The Mummy Sleeps, the Audience Nods Off
Mike Newell’s The Awakening wants to be an epic supernatural thriller about reincarnation, possession, and ancient curses. What it actually delivers is two hours of Charlton Heston looking stern while sand blows dramatically in the background. It’s based on Bram Stoker’s The Jewel of Seven Stars, but here the jewel is missing and the seven stars are probably wishing they were in Raiders of the Lost Ark instead.
Charlton Heston: Indiana Jones Without the Charm
As archaeologist Matthew Corbeck, Heston scowls, lectures, and treats everyone like they’ve just stepped on a priceless relic. His idea of fatherhood is abandoning his wife during premature labor so he can pry open a mummy’s tomb—which, in fairness, is exactly the kind of parental neglect you’d expect in a horror movie about ancient curses. His delivery is so wooden you start wondering if he was embalmed alongside the mummy during production.
Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Plot
The story’s big twist is that Heston’s daughter Margaret (Stephanie Zimbalist) is possessed by Queen Kara, an Egyptian royal who was just as charming alive as she is dead. But instead of slowly building tension, the film serves it up like cold leftovers: Margaret glares, has a few fainting spells, and occasionally hints at murder, while everyone else blames it on nerves. By the time she’s supposed to be a vessel for ancient evil, she’s barely managing to be a vessel for audience interest.
Supporting Cast, or Ancient Artifacts?
Susannah York as Jane spends the film looking politely alarmed, which is fair—she’s married to a man who thinks shipping cursed mummies across continents is a reasonable hobby. Jill Townsend as Anne, the ex-wife, exists mainly to remind us that leaving Heston was probably the smartest move in the entire story. Miriam Margolyes pops in briefly, possibly to make sure the craft services table was historically accurate.
The Horror That Was Promised, the Museum Tour We Got
For a movie about violent ancient queens and supernatural revenge, the kills are surprisingly tame. A couple of “accidents” happen, but they’re about as suspenseful as tripping over a poorly placed sarcophagus. The rest is endless talk about rituals, canopic jars, and bacteria on mummies—basically a Travel Channel special without the budget for reenactments.
When the Mummy Wakes Up, You’ll Wish It Hadn’t
The climax in the British Museum should be a grand showdown: father vs. cursed daughter vs. 3,000 years of bad blood. Instead, Heston’s Matthew realizes too late he’s been duped, Kara takes over completely, and she kills him with all the emotional impact of returning a library book. The final shot leaves her fate “mysterious,” but honestly, she’s welcome to it.
Final Verdict: Tomb It May Concern
The Awakening manages to take an intriguing concept—ancient evil reborn in the modern world—and smother it under a heavy layer of slow pacing, stiff performances, and National Geographic-lite exposition. If you’re looking for an Egypt-set horror film that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for an ancient cure for insomnia, you may have found your treasure.
