The Mummy is a 1999 action adventure movie starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, and John Hannah. It also features great supporting characters played by Kevin J. O'Conner, Johnathan Hyde, Oded Fehr, and Erick Avari. The movie is billed as a remake of the 1932 original but differs heavily in most regards. Let's dive into what makes it great and why I love to watch it again and again!
The Actors
Brendan Fraser (Rick O'Connell)
Brendan Fraser does an excellent job in this movie as lead character Rick O'Connell. He brings a perfect mix of comedy, bravado, and action hero to the role and every time he's onscreen you know something cool/funny is about to happen. O'Connell is a former French Foreign Legionnaire and all around bad-ass gunfighter and mercenary. Brendan Fraser is one of those actors who chose the wrong project one too many times and was basically set back to square one in his movie career. He's recovered a bit from his career implosion but he's nowhere near where an actor of his caliber should be. Hopefully he gets his chance to break back in because I think he really deserves it. I'd take Brendan Fraser over Tom Cruise as my action star any day.
Rachel Weisz( Evelyn "Evie" Carnahan)
The leading lady of The Mummy, Rachel Weisz does a fantastic job as Evie Carnahan, giving off an aura of intelligence but also not being afraid to leap into action when the situation requires it. She serves as the moral compass of the group and constantly tries to rein in her con-artist brother and O'Connell's mercenary side. Rachel Weisz, like Brendan Fraser, kind of fell of the map for a while after these movies. Despite being well received in most everything she starred in her career never really took off. She has stuck mostly to independent films occasionally landing a role in a major movie here and there. Like Brendan, I wish she had been in more movies as her performance in The Mummy movies really showed the talent she has for these action-adventure roles.
John Hannah (Johnathan Carnahan)
John Hannah brings great comedic timing and the perfect air of sleaziness to Jonathan Carnahan. He's the opportunistic thief/conman who's mouth and debts are always getting him into trouble. He "finds" the map that leads the group on the expedition to unearth the mummy, though he only cares about the legend of the immense wealth buried along with the hidden city of Hamunaptra. John Hannah has worked pretty steadily in movies and T.V. since 1994 and has done pretty well for himself. Another role I love him in is his portrayal of Batiatus in the Starz series Spartacus. John Hannah is a fine actor and has show the ability to act seriously or as comedy relief at the drop of a hat, an increasing rare talent in Hollywood.
Arnold Vosloo ( The Mummy/Imhotep)
Arnold Vosloo can play a great villain. I first saw The Mummy when I was a kid and he honestly scared me a lot more than the resurrected skeleton creature he starts off as. He so perfectly captures that air of quiet menace that makes a villain so effective he almost steals the show. Arnold Vosloo's career has been fairly steady but other than The Mummy franchise he hasn't been in anymore blockbusters, which is a shame because he really plays the villain role so well he doesn't need effects or dialogue to be intimidating.
The Effects
The Mummy uses a mix of practical, motion capture, and CGI effects to create its world. Despite being fairly early in modern effects development the CGI still holds up well. Practical effects included the scene where everyone was covered in locusts and the scene where Evie is walked on by rats. ILM was responsible for the CGI and motion capture and I have to say they did a phenomenal job.
The sets and "Ancient Egyptian" city look convincing and some of the props including Imhotep's sarcophagus are great. None of the effects or sets really pull you out of the movie and some of the wide shots of the desert look great. Filming took place mostly in Morocco with the shoot lasting 17 weeks and causing a lot of hardship for the cast and crew. Sandstorms, spiders, snakes, and the horrid heat of the Sahara were constant nuisances and some crew members had to be airlifted to hospitals for scorpion stings and various bites. Brendan Fraser was almost killed during the hanging scene at the prison in Cairo, he stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated. They also built extensive Hamunaptra sets at Shepperton Studios including many of the tunnels from the tombs featured heavily in the film, and the Port of Giza was reconstructed in England in a hugely elaborate set that was 600 ft and had space for up to 300 extras and a steam train. The actual city of Hamunaptra set was based in a dormant volcano in Erfoud.
The Soundtrack/Score
The above track provides a good sample of the soundtrack and it's incredibly creepy vibe that slowly elevates into the classic desert adventure music. Jerry Goldsmith does an excellent job on this film and the tracks really bring out the action or horror of a scene perfectly. The music is featured prominently in many scenes for good reason and I have to say this is one of my favorite original sound-tracks of the last few decades. I feel that it perfectly captures the spirit of 1920's adventure and exploration. Unfortunately it didn't win any awards and wasn't recognized at the time for it's crucial role in the movie, though people have since cited it as some of Goldsmith's best work.
Reception/Box Office
The Mummy was mostly poorly received by critics, with a notable exception being Roger Ebert who gave it a 3/4 and said he thoroughly enjoyed it. Many criticized it for being too funny and lacking a sinister atmosphere, to which I have to say, did they even watch it? The movie returned a total box office of 415 million on an 80 million dollar budget, so obviously regular audiences were more in line with Ebert. The Mummy Returns and The Mummy Tomb of The Dragon Emperor are set in the same universe and while I enjoy the Mummy Returns and to an extent the third film, I have to say they never live up to the original. It also spawned a spin-off featuring the Rock as the Scorpion King( which is not as bad as people think) which grew into its own franchise.
My Thoughts/Conclusion
I love The Mummy and to a lesser degree its sequels. I especially love the first for the fun, scary, and epic feeling of adventure it gives me. This movie really made an impact on me as kid and we watched it ( and still do) multiple times a year. It's features great performances by some criminally underrated actors and fantastic effects work that still looks good today. I've watched this movie more times than I can remember and I always enjoy it. If you've never seen it you should watch it and if you've already seen it re-watch it, you won't be disappointed. The Mummy is a great movie to watch with the whole family and a great movie overall. Thank you for reading and I'll leave you with the trailer.
