FORMAT: BLU-RAY
A professor prepares a jungle expedition to search for Aztec treasure. Naturally, he brings along famous Mexican wrestler, El Santo for protection. The treasure is guarded by an Aztec mummy that predictably comes alive when the explorers desecrate the tomb. Soon, the mummified menace begins picking off the members of the expedition one by one.
A strong set-up for a great Mexican wrestling monster movie is somewhat hampered by annoying comic relief characters (like the absent-minded professor and the temperamental cook) and long scenes of the explorers wandering around endlessly. (They traipse through the jungle and stumble around caves.) The lengthy Aztec flashbacks don’t help much either. Once the mummy wakes from his nap and starts shooting arrows at people, the film hits its stride.
The tone is similar to the Aztec Mummy movies of the ‘50s, so if you enjoyed those, you’ll no doubt get a kick out of this. The fact that the mummy uses a bow and arrow to off his victims gives it a unique flavor that sets it apart from many similar mummy flicks. Some fans might balk at the Scooby-Doo-style ending, but I liked it okay. Heck, even Santo’s romance with the group’s photographer, Susana (Mary Montiel) is kind of sweet too. The soundtrack is also quite groovy too as it’s full of surf music-inspired cuts. The Native themes are also well-done.
The film is bookended with wrestling scenes. It opens with El Santo and a young wrestler in a red mask named “Rebel” fighting in a match against an “Italian tag team”. The cinematography is so good for the match that it’s obvious the insert shots of the crowd are from an entirely different movie. Then, in the finale, El Santo takes on a masked opponent named “Buffalo”. I guess they figured since El Santo was going to spend nearly all of his time in the jungle, they had to stick the wrestling matches in there somewhere. He also gets a scene where he tangles with some unruly guides in the jungle, and his final fight with the mummy makes for a decent capper on this uneven, but entertaining flick.
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