The HDR10 transfer may not escalate The Mummy to the same degree as other Classic Monster films in Universal's first two 4K UHD packages but it nonetheless is a significant bump over decade-old 1080P in terms of deeper black levels and marvelously rendered gray scale. The grain is thick and even and the contrast is layered to provide the definitive digital presentation of the film. Strangely some information is lost occasionally on the bottom of the frame, and a sliver on the right edge, but it gains on the, often superfluous, top. But black levels are darker, white's brighter and creepy shadows more pronounced. This adds the perception of improved detail and Karloff never looked more ominous.

NOTE: This package has eight discs - four 4K UHD and the four original 2012 Blu-rays as evidenced by the M2TS dates:

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 54 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: Creature From the Black Lagoon (software uniformly simulated HDR), Bride of Frankenstein (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Amityville Horror  (software uniformly simulated HDR), The War of the Worlds (1953) (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Incredible Melting Man  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Cloak & Dagger (software uniformly simulated HDR), Event Horizon (software uniformly simulated HDR), Get Carter (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Killing (software uniformly simulated HDR), Killer's Kiss (software uniformly simulated HDR), Out of Sight (software uniformly simulated HDR), Raging Bull (software uniformly simulated HDR), Shaft (1971),  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Double Indemnity (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Untouchables (software uniformly simulated HDR),  For a Few Dollars More (no HDR), Saboteur (software uniformly simulated HDR), Marnie (software uniformly simulated HDR), Shadow of a Doubt (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Fistful of Dollars (no HDR), In the Heat of the Night (no HDR), Jack Reacher (software uniformly simulated HDR), Death Wish II (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Apartment (no HDR), The Proposition (software uniformly simulated HDR), Nightmare Alley (2021) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Godfather (software uniformly simulated HDR), Le Crecle Rouge (software uniformly simulated HDR), An American Werewolf in London (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Hard Day's Night (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Piano (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Great Escape (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Red Shoes (software uniformly simulated HDR), Citizen Kane (software uniformly simulated HDR), Unbreakable (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mulholland Dr. (software uniformly simulated HDR), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Hills Have Eyes (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Servant (software uniformly simulated HDR), Anatomy of a Murder (software uniformly simulated HDR), Taxi Driver  (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Wolf Man (1941) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Frankenstein (1931) (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Deep Red (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Misery (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Silence of the Lambs (software uniformly simulated HDR), John Carpenter's "The Thing" (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Cat' o'Nine Tails (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (software uniformly simulated HDR), Perdita Durango (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Django (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Fanny Lye Deliver'd (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, (NO HDR applied to disc),  Rollerball (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Chernobyl  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Daughters of Darkness (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vigilante (software uniformly simulated HDR), Tremors (software uniformly simulated HDR), Cinema Paradiso (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bourne Legacy (software uniformly simulated HDR), Full Metal Jacket (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Psycho (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Birds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Rear Window (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vertigo (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Spartacus (software uniformly simulated HDR), Jaws (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Invisible Man, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucio Fulci's 1979 Zombie  (software uniformly simulated HDR),, 2004's Van Helsing (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Shallows (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bridge on the River Kwai (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Deer Hunter (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Elephant Man (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Quiet Place (software uniformly simulated HDR), Easy Rider (software uniformly simulated HDR), Suspiria (software uniformly simulated HDR), Pan's Labyrinth (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Wizard of Oz, (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Shining, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Batman Returns (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot  (software uniformly simulated HDR),,  Bram Stoker's Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucy (software uniformly simulated HDR), They Live (software uniformly simulated HDR), Shutter Island (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Matrix (software uniformly simulated HDR), Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR),  A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR),  2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

On their 4K UHD, Universal offer the same English-language track encode (24-bit) - a DTS-HD Master dual-mono as found on their 2012 Blu-ray reviewed HERE. It is very effective and remains highly supportive in the lossless notably in the bombastic score. What is added are a three foreign language DUBs (French, German, and Italian.) The uncredited score was by James Dietrich (Leopard Men of Africa, arrangements on King of Jazz, but he is mostly known for composing for over 150 short films in his career.) However, highly remarkable in the film are classic pieces; Misterioso which precedes Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" during opening credits, Victor Young's (Arise my Love, Union Pacific, The Accused, Strategic Air Command, The Sun Shines Bright, Johnny Guitar, China Gate etc.) Beautiful Love and Heinz Roemheld's (Four Frightened People, Ruby Gentry, I, Jane Doe, O.S.S., Dangerous, The Monster that Challenged The World, The Land Unknown, The Mole People, 1933's The Invisible Man) Lento and Marche Funebre with Michel Brusselmans' Dirge playing during the flashback to Ancient Egypt (was longer than now exists.) Clean and atmospheric adding some appreciation resonance. Universal add optional English and many subtitle options on the Region FREE 4K UHD disc with still only English and Spanish on their included Region FREE Blu-ray from 2012.

Following the others in the package this has the duplicate extras from the Blu-ray and original Legacy DVD set with the same two educational commentaries by Rick Baker, Scott Essman, Steve Haberman, Bob Burns, Brent Armstrong and the second one by the knowledgeable film historian Paul M. Jensen. We also get another thorough David J. Skal documentary - this one is 1/2 hour and humorously titled Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed. It has Rick Baker, Rudy Behlmer plus archive footage of many. He Who Made Monsters - The Life and Times of Jack Pierce runs 25-minutes and is a newer (2008) documentary by Constantine Nasr all about Jack Pierce and his involvement in the Universal Monsters phenomenon. Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy is 8-minutes and we also get The Mummy Archives - 10 minutes of a slideshow of posters and stills. There is a trailer gallery, a 100 Years of Universal piece. The Blu-ray disc has the 'My Scenes' referencing ability.

Universal's 4K UHD release of 1932's The Mummy has Karloff's Imhotep (assimilated into the modern guise of Ardeth Bey) embodying the stuff of film legend. We are exposed to hieroglyphic symbols, a restless sarcophagus, reincarnation, supernatural punishment for sacrilege, hypnotic spells, ancient flashbacks, a Nubian slave, and the goddess Isis to the rescue. The Mummy pioneered the way to many eventual sequels, spin-offs, and remakes. It  is Pre-Code with slinky Zita Johann's gowns edging to racy, but it's really about Karloff 'The Uncanny's transformative make-up and penetrating gaze. Inspired by the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund (the cinematographer on Dracula,) remains the wonderful primordial soup for mummy-themed films in perpetuity. Another must-own classic from the Universal's 4K UHD Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection (Part 2.) No hesitation in purchasing required.

Gary Tooze