise, the action is swift and unrelenting. And you can forget the bandages with this Mummy: Sommers forgoes atmosphere and suspense in favor of CGI special effects and gross-out horror. Better yet, hero Brendan Fraser brings a bright, self-mocking element to the somewhat ludicrous proceedings, making the gory shocks all the more surprising. The film's Achilles' heel is an undercurrent of mean-spiritedness towards Middle Easterners and women; the latter is evident in the central character of Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), a bumbling archaeologist whose ineptitude is used to further the plot and add ostensible comic relief.