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THE AZTEC MUMMY COLLECTION
LA MOMIA AZTECA (1957)
LA MALDICION DE LA MOMIA AZTECA
(1957)
LA MOMIA AZTECA CONTRA EL ROBOT
HUMANO (1958)
Directed by Rafael Portillo
BCI DVD
Reviewed 02.08.07
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILMS
Mummies. They've got a face only
an insomniac could love.
Let's be blunt. Every Mummy-themed
film on the face of this Earth will
put you to sleep at some point.
From the more obvious culprits (Universal's
entire 1940s run) to the obscure
let-downs (Dawn
Of The Mummy), those skinny
rubes just can't catch a break.
As a concept, the Mummy is more
icon than catalyst. These movies
rarely come close to capturing the
excitement which stems from the
sight of a cardboard Halloween decoration.
Intimidating, but oh-so-true. Then
there's director Rafael Portillo,
producer Guillermo Calderón,
and their late 1950s Aztec Mummy
trilogy.
Dozing is a more pleasant activity
than drooling. Mexico has cracked
the code.
Debauched for U.S. audiences by
cut-and-paste inexpert Jerry Warren
(Face
Of The Screaming Werewolf
and Attack Of The Mayan Mummy)
and dubbing guru K. Gordon Murray
(The Curse Of The Aztec Mummy,
The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy),
The Aztec Mummy trilogy can now
be viewed in its original, Spanish-speaking,
ultra-rare format with this 3 disc
set. Translation: you'll still nod
off from time to time, but you'll
have a lot more fun doing it.
Hands offa that breastplate! Like
The Incredible Hulk TV
show, all three films tackle an
identical architecture: the same
cast and plot, a series of un-events,
a few wildcards, lots of reiteration,
and a climaxing appearance from
the very hip (in a trash sense)
Popoca, The Aztec Mummy. In La
Momia Azteca (1957), the secrets
of reincarnation lead Dr. Almada,
his fiancé Flora, and their
group of do-gooders on a hypnotism-tinged
search for Popoca's ancient breastplate.
The Bat aka Dr. Krupp, a black-cloaked
villain, also seeks the treasure,
yet his nose sticks out of his mask.
For shame! Next, La Maldicion
De La Momia Azteca holds the
same plot, but focuses less on traditional
horror and more on the pulp crime
element, with the introduction of
El Santo clone, The Angel. Ten minutes
of flashback footage and The Bat
loses his costume. But hey -- "He
escaped from the death chamber!"
Finally, in La Momia Azteca
Contra El Robot Humano, Dr.
Almada narrates 25 minutes of flashbacks
(heads up, Criminally
Insane 2), while The Bat
(still costume-less) creates a funny
Robot to dispose of Popoca. Popoca
gets maybe four minutes of screentime,
but plays it all for sympathy. What
a guy.
Viewed in one 207 minute dose, The
Aztec Mummy Trilogy is a relaxed,
comic book epic. It's not stylish,
pretentious, or smart. Photography
is minimalist. Plot direction seems
to be invented on the fly. Tempos
could use a good metronome. What
these films lack in technical mastery,
they make up for in cheap 1950s
pop culture pizzazz. Kinda like
Rocky & Bullwinkle,
but without the brain power. It's
a trait that's impossible to resist,
even in the face of thumb-twiddling
indifference. Popoca, with his unique
Pig Pen wardrobe, dark tomb, and
misty cemetery, comes very close
to the embodiment of innocent dimestore
creeps. Considering the aloof spirit
that dogs most every Mummy-themed
horror film from the past 60 years,
that simplistic virtue goes a lot
further than you'd think.
Then again, maybe I just liked the
fact that everyone's punches sounded
like firecrackers. Suddenly, I'm
wide awake.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Popoca's trilogy has a history of
confusion and uncertainty on home
video. Fluster no more. La Momia
Azteca, making its North American
home video debut, feels like an
early Phil Spector record. It's
a little soft and grey around the
edges, but the heart is there. Damage
is present, but minimal. Contrast
isn't too tight. The mono sound
is crusty and loud. Given the film’s
rarity, I found the presentation
to be totally satisfying. The two
sequels look and sound terrific,
with La Momia Azteca Contra
El Robot Humano taking home
the beauty prize. They’re
both very crisp, with thick blacks
'n' whites and miniscule damage.
Compression break-ups were nowhere
to be found during all three films.
English and Spanish subtitles are
also included.
EXTRAS
Exploding with original posters
and lobby cards, this package is
hi-class all the way. Most fun is
the inclusion of K. Gordon Murray's
Florida-dubbed versions of the second
and third films, The Curse Of
The Aztec Mummy and The
Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy.
Located on the flipside of each
respective disc, the presentations
are outstanding. The movies are
very close in quality to Something
Weird's Doctor Of Doom/The
Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy
DVD from a few years back and easily
retire any lingering Beverly Wilshire
boots from good ol' Y2K. Also included
is a hefty booklet with fascinating
liner notes from David Wilt. Wilt
covers the entire Mexican mummy
legacy, as well as everything you'd
ever want to know about Mr. Popoca.
A brief image gallery (lobby cards,
stills) on disc 1 brings up the
rear.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Hands onna that breastplate! The
Aztec Mummy Trilogy is an attractive
DVD set catered to heavy duty Mexican
horror devotees. It's a safe bet
(or rental) for the rest of us too,
as long as you're in sync with your
tastes...and/or sleeping patterns.
Very pleasant dreams. |
Waiting for Lon
Mr. Nosey
The Angel steps out
Here lies Popoca
Cannot compute
Here walks Popoca
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