Back in 1999, I don’t think anyone expected much from The Mummy, a loose remake of the 1932 film which starred Boris Karloff. It wasn’t viewed as a film that was going to kick off the summer movie season that year and it didn’t boast a big name cast that could guarantee box office results. I wouldn’t say it was considered D.O.A. but no one pegged it to be a blockbuster.
Imagine everyone’s surprise when it opened the weekend of May 7, 1999, and dominated the box office with a higher than expected opening weekend of $43 million. The film would eventually gross $155 million domestically and $416 million worldwide and spawn 2 sequels and a sequel/spinoff that would give Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson his start in the movie business. The success of The Mummy was certainly a surprise but that would be a good word to describe the quality of the film as well. The Mummy was surprising because, despite some of its more campy elements, it was a fun adventure film that blended different genres that maintained its levity by not taking itself too seriously. This may have turned off audiences who wanted a more exact remake of the 1932 original but it pleased moviegoers who were simply looking for a good time at the movies.
Despite having the same title as the 1932 Boris Karloff original, The Mummy is only a remake in the broadest sense of the word. With the exception of a few general plot details, almost everything has changed, including the tone. Fans of Universal’s black-and-white movie may recognize the seeds of the same story here, but nothing more. Even the characters’ names have been changed, with one notable exception (Imhotep, the high priest who is cursed to become the mummy).
Following a prologue in 1290 B.C. Egypt that shows Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) being cursed and buried alive, The Mummy takes us to Cairo in 1923, where British librarian Evelyn Carnarvon (Rachel Weisz) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah), join American adventurer Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) on a trip to the lost city of Hamunaptra, where they hope to discover a tomb full of treasure. Pursued by a band of fortune hunters and stalked by mysterious, black-robed nomads, Rick and his small party eventually reach their destination. However, their expedition turns into a disaster when they unwittingly release Imhotep’s mummy. The seemingly indestructible creature has three goals: release the ten Biblical plagues on Egypt, regenerate itself, and resurrect its long-dead lover. It quickly becomes apparent that Rick, Jonathan, and Evelyn may be the only ones capable of stopping Imhotep’s evil spirit.
The Mummy’s biggest asset is its jokey tone and a game cast who all seem to get the tone of the film they’re making. Almost every moment of this movie is played for fun, from the barbed one-liners to an underlying sense of parody. Comparisons to Army of Darkness, which many critics made at the time, are just right if you’re trying to figure out what the film has to offer. Rick’s battles with the walking dead are often quite comical and you could say he has shades of Bruce Campbell’s Ash in the way he approaches the situation he’s in.
First and foremost, this is an adventure film and while a lot of the adventure and action is a bit routine, it’s still fun. All of it is a bit whimsical and a bit over the top but you feel like you’re on this fun journey with the characters. I think that’s the key element to making a film like this work. You want to feel like you’ve leaped through the screen and are a part of the fun. The Indiana Jones franchise is a prime example of this and it’s a trait The Mummy adapts with a lampooning sense of humor. Director Stephen Sommers seems to have a solid eye when it comes to balancing the action and humor and while he doesn’t generate much tension (you never suspect the leads are in any real danger), he creates a world that’s fun to be in.
The special effects are a bit of mixed bag. Some of them are impressive, particularly for a film released in 1999 (swarms of bugs, a storm of flaming hailstones, a giant wave of wind-driven sand, the walking dead) but no matter how impressive they are individually, they aren’t always seamlessly integrated and they clearly look like effects. That’s the only time you’re really taken out of the adventure a bit because you can tell our human characters are interacting with elements created by a computer.
The Mummy, and its sequel, briefly turned Brendan Fraser into an action/adventure star. He had the right amount of charm and humor to make this role work and he proves to be a capable lead here. His star has faded a bit over time but he did show with this film that he could carry the weight of a big production. Faring even better is Rachel Weisz, who is instantly likable as Evelyn. Her character is full of exuberance and she shares solid chemistry with Fraser. John Hannah adds more comic relief as her brother and rounds out our trio of heroes nicely. On the villain end, Arnold Vosloo does what is needed in his role which is to look suitably menacing.
It’s pretty impressive that the film still holds up today. Some might find a lot of it dated but The Mummy‘s sense of fun is virtually timeless. It may go on a bit too long (some trimming could’ve been done during the film’s first hour) but it’s a film worth revisiting.
Reel Talk gives The Mummy 3 Reels
