Ray J's Review - "Under Wraps" (2021)

I think having watched the original 1997 "Under Wraps" just the other day really helped with my viewing experience of this remake😄 I personally thought that while it still doesn't measure up to some of Disney Channel's other original Halloween movies, "Under Wraps" (2021) is a silly, and much fun update to the original, that works!

Sticking to the same plot, with a few differences here and there, you have three middle schoolers, Marshall (played this time by Malachi Barton), a lover of monster movies, and all things horror, Gilbert (played this time by Christian J. Simon), the wimpy, but wisecracker of the group, and Amy (played this time by Sophia Hammons), a wise young woman (minus the obnoxious snark of the character from the original...thank goodness)😅 Things are set up a bit differently in this remake, as Marshall, and Gilbert's friendship with Amy begins while they are at an ancient Egyptian museum on a school field trip, and they start to have a hunch about what happened to a missing mummy, and it's sarcophagus that was supposed to make it to the museum for display, but never did! The night prior, Marshall, and Gilbert noticed some suspicious activity coming from the home of their neighbor, Mr. Kubot (played this time by Brent Stait), and the moving about of what looks like to them to be a coffin of some sort, but they just ehh brush it off. No fake death for Mr. Kubot this time😲 As it was in the original, Marshall, Gilbert, and Amy sneak into Mr. Kubot's house, and low and behold their hunch about the missing mummy, + sarcophagus is fact, then Whoops! IT'S ALIVE! They don't know how, but the mummy has come back to life?!? While terrified at first, they soon learn that all this Mummy wants is some friends, his mummy girlfriend, some hot sauce, and to dance😂 After nearly not escaping a suspicious Mr. Kubot returning home, the kids decide that Marshall should hide the mummy up in his room, where he should fit right in with all of the monster movie decor. After some bonding over pizza, and hot sauce, Marshall decides to name the mummy, Harold (Harold the mummy played this time by Phil Wright), because he reminds him of his grandfather, also named Harold, who enjoys hot sauce😂 After some hijinks occur while Harold is left home alone, and while the kids are at school, they decide to take him to a good friend of Marshall's to hopefully seek some help, That help being: Buzzy (played by Melanie Brook), the owner of a local monster/horror themed store. After a few minutes of being shooketh, Buzzy takes a good look at Harold, and examines the inscription on the back of his ancient-amulet. After taking a few hours to decipher the inscription, Buzzy informs the kids that if Harold isn't returned to his Sarcophagus on the third day that he is out of it, by midnight of that day he will turn to dust😳 Not good! Unfortunately for the kids, Mr. Kubot is on to them, and the sarcophagus has been moved from his house to a location that they haven't been able to figure out yet!

I am someone who grew up with the original "Under Wraps", the first ever Disney Channel Original Movie, which premiered in 1997. I hadn't seen it in years, but watched it for the first time in forever the other day, so I could review it before the remake premiered. Of course I enjoyed the original "Under Wraps" as a kid, and watching it all of these years later, it was still pretty enjoyable, but I also found it to be very slow, and it seemed to draaaag for the first 45 minutes or so🤔 With that being said, I think that this remake has added enough new to help with the pacing issue, and I found it to be much more enjoyable that the original🙂🎬 Even though still not as great as other Halloween DCOM's such as "Girl Vs. Monster", or "Halloweentown", but nonetheless an improvement!

I thought some of the changes to the plot worked, and I think kids in today's day and age should have a great time watching it! Harold is so silly, and I think that the main character's here are much more tolerable than in the original👌I will admit that this remake doesn't contain some of the heart at it's core that the original does, but to be honest that is the only thing I like better about the original😅

All in all, I think "Under Wraps" (2021) is a worth your while watch, and a well done update for kids who did not grow up with the original...plus it's better🎬🎃!!

The Ray J's Reviews rating is:

4 out of 5 lime green hearts

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