The Mummy

The Mummy

Rick: Well if it ain’t my little buddy Beni. I think I’ll kill you.

Beni: Think of my children.

Rick: You don’t have any children.

Beni: … … … Someday I might…

The nineties gifted us many film classics that enchanted both film critics and audiences. Some had deep, emotional and philosophical themes… and some were simply damn entertaining.

“The Mummy” definitely falls into the second category.

The film’s plot is, at its core, simple. Librarian Evelyn and her good-natured (but mildly greedy) brother Jonathan team up with Rick O’Connell (once a captain in the “Foreign Legion,” now an adventurer/drifter, who generally ends up in prison) in search of Hamunaptra, the famous “City of the Dead” which is (allegedly) located somewhere in the deserts of Egypt and has always been the goal of various adventurers, researchers and plunderers. However, Rick is one of the few people who knows the real location of the city. And while Evelyn wants, as a librarian, to discover the location and potential artifacts and mystical records for the sake of science, her brother Jonathan simply keeps his sister company (and won’t object if some gold is discovered), and Rick… well, he just needs to get out of jail (although he warned Evelyn that “something” dangerous exists in Hamunaptra).

This unusual team truly finds the famous city (as does another group of adventurers/mercenaries), and manages to discover various interesting artifacts, including the “Book of the Dead.” Of course, the unwritten rule is that everything buried for millennia and under lock and key shouldn’t be opened (and especially texts from something called “BOOK OF THE DEAD!!!” should not be read aloud)… however, our naive Evelyn did exactly that, and managed to bring back from the dead the mummified high priest Imhotep who plans to now bring back from the dead his lover Anck-su-namun, who was, oh the irony, originally the lover of the Egyptian pharaoh. Wishing to save Imhotep, she committed suicide (in hopes he would bring her back from the dead) and gave him the chance to escape. However, the pharaoh’s special guard/bodyguards the Medjai caught Imhotep and all his priests and mummified them alive as the worst form of punishment.

So now you have one grumpy mummified priest who’s also a sorcerer and who, besides wanting to revive his lover, also plans with the renewal of his powers to unleash the biblical ten plagues upon Egypt.

And the only thing standing in his way is a clumsy librarian, an even clumsier brother and one goofy adventurer. Well, they also get an unexpected ally in a member of the Medjai (named Ardeth Bay), who survived through all these millennia and whose only goal is to not allow Imhotep to ever awaken.

And whether this unusual team can stop the terrible Egyptian sorcerer, you’ll find out if you watch the film “The Mummy.”

Almost a quarter century later, the film is still damn entertaining! I’ve watched it several times by now, and I still haven’t gotten bored of it.

Simply, the film had (and still has!) all the elements for a summer hit.

Excellent Egyptian atmosphere, costumes, as well as excellent special effects for that time (for which the film received an Oscar nomination), and all this composed together with excellent music (for which the film had a BAFTA nomination).

The plot is as simple as it is dynamic and holds attention.

The action is constant and exciting and is further permeated by comedic elements that only give the film more flavor. Chases, shootouts and clashes with Imhotep’s mummified priests are an inexhaustible source of entertainment.

Although it has traces of horror, I’d say the film has more elements of tense than scary.

Of course, none of this would have worked without the great cast.

The eccentric adventurer is played by the brilliant and talented Brendan Fraser, once Hollywood’s golden boy (whom that same Hollywood ultimately turned its back on, because some influential people believe they have the right to sexually abuse and blackmail whomever they wish). I’ve always liked him as an actor (“George of the Jungle” is an unsurpassed classic for me when it comes to slapstick comedies with dumb jokes you can’t help but laugh at), and I was very glad when I learned he was lending his voice to Cliff in the series “Doom Patrol.” The man quite sacrificed himself for this film and performed most of the action scenes without stuntmen (and for that “earned” some quite serious injuries). And moreover he had both serious and very witty moments in this film. As far as I’m concerned (small digression), I believe he deservedly won an Oscar for the film “The Whale” (which I still need to watch).

The ditzy librarian Evelyn is played by always incredibly charming and talented Oscar winner Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite,” “The Constant Gardener,” “Constantine”), about whom you don’t know whether her acting or her gaze will enchant you first.

Worth mentioning also are Evelyn’s goofy brother Jonathan played by John Hannah (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”) and Arnold Vosloo (“Blood Diamond,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) as priest Imhotep.

Many have drawn parallels between “The Mummy” and the Indiana Jones series, often using the comment that Rick O’Connell is Indiana Jones’ version for newer generations… and they’re partially right. But keep in mind that “The Mummy” went its own way. The film clearly stated it doesn’t take itself seriously. It wanted to be goofy, adventure-oriented, additionally charming and romantic, and occasionally frightening… and it perfectly succeeded. And moreover it dealt with (historically) more precise details regarding Ancient Egypt. And what’s the additional (slight) advantage over Indiana Jones is that the film ages nicely and this film you’ll be able to watch countless times throughout your life, and it will remain endlessly entertaining.

And that’s sometimes all you need from a film.

That’s probably why with a budget of 80 million the film earned as much as 416 million dollars! There’s reason for a sequel!

And we shouldn’t forget one of the strongest scenes in the film! 😂 (for the impatient, skip the clip to 2:30)

And for the end, a few interesting facts about the film:

• Brendan Fraser almost perished during the scene where his hero is being hanged… the actor literally stopped breathing at one point
• Fraser was chosen for the role in “The Mummy” because of the success of the film “George of the Jungle” (deservedly!)
• The scene with the bookshelf collapsing was filmed in one take. If it hadn’t worked, it would have had to be filmed again the next day
• The Medjai were originally supposed to be completely tattooed, but director Sommers vetoed this decision, with the argument that actor Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bay) was “too handsome” to be covered in tattoos
• The day after the premiere, studio “Universal” contacted Sommers (the film’s creator) and only said “We need another film like this”
• The film couldn’t be filmed in Egypt due to the political situation at the time (it was filmed in Morocco)
• The scene at the beginning of the film where Imhotep was being mummified was strenuous and traumatic for actor Vosloo… he was wrapped in bandages for four hours for the needs of the scene!
• To create the mummy, both computer technology and makeup and prosthetic additions were combined
• Leonardo DiCaprio was interested in the lead role, but couldn’t due to commitments to the film “The Beach,” and even asked the producers of “The Beach” to postpone filming which they refused (the irony is that the filming of the film was later delayed anyway 😅)
• 15 million dollars were spent on special effects

Trailer | Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic

Release Date: 1999 | Format: Film | Runtime: 124 minutes