Try to name a more perfect movie. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
This weeks choice of Wayback was a total no-brainer. Not only are we officially into spooky season (though horror and horror-adjacent movies are a year-round occurrence for me) but today is also my grandma’s birthday. To celebrate both, I could think of no movie more appropriate to review than one my brother and I watched EVERY SINGLE TIME we visited her house as kids. Was The Mummy (1999) the best choice to show two kids under 10? Some may say no. All I know is that when my mom took three-year-old Luke to the movies to see it I watched the whole thing in wide-eyed delight. I’m so thankful I grew up with this movie. Without a shadow of a doubt this is one of the movies I’ve seen the most times and easily one of my top 10 favourite movies of all-time. How could it not be? Overflowing with action, adventure, romance, horror, humour, stunning practical and visual effects, charming performances and phenomenal writing, I will die on the hill that this is a perfect movie. Watching The Mummy was one of the rare times I went into a Wayback review knowing that my long-holding opinions about it weren’t going to change. As a complete shock to absolutely nobody, this movie remains perfect and holds the fuck up!
A remake of the 1932 movie of the same name, The Mummy follows a team of archeologists who while exploring the ancient Egyptian city of Hamunaptra, accidentally awaken a mummy who wreaks havoc on the world in search of the reincarnation of his long-lost love.
Before Stephen Sommers was hired as director and co-writer, major horror directors like George A. Romero, Clive Barker, and Joe Dante were attached to direct, each with their own different take on the story of the mummy. EVERYTHING was seemingly pitched. From a setting that took place in 1990s Beverly Hills, to a tone that was “dark, sexual and filled with mysticism,” to Daniel Day-Lewis playing a brooding mummy, it wasn’t until Sommers’ pitch that the best way to tell this classic story for new audiences became clear. A fan of the original movie, Sommers didn’t want to make a straight horror movie but rather a romantic adventure with horror elements. That was such a great call because from the get go it transforms this movie into something more memorably exciting and fun than a run-of-the-mill remake of a horror classic.
Tons of swashbuckling fun, The Mummy is like Indiana Jones for a generation of us who grew up in the ‘90s. Seriously, like so many kids wanted to become archeologists after watching Harrison Ford, I wanted to become a librarian because of watching Rachel Weisz. Oh my God, Rachel Weisz…like everyone else in this movie she is perfectly cast. Her performance as Evie is incredibly fun, super memorable and absolutely dripping with charisma and charm. Every single character in this movie is a blast to watch, but Weisz and star Brendan Fraser are on a whole other level. Forget The Whale (2022). Fraser should have an Oscar for this AND The Mummy Returns (2001). His and Weisz’s romantic chemistry is off the charts. The attraction is instant and you can feel it all around. They don’t NEED moments to tell you they’re falling in love, you see it with each look and line delivery. Truly one of the best movie couples ever, HANDS DOWN. Can you believe that before Fraser was cast, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck all were considered for the role of Rick? Thank God none of them were cast because absolutely none of them could bring the level of charisma, heart and full-on commitment to the role that Fraser foes. Everyone in this movie totally gets it. Frankly, to a degree of wonderful enjoyability that we just don’t see in big-budget movies anymore.
Speaking of budget, The Mummy made a whopping $416 million against a modest $80 million budget. It’s honestly amazing how fantastic this movie looks and feels with a budget that any modern summer blockbuster would turn their nose up. Reportedly $15 million of the budget was utilized for special effects alone, money well spent in my opinion. There are extremely fleeting instances where the CGI looks a little rough but for the most part, it totally holds up! Easily one of the best examples of ‘90s CGI that looks perfectly fine nowadays. Also, you don’t care very much because the awesome wonder of the rest of the movie that is 90 per cent practical more than makes up for it. I’m such a ‘90s kid but it can’t be said enough how much I miss and appreciate practical sets! Movies just look so much better when there’s a tangibility to them. You can see the tactical real world artistry and work that went into the costumes, sets and props…it transports you into this world and makes it feel like you’re really here in 1926 Egypt facing Ancient Egyptian evils.
The Mummy utilizes legitimate movie magic the likes of which we don’t get anymore. Granted I’ve only seen this movie, Van Helsing (2004) and Deep Rising (1998) but considering Van Helsing is also one of my all-time favourites, I’ve determined that WE NEED STEPHEN SOMMERS BACK DIRECTING ACTION-PACKED MONSTER MOVIES! Or directing anything! I miss his charm, style and appreciation for practical moviemaking. Also his skill at directing well-choreographed fight scenes where you can actually tell who’s who and what’s happening! It’s his taste and flair that ensured this movie spawned one great sequel, one terrible sequel, an animated TV series and a spin-off prequel which in turn generated its own sequels! Part of me is so intrigued to one day check out The Scorpion King (2002) because I can only imagine the hot piece of garbage that it is.
Maybeeeee it’s because I’ve seen it more times than I can count but this two hour movie moves quickly and no part of it feels like a chore to sit through. Can I say that every scene is my favourite? It really is the most loving addition / homage to those classic universal monster movies. Bullshit like The Mummy (2017) and Dracula Untold (2014) are just…studio schlock. You can tell the love and heart they went into this. The desire to create a great, fun, monster adventure movie for a new generation. It works fabulously as a horror movie but even if you took out the horror elements it’d still be a fun adventure. The whole movie is fantastic to watch from beginning to end, enjoyable at every turn but the finale really is an action-packed monster-mashing good time that utilizes the characters to the best of their abilities. You could say it’s when each of them shine the most. A great adventure movie ending. It even ends with them riding off into the sunset! It bears repeating: The Mummy is dripping with charm and fun.
This might be my number one comfort movie. The music, the performances, the visuals the story…everything about The Mummy puts me in such a good mood and brings back such fond memories of my childhood. I absolutely adore it with every fibre of my being. It’s shocking that in five years of running this blog I waited this long to cover The Mummy. What can I say? It took me this long to formulate all of my wild love for it into one coherent review. Finally, let me leave you with this: Has anyone ever been as cool or hot as Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay? As long as we’re doing reboots and whatnot, let’s greenlight an Ardeth Bay prequel movie! I’d watch the shit out of that!
Are you as big a fan of The Mummy as I am?
Let me know in the comments or on social media!
Luke's Living Room 