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Cast

Directed by Russell Mulcahy
Written by David N. Titcher

News

Curse the Daylight
By Alan Jones, Fangoria 5/24/06
    "I never instigate the projects at Hallmark; they come to me when they think there's a subject I might respond to. I love mummy movies too, obviously, so I was intrigued by the King Tut project. Hammer's The Mummy made a huge impression on me when I was a kid growing up in Melbourne, Australia, and it perked my interest in Egyptology. King Tut gave me the chance to bring that appeal to a cracking Raiders Of The Lost Ark-style action drama."
    Mulcahy also sparked to the fun levels of the script. "It was very playful in an endearing way, especially in its revision of accepted history," he says. "Here, it isn't famed archaeologist Howard Carter who finds the tomb of the boy pharaoh in the Valley of the Kings, it's Danny Freemont who resealed it. I loved that fictitious element-and that Tut [Francisco Bosch] could sprout metal wings and fly. That was a really cool idea."
    Mulcahy was the main reason Van Dien wanted to star as the mystically friendly Freemont. "Casper was just fantastic," Mulcahy says. "We became very close friends, and he still rings me up every fortnight to say hello and ask how things are. We were supposed to work with each other six years ago, but that didn't happen. The whole cast was fabulous, actually. And none of them were divas. You can't go wrong with British actors of Malcolm McDowell or Simon Callow's caliber. They know their lines, they do their professional bits and by take two, they're done."
    King Tut proved to be Mulcahy's toughest shoot ever, though. "We filmed in Northern India in 120-degree heat," he recalls. "It wasn't just the dollar factor that led us not to film in Egypt. It also had a lot to do with terrorist security. But my thinking is, if you're going to set a film in Cairo and Luxor, you should really shoot there. I lost my director of photography Chris Manley for two weeks because of something floating in the dust, likewise executive producer Larry Levinson and my 1st assistant cameraman. Everyone was falling like flies. When I returned home to Los Angeles, everyone thought I was terminally ill, I was so thin. I'd go back to Thailand, where we shot Mysterious Island, in a heartbeat-but if Hallmark asks me to make another, I'll look carefully at exactly where it's going to be set."
    Because of the use of India for King Tut's location filming, much of its Egyptian atmosphere had to be added in postproduction, with matte paintings of the pyramids and other assorted CGI work. "I don't think the Egyptian qualities were successfully translated, in truth," Mulcahy sighs. "Take, for example, the camel chase. Lawrence Of Arabia is my all-time favorite film, and I wanted to put something like that epic scope across. Unfortunately, we couldn't get last-minute authorization to shoot in this spectacular fort location. There were chickens, cows, horses-even rats-running around, but they forbade camels wandering through. So a lot of that chase had to be greenscreened and cheated, which was incredibly boring. But we did manage to tap into the revisionist Indiana Jones tone somehow, considering all the problems, and The Curse of King Tut's Tomb is a fun fantasy ride for those who liked the recent blockbuster Mummy movies."

McDowell, Van Dien unearth 'Tut' miniseries
By Kimberly Speight | Reuters/Hollywood Reporter 10/3/05
    Los Angeles (Hollywood Reporter) - Miniseries producer Hallmark Entertainment is going back in time to offer a new take on the discovery of King Tut's tomb in a project starring Malcolm McDowell and Casper Van Dien. The company recently wrapped shooting in India on "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb," a four-hour miniseries billed as a fact-based fantasy adventure. It's set mostly in the 1920s but includes flashbacks to ancient Egypt.
    Van Dien plays an archaeologist in the 1920s, while McDowell portrays Van Dien's nemesis, the head of an organization named Hellfire Club. Leonor Varela ("Blade II") portrays an archaeologist with whom Van Dien initially spars but who ultimately becomes a love interest, while relative newcomer Francisco Bosch ("Alexander") plays Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen.
    "It's a combination of being a fantastical adventure (and) a very touching, heartfelt romantic story," director Russell Mulcahy said, adding that the miniseries is "quite heavy on the effects side." It's unclear what network the miniseries is headed for; Hallmark Entertainment declined comment on potential network homes. Larry Levinson Productions.

5/21/05
Malcolm is in India filming this mini series.

Notes

• US Premiere was 8pm 5/27/06 on the Hallmark Channel, UK premiere was 4/17/06 for part 1 and 4/24/06 for part 2, Spanish premiere was 4/11/06

• Budget is $14 million.

• Simon Cowell from American Idol was mistakenly listed on the imdb as playing Russell in 2005, but Casper Van Dien says it's not true. It's really Simon Callow.

• Silvia Colloca was originally offered the role of Azelia, but had to pull out due to previous commitments.

• US runtime was 129 mins.

Pictures

Poster
6 Promo Shots with Cairns

Quotes

"This was so much fun to film. I enjoyed the relationships with every actor and the entire crew. India is an amazing place. We were allowed many freedoms that I believe helped make this a much better movie. I am looking forward to seeing it." - Casper Van Dien 7/26/05

Synopsis - Official

    Thousands of years ago, the great Child King Tutankhamen ruled. Few know the details of his life—no one knows the secrets of his death. All that is about to change.
    It’s 1922, and free-spirited archaeologist Danny Freemont is infamous for his outlandish theories about the pyramids, Atlantis, alien civilizations, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. He may enliven the lectures at Cairo University, but he certainly infuriates serious Egyptologists like the beautiful Dr. Azelia Barakat - especially when it comes to his speculations about the life and death of Tutankhamen. Freemont is certain that if found, the Emerald Tablet, rumored to be buried in Tut’s tomb, would hold the power to control the world. Unfortunately, the only one who believes Freemont is nefarious archaeologist Morgan Sinclair, a member of the diabolical secret cabal known as the Hellfire Council.
    Sinclair wants the tablet to summon and harness an invincible evil, and he’s fully prepared to follow Freemont to the ends of the earth to get it. It’s up to Freemont to outrun him. With the help of a crackerjack team, that includes the still-doubtful Dr. Barakat, Freemont’s two best friends, Andrew Walker and Jason McGreevey, French Legionnaire Jacques Belmond, and Rembrandt, an explosives expert. Freemont will venture into the Valley of the Kings, toward Tut’s tomb, nearer the portal to another world, and closer to the truth behind a mystery that will change the world forever—or end it.

My Summary

    Akhetaten - capital city of King Tut. He won peace and prosperity for his people, so they loved him. He was lord of two worlds, wise and eternal, one of the youngest rulers the world had ever known. In reality he was 1000s of years old and sent by Ra to protect his people from evil. It was a time of prosperity, no famines, people were happy and art flourished. He was sent with to fight the demons armed with the emerald tablet as they escaped to enslave the world. The worst of humanity rose to the service. He prayed to the gods for strength and conjured his power to fight the demons. He fought valiantly, but the world was not made ready for his arrival. Tut has metal wings and cuts down the demons with a sword. He only feared Set, the great beast. He fought him, but was no match. He strikes him, then grabs the emerald tablet. He tells Set without it he is nothing and breaks the tablet which closes the portal from the other world. In order to save mankind he lured Set back to hell. The tablet was then scattered to the four corners of the earth.
    For centuries people have tried to put the tablet back together but failed, even he, Danny Freemont. He has acquired two parts of the tablets, but both were stolen by members of the Hellfire Counsel. In the arctic he finds the third piece, but once again the Hellfire finds him. Three men enter the ice cave armed with knives to take him out. They fight and he knocks them down. One man gets on top of him at the edge of an abyss and Danny tosses him over. His nemesis Sinclaire arrives. He too has been looking for the tablet for years and attacks him with a sword and knocks him down. He fights back with a crowbar. Danny tries to run to his sled, but Sinclaire shoots him in the arm and takes the third piece. Now they have all three.
    His thinks the last piece is in Cairo and he goes there looking for clues. There are many if he can afford them. He teaches a class at the university and has a map to the tomb of King Tut. He reads it is 30 km up the Nile. But why is it a fake? A female student says it's in km, which wasn't used then. He agrees.
    At the Hellfire club Cairns speaks. Sinclaire says they will soon have total world control. Cairns says you only have 3 of the pieces. Where is the fourth tablet and why haven't you found it? He believes it's hidden in the tomb of King Tut. Then it cuts from Danny to Sinclaire telling the story of Tut. His record has been wiped off history. Both of them want to find and reunite the tablet. Danny says it could be used for peace and prosperity. Sinclaire says it will make them invincible.
    A man tells Dr. Azelia he has found a map to the tomb of Tut. He says it was just found in a dig of a tomb. She says why would they sell it to him. He says to help him. She says it is fake, it is on lambskin and the oldest it could be is from 1300.
    Danny says to his friends Jason and Andrew that if Sinclaire finds the fourth tablet he'll control the world. They don't understand and say he takes the rivalry too seriously. Danny says if he gets it, he'll stop Sinclaire. It's in Tut's tomb. Jason tells him de doesn't know where it is. He says neither does Sinclaire.
    Sinclaire also teaches at the same university and tells his class he has narrowed down the location of Tut's tomb to the Valley of the Kings in a 100 mile area. It'll take him 327 years to dig it up, but he has some tricks to find it quicker.
    Danny is in the market buying Tut maps from kids on the streets. He gives them more money than anyone else even though they are all fakes. Azelia arrives with the police to get rid of them. Danny says they are just trying to make a living. She tells one kid his map is labeled BC and that term wasn't used until after Christ was born and the kid runs away. She knows Danny and mocks him. Then Mahmoud comes screaming down from a building. She says it's the worst dementia she has ever heard. Danny talks to him and he says the voices never stop. Danny says maybe they are real and he's here for a higher purpose. He thanks him and touches him. Then Danny has a vision of history going from Tut to the future where he is tortured by Sinclaire.
    Cairns says the next order of business is Danny. They suggest killing him. Sinclaire says he's nobody, why bother? George tells him he came close to getting the third tablet, his ideas are dangerous, they are catching on. Cairns says enough, he'll handle him and by the time he's done with him he won't even be able to prove he exists.
    Danny comes to class and there is a note that his classes are cancelled. He says to the dean he has a contract. The dean says he signed under false pretenses. He lied about the school he went to in Ohio, he never went there. Danny says it's a lie, he went there in 1910, it's the Hellfire Counsel. The dean doesn't know what he's talking about.
    Sinclaire goes to Habib's antiques in the night. He asks for his map. The guy wants money - no money, no map. He pulls a gun on him and says to give it to him and he just might let him live. He hands it over, Sinclaire goes to leave, then strangles him.
    Danny goes out and has a vision of a flying demon coming at him. Then Set's face is in his hand. He reappears in a building with the face of Set coming at him. Then it stops and he's back to where he started.
    Sinclaire is in school and says he knows something happened to Tut. That's why his history has been wiped from the records. A student says the tablet is supposed to be in the tomb and it has magical powers. He says he found the other 3, but they aren't magical. Then Danny is in the back of the class and asks why did he steal the tablets from him. Sinclaire thought he was banned from campus. Danny works his way forward and says he doesn't know where Tut's tomb is or he wouldn't be here and he knows he is behind him getting fired. Sinclaire says he's to blame for everything. Danny tells him that he dodged the war. Sinclaire says he's getting personal and has him thrown out.
    Danny goes to see Dr. Azelia at the museum. She asks what he's doing here, he could learn something. She's going through pieces and he can ID them, but she doesn't care. He shows his credentials and wants her help. She laughs at him for what he wrote - the dark ages caused by a volcano blocking out the sun for 3 years and Atlantis is real. She doesn't take him seriously. He still wants her help.
    Sinclaire goes to the museum and tells the curator that he wants certain pieces. He says he can't turn it over. He tells him as the head of antiquities in Cairo he can do what he wants. In that case he says to take them. Sinclaire also wants the map. The guy isn't sure it's real though. He wants it anyway and they make an exchange.
    Danny and his friends are outside a French military outpost. He tells them he'll go in and be obnoxious and needs their money to get into their card game so he can win the map an officer has. They don't have much, so he has to win. He walks in to a group of men who pull their guns on him and he waves his wad of cash boasting he never loses.
    Cairns and Sinclaire are on a dig. Sinclaire says the map almost matches the Valley of the Kings exactly. Cairns says almost, the fourth tablet, where is it. He says they should have it soon. Cairns says he's been telling him that for months, why should he believe him now?
    Danny drinks it up and wins a big hand. Then in the next hand the money pile gets huge and everyone is out except for Danny and Jacques. The pot gets huge, but Jacques is out of cash. Danny says no money, no play. Jacques says he has the map to King Tut's tomb. Danny say he doesn't believe it's real, but he's going to let him use it. Danny loses the hand, then fakes being sick and knocks stuff over and leaves with the map. He jumps off the roof, lands hard and jumps on a camel which leads to a chase. He yells for Andrew and Jason that he needs help. They jump on the cart behind him. The guys fire and his friends cuts a rope to slow him down. Danny uses a whip and knock stuff over, then jumps on a rope of flags and swings around and knocks the last guy down. Then they run for it.
    At the museum people are loading the pieces to be trucked off. Dr. Azelia runs in and says she won't let them and the Brits are taking all the good stuff. The curator tells her to listen to him. She says he's been bribed. He denies it. She says he has. He tells her she is fired. She says she's been there longer than him and was born to do this work. He doesn't care.
    Cairns is still overseeing the dig. Sinclaire says to the foreman they are only moving three tons of dirt a week when they promised five. They are supposed to be the best. The foreman says they are working hard, 12 hours a day. Do you want the job or to quit? He says they'll stay. Cairns tells him not to cowtow to slaves.
    Danny has a dig of his own, but they aren't paying the workers. They find nothing and Danny tells them to dig in another spot. They figure out they aren't getting paid and attack them, so Danny, Andrew and Jason take off in a truck.
    One of Sinclaire's men dies and he tells him to clear him out now. They group gets mad and want changes to be made. He agrees. Cairns comes behind him, then leaves disgusted.
    Danny comes to Mahmoud's aid as he is having a fit and a crowd is around him. He gives a note to a kid for Dr. Azelia to come at once. Mahmoud touches Danny and he has another vision of the future and of Sinclaire. Azelia arrives and says he's speaking Egyptian from the first dynasty. Then his robe opens, his chest burns producing a map of the location of Tut's tomb. Danny traces it onto his paper. She says it's strange.
    Danny goes out in the middle of the valley and starts digging by himself. He digs all day and eventually finds a piece of gold. He uncovers it and it's a gold burial mask of King Tut. He says he did it.
    Back at his place Danny shows it to his friends. They say they did it, they are rich. They need to organize their own dig and throw Sinclaire of the track.
    In the middle of the night they take the mask to Sinclaire's dig and bury it there and he makes a marking on it to confuse him even further.
    The next day they return to the French outpost. The guards are firing at statues and turn their guns on Danny. Jacque says he's stupider than he thought. Danny says he found the real map and each of them will get an equal share or they can kill him if he's lying. Jacque agrees to help and he will kill him if he's lying..
    Now the French are working for him and they follow him out and go out into the truck. Jacque has a scar on his face that Andrew asks about. He says he can give him one just like it.
Sinclaire finds the mask Danny planted, but says there was no way it was buried for thousands of years, it was barely covered with dirt. The curator asks by who. He tells him he's not too bright and says Danny did it to throw him off the trail.
    Danny is at his dig. His friends say he doesn't have enough food what's he going to do. Danny's going to dig, they can figure out a solution to the problem themselves. They go into town and find a rich guy and want him to help fund the dig. He says he's just the second son of a lord. His father says he's done with him, he's not covering his debts and is sending him back to England. They say they can help. Lord Eastcliff will fund the whole dig if they keep his son out of his sight. Walter tells Danny they need Azelia, she's the only one not on Sinclair's payroll. Danny says she hates him.
    Danny's female student comes to Sinclair and tells him Danny hasn't found the tablet. She is a paid spy.
    Danny is still digging and says they can break until tomorrow. They find Andrew face down in a hole and think he's faking. They turn him over and he's bleeding. They take him to the doctor and who says he has tuberculosis. They say he can beat it. The doctor says it's too late, it's fatal and he has 3 months. They want to see him.
    Azelia is working on mummified beetles. Her assistant arrives and says he made a terrible mistake. He was cleaning up, broke the emerald tablet and needs her to fix it. She says it is not really an emerald, so Sinclaire has a fake. So Danny might be the real deal.
Cairns says to the group the first thing is the Egyptian project. Sinclaire says he has a spy on Danny's dig and knows his every move. Cairns says maybe he should have Danny on his team. Sinclire goes to leave, he tells him to sit down.
    Azelia meets with Danny and says she heard Sinclaire found Tut's mask and he asks what the symbol looked like. She draws it and he says DF - his initials. He needs her help on the dig, she agrees without question and goes to get her stuff. He can't believe it.
    She arrives at the dig and asks where he found the mask. He shows her and she says he's digging in the wrong the place. He says that leaves many places. She wants the map. She says the symbol on it is the summer solstice in 20 days so hey need to move 80 yards to south. She says he should've known that. He says he doesn't know everything. She says to tell the press and leads them to new site. They all start digging and seconds later she finds a block with hieroglyphics. She reads that it's a curse and they are all going to die. She jumps around and is all happy. The guys are scared. She says it means the tomb is there. They keep digging and by the end of the day the steps are cleared right to the door of the tomb. She goes down, dusts it off and reads "Tutankhamen." Danny helps her open the door and he looks in at all the treasures. She asks if he sees anything. He says wonderful things. They all cheer.
    The group goes in and she says it's like no tomb ever discovered. He wants to find the tablet. She says they need to get their equipment. It can wait until tomorrow. The group is disappointed. He uses an ancient lock to seal the room. Metal arms spread out like a spider and blocks the exit. She's never seen anything like it. He says no one has, he found it in Greece. She says the Minotaur. He's glad she read his book, she's embarrassed.
    The Hellfire Counsel tells Sinclaire they should find someone else to do the job.
    Danny and the group are partying and he's waiting for Azelia. She arrives all dolled up with a man. It's her fiancé. Danny is devastated. He never heard about him. She is a bit embarrassed.
    Sinclaire pays off his spy. She tells him they haven't found the tablet. He says it will be hidden.
Danny has a restless night and goes to the tomb. Azelia follows him and says she knew he would come, so they go in together. Soon after Sinclaire arrives with his goons. A man shoots the lock and it ricochets back and kills him. A second guy reaches through and his arm gets caught in the seal. Sinclaire shoots him for making noise and they leave. She says Sinclaire is very bad. She thinks the tablet is historic, Danny says it's magic and Sinclaire wouldn't want it so bad if it wasn't.
Danny decides to go to the press for coverage. He finds Axelrod in a bar and insults him by saying he's on his fourth martini. He explains that's the only way he could get through. Azelia says Danny's telling the truth. He says she must've been bribed. She says no, it's real, come with us.
    He agrees to go to the tomb and films Danny at the entrance. Danny goes to narrate and Axelrod tells him there is no sound. Inside Azelia tells Danny it doesn't make sense, there are treasures from pharaohs 100s of years apart. It seems like they are hiding something. Axelrod almost drops something as they go to open the tomb. There is no mummy inside, but some spirit has been unleashed. The demon forms outside, then explodes into 100s of little demons.
    The Hellfire Counsel reads the papers with headlines of Danny finding the tomb. They ask Sinclaire where is his name. Cairns says he found the fourth tablet, Sinclaire is following Danny, he's a great disappointment to him and he doesn't know why he continues to indulge him.
    Danny brings Mahmoud man to the tomb and asks him to contact Tut. He goes into a trance, but comes up with nothing. He tries again and rises in the air, says "I will lead you to it" and flies around. "Move the sun and earth as if they are one." Danny and Azelia both push on the rocks at the same time and it releases a cover on a statue and the piece of the tablet is inside. She says it's even older than ancient Egyptian. He asks how can anything predate the oldest language.
    Outside a large group starts to form - the press, Danny's diggers and the army. Danny says to hide the tablet from Sinclaire until they can translate it. Azelia's fiancé arrives and says the dig will be shut down, it's now the property of Egypt. Danny says he found it, it is his and he has a permit. He says things have changed and now Azelia is in charge. They diggers say they found it, they did the work and want a percentage. Danny says she sold him out. Her fiancé says she had nothing to do with it. The French want their piece, they put Egypt on the map. The army escorts them out. Azelia puts the tablet in a backpack and hands it to Danny so he can get away with it.
    At night in a restaurant everyone is depressed. Danny leaves and a bunch of men jump him and kidnap him. Jason follows him and tells the guys he's been kidnapped.
    Sinclaire has Danny strapped to a board and is using water to torture him. He tells him he does have the tablet, but he'll never tell him where it is. He turns a wheel and it spins Danny upside down under water. Sinclaire says the world is a much stranger place than he thought. He was a worthy adversary. In the water are snakes and fish. Danny says to kill him. He says no, he'll mummify him. Danny thinks it's a joke and passes out.
    They take him out and Sinclaire prides himself on accuracy and wraps Danny up with actual mummy wrap. He'll cut corners to make it go faster and covers him with salt to preserve him. He'll pull his brain out through his nose first. He starts pulling and Danny's friends show up at the last second to save him. A gunfight ensues and the bad guys are shot up.
    After Danny gives a toast thanking them. Then his friends and the spy drink with him. After the spy asks about the rumors of something worth more than gold, a weapon of unbelievable power. She knows he's found it. He says he has and has sent it back to his colleagues at Princeton because he doesn't know what it is. He's setting her up.
    She goes back to Sinclaire and tells him what Danny said. Sinclaire beats her, says she's a fool, he never went to Princeton, he must've suspected her. She says blood costs extra and he pays her.
Danny and Azelia translate the tablet learning it's a combination of Sanskrit. They are happy and he goes to kiss her, but she runs out on him saying she is busy.
    Sinclaire comes to Andrew on his deathbed. He offers him $1 million and the cure for the tablet. Andrew says there is no cure. He tells him the doctors can't afford a cure. He gives him a shot to prove he is serious.
    Danny goes to Azelia explaining the tablet reads the four parts are never to be put together or it will unleash hell. She says it's another curse, like Tut. He says it's not and he's scared to death. She is too.
    At the hospital the doctor says Andrew has no more tuberculosis. It's a miracle he's cured.
    At the bar Danny says they have to destroy the tablet. It's not like any other stone they've seen. They give it to their demolition expert to blow up and they take him out of town and he rigs it to blow and after the explosion the tablet is undamaged. He can't understand it. Danny suspected it. They leave and Danny blindfolds him as Sinclaire watches. Andrew sold him out. Sinclaire goes in the tomb with the curator and finds Danny's ancient lock guarding it and unlocks it for Sinclaire. He reaches in and grabs the tablet.
    Sinclaire goes out and picks up Andrew. He wants his money, he's earned it. Sinclaire instead rewards him with a gunshot in the arm. He jumps out of the cab and Sinclaire chases him. He runs up stairs and tosses junk on him. At the top of the row of buildings Sinclaire loses sight of him. He is down below and keeps jumping lower and lower and Sinclaire sees him and does a long flying leap down to his level. Andrew rips off his sleeve to wrap his arm. Sinclaire follows the blood trail and Andrew hides behind a large row of white curtains. Sinclaire cuts his way toward him as he keeps running. He gets blood all over the sheets and is wrapped up in them. Sinclaire catches him and he's down. He says please don't kill me. Sinclaire asks whatever happened to trust. He puts his sword away and strangles him instead and kicks his body into the market below.
    Sinclaire holds a ceremony that night at Tut's tomb to reunite the tablets. Danny and Azelia arrive to stop them. Sinclaire is surrounded by a large circle of people and she says they are outnumbered so they leave to regroup. Sinclaire holds it over a fire and the fire goes up and demon spirits enter him. Mahmoud wakes up and says it has begun. Demons then start flying around him, but only he can see them. Those around wind up getting attacking as he tries to fight them off and the police take him and lock him up.
    Azelia tells Danny some things seem much more strange than they really are when you are in the desert. He can't believe it, she saw them too. He wants her to be careful. She says she should go in. He wants her to stay with him because he worries about her. She says not to, get some sleep.
Sinclaire says honesty and compassion, he doesn't get it. Evil is so much more fun. He tells the curator this and he hadn't thought about it. He says demons aren't so bad, they give power, it is glorious, watch this. He calls in a guard and lifts him by the neck and sucks the life out of him until he disappears.
    George comes to Cairns and he wants him to get rid of Sinclaire, he doesn't like what he hears. But they don't have the tablet. He says he'll get it then he'll take out Sinclaire.
    The spy comes to Danny and confesses she is a spy, but can't deal with the soul sucking Sinclaire. He has to be stopped.
    Sinclaire calls out to the demons to find Danny and kill him. Then the market place fills with flying demons and chaos ensues.
    The counsel is waiting for their best assassin. Cairns says it's not good news that he is late. Then Sinclaire arrives and he says they shouldn't go out there, it has started. He says Set has been unleashed, it's time for Evil to rule. Cairns says he doesn't want that, he wants them to rule. Sinclaire reaches into the fireplace, pulls out a ball of fire and brings in the assassin he had killed. Then he unleashes the fireball above the table and tells them to beg for their lives and he might spare them. He takes out George first then all of them are incinerated except for Cairns. He tells him he is taking over and for Cairns to get out of his chair. He says no then he is burned up. Sinclaire sits down and asks if there are anymore questions.
    Azelia is working in a museum and hears a noise. She looks up, but doesn't see anything. She hears more and more, gets scared and gets up. Then she sees a demon and it flies right into her chest.
    Danny goes to Azelia and tells her fiancé who is outside to wake her up or she'll die. He says they aren't threatening her, just saving her. He lets them in and she is in bed freaking out. She is having the visions of the past and future. She yells for Danny to save her, where is he? He says she has to wake up. Then she does.
    Sinclaire calls for Set to return and the sky fills with demons.
    Danny and the group get ready, they need to get back in the tomb to stop it. The spy wants to help too, she doesn't like the idea of demons controlling things. He needs Mahmoud to help them so they rescue him. They also need to get in to Sinclaire's office. The spy knows a secret entrance and leads them in and Danny grabs the tablet. The French assist him and guards start shooting. They are killed and so are some of Danny's men.
    He takes the tablet to the tomb and Axelrod is there. They need Mahmoud to tell him what to do. Azelia's fiancé is worried about her and wants to come with him. Danny says not to slow them down. Mahmoud finds the area they have to go to under the temple and the demolition man blows a hole in the floor that leads to a new tomb.
    Inside Danny says the room was built long before the pyramids. Azelia says it's amazing. On the wall is a large carving of a demon. She finds a carving of Set as Sinclaire and his men arrive. They continue and Danny says to split up.
    She says she's never seen anything like it. There is a massive carving of a snake that starts to crack open and it comes alive. The demolition man goes to it bomb it and it eats him and they both blow up.
    Brian says they'll never make it out. Axelrod sets up his camera, then a portal opens up behind him and sucks him in. Sinclaire enters a room that sets off a trap and the walls start closing in on them. Half of his men don't make it and are crushed.
    The two groups meet up at the portal. They have to go in to find Tut as he's the only one who can save them. Sinclaire shoots Mahmoud and then a gunfight ensues. Everyone jumps in the portal and the spy stays behind to buy them time.
    They rematerialize in an underworld near a water pit with ruins around them and rocks come down from the sky and explode around them. Then Tut speaks through Jacques and tells them they must go higher. Sinclaire is right behind them. They climb up the rocks and take a small path along wall. Brian wants water, then is sucked into the rock wall. Fireballs start raining down near them and come at Sinclaire. Sinclaire then kills the curator and sucks him down.
    They get trapped in a rocky area and Tut says, "strength, faith you will find me." Sinclaire walks through the fire and keeps going. Danny says he never should've taken them into the tomb. Azelia says Sinclaire would've found the tablet and no one believed him. She goes to her fiancé and says she has to tell him something - that she loves Danny, not him. He says you don't need to tell me, I understand. She thanks him.
    They keep going and Tut says he is there, use the tablet. She takes it out and it flies into the wall. Then Tut appears in the wall and falls out. He looks the same as he did 1000s of years ago. Sinclaire says they are too late and sucks down one guy, then sucks up their guns. The three men rush him and he takes them out and sucks down Jacques. He says for Azelia he has something special. She holds a weak Tut and Sinclaire pulls the tablet out of the wall. He holds it up and calls forth Set so he can rule. Then Set appears and he says, "I am yours and you are mine father of evil." Set picks him up, sucks him dry and comes after the group. Danny picks up the tablet and tells him to follow if he wants it. He swings at the tablet, but can't break it. Danny jumps and rolls out of the way. She tells Tut they need his help and she calls on the god of the sun to rise. Then Tut gets up. Danny is knocked over the edge and holds on with one hand. Tut rises and spreads his metal wings. Danny falls and Tut flies down to save him. He says let the battle begin and he fires at Set and they trade blows. Tut hits Set with a fireball and he explodes into 100s of demons. Then Tut holds them both and then reappear back in his tomb. He says all is as it should have been and they must go. There is a rumbling around them and he thanks Danny and then goes inside his tomb.
    They run outside, the door closes and the tomb fills up with sand. Danny says it's gone and they walk back into town where things are back to normal. He says it's like they've forgotten and nothing happened. Azelia wishes they could forget. He says he doesn't. Then Andrew and Jason are walking at them. Danny hugs them that they are still alive. They say they had way too much to drink last and they need to be like Danny who is sober, but at least he has her to live for. Then they see the demolition man painting and Brian is with him. Jacques chases a thief and asks if Danny is looking at him. He doesn't know him now. Azelia sees her fiancé and he is waiting for his wife and three kids. It's hard for her to see. He says it's all as it should be. Mahmoud has posters up, he's a famous seer. Danny sees Carter sitting at a table and gives him the map. He asks what makes him think it's real. Danny says trust him. Someone is going to find the tomb, why not him? Danny says to her he thinks this is the start of a beautiful friendship. She asks what that means. He heard it in a movie. Then newsreel footage and newspapers show Carter finding Tut's tomb.

My Review

    This is one of those films where going in I knew it would be bad. The summaries guaranteed a bad CGI festival and the pictures were such a blatant Indiana Jones rip-off that I couldn't believe they didn't get sued by Lucasfilm. Danny's outfit is exactly the same as Indy's right down to the brown fedora and even using a whip at one point. If Malcolm wasn't in it I probably wouldn't have known it existed, if I did, I would've turned it off after five minutes. It's that bad.
    I can't imagine what the producers think the audience is for this film, if any. Maybe 3 to 5 year olds who like flying creatures? The plot isn't appealing and anyone into history would be easily offended by this bizarre take on it. The acting is weak, Danny is such lame character and way too goody goody seeing the good in everything, no matter how bad or stupid. Of course there has to be a pretty female lead, but the one here isn't that pretty and is basically annoying. She doesn't add much to the plot and has lots of dumb lines just stating the obvious like "he is evil" or "this is strange" or "this is bad" or "he must be stopped."
    When this first aired in Britain it was almost 3 hours long and the DVDs provided to reviewers were the same length. The US version was cut down by 50 minutes. This is a good thing sparing us any more torture. I can't imagine what could've filled up the time that is worthwhile. One scene that really stood out as not fitting in was when Azelia said Sinclaire didn't have the real tablets since it wasn't emerald. Some sort of sub plot about fake tablets must've been jettisoned.
    I can understand why Malcolm took the role. He must've filmed all his scenes rather fast without the main characters as they only take place in two locations. He gets to play the the ruler of a secret society poised to take over the world. That would sound appealing to anyone. The only problem is after his parts are edited in they don't add up to much and it looks like he isn't given anything to do. He doesn't have any great lines. Mostly he just tells Sinclaire what a failure he is. Of course Sinclair would kill him in the end. He has a good death scene, just saying one word, "no" then getting fried.
    I read some people were offended that the film was made in India instead of Egypt - get over it. The film is garbage, so I don't care if it was filmed in Yuma, Arizona. At least they kept the budget down. Originally it was announced as a theatrical release, but they wisely cut their loses as it would've never made anything. It's sad when you have talent like this and it's wasted. The director made one of the greatest films of all time, The Highlander, and now he's sunk to kiddie level crap with horrible CGI effects which are worse looking by far than in that film he did nearly 20 years ago. For shame. This is one to avoid at all costs. By the time is over you will feel like it was twice as long as it really was.

Rating: 0/10

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