Dummie the Mummy and the Tomb of Achnetut (2017)

Directed by: Pim van Hoeve | 82 minutes | family | Actors: Julian Ras, Yahya Gaier, Roeland Fernhout, Jennifer Hoffman, Stefan de Walle, Mike Weerts, Yannick Jozefzoon, Bert Hana, Manou Kersting, Gürkan Küçüksentürk, Ergun Simsek, Michel Sorbach, Kim van Zeben, Esther Gast, Noah de Nooij

Place a living mummy boy in a typical Dutch setting, let him befriend a Dutch boy and the story possibilities are endless, as the book series Dummie de Mummy by Tosca Menten proves. The series already has nine titles, but it probably doesn’t stop there. The film versions, starting with the first in 2014, follow the books closely and we have already arrived at the third with ‘Dummie the Mummy and the tomb of Achnetoot.

As the fans of the series will remember, Dummie painted a portrait of Miss Friek in the second feature film, which turned out to be sold for 10,000 euros. Dummie gets to decide what they will do with the money and he doesn’t have to think twice about it. He is homesick for Egypt and actually wants to visit his parents’ grave, to say goodbye properly. But Goos’ father Klaas does not like that. Not least because Dummie doesn’t have a passport. But the inventive mummy has a solution for that. When Goos notices that Dummie is serious, he has to agree with his friend and he also makes himself hard for the Egypt trip. After a number of other obstacles, Goos, Dummie, Klaas and Miss Friek – who went along instead of Master Krabbel – finally find themselves in modern Egypt.

‘Dummie the Mummy and the Tomb of Achnetoot’ gives the target group exactly what they are going for: an exciting and funny adventure with their heroes in an exotic setting. It doesn’t really matter to them that the somewhat cheap-looking decors occasionally detract from the whole. The story is well constructed and there is actually still room for some emotional depth, although that is not enough. The main concern is whether Goos and Dummie can find the tomb of Achnetut, Dummie’s parents, and whether they can finally discharge Miss Friek (the common thread is her continuous urge for an “unforgettable Egyptian experience”). There are even some Indiana Jones-esque moments when the two best friends get stuck somewhere. The obvious tribute to ‘Star Wars’ is also nice, when Goos makes a call to his father via a video with the words “You are our only hope, daddy!”

Most of the events are far-fetched and the humor is a bit bland, but that fits in the line of the movies. Perhaps ‘Dummie the Mummy and the Tomb of Achnetut’ is even the nicest of the trio, so we can welcome a sequel.