The Mummy (1999) review
Recently, I have been a nostalgia craze. I have been watching a lot of movies that make you say; “Ah, I remember those good old days.” There are some movies that are just pure fun and you can’t help but enjoy and The Mummy (1999) is definitely one of them. The Mummy is an action adventure film about a group of explorers and treasure hunters who discover an ancient Egyptian city called Hamunaptra, the city of the dead where they accidentally awaken a mummy named Imhotep, who goes on a rampage killing people and getting more powerful in order to resurrect his lover. The movie stars Brandan Fraser as the main protagonist Rick O’Connell, which I thought was weird at first but he managed to pull off an action hero that doesn’t take himself too seriously but is tough, witty and easy to follow. To me Rick O’Connell is kind of like a less serious Indiana Jones with a little bit of James Bond thrown in. One of the best parts of The Mummy is its cast of characters. Each actor brings out a colorful performance to the plate that makes the movie enjoyable. It is obvious that Brandan Fraser had a lot of fun playing the role of Rick O’Connell.
The Mummy takes place in Egypt during the late 1920’s. The movie manages to set the setting very well creating the 1920’s feel to the movie with relative ease. As the viewer, you are immediately drawn into the film making feel like you are almost there. The film starts out with a detailed prologue about Imhotep and the his lover explaining how they ended up as mummies and setting up the background of what is happening in the story. The prologue is actually quite decent as it manages to give the viewer the information they need to know but not in a matter that feels overwhelming. Personally, I am thankful they decided to show the prologue rather than the wall of text Star Wars rip off that many movies throw at the audience in the beginning. After the prologue we are introduced to Rick O’Connell (Fraser) fighting off raiders at Hamunaptra. The scene does a good job at setting up the tone for the movie; its action mixed with adventure topped with comedy. The rest of the movie plays out in a similar fashion. The film also has its share of scary images with the mummy himself in his decayed form popping out to scare people along with his undead servants that are unstoppable killing machines. The movie’s pacing is rather fast paced and it doesn’t take much time to slow down and catch it’s breath. This leaves some spots where characters are not very well fleshed out and a lot of conversations seem a little rushed and some seem to reach conclusions a little too quickly. However, the film holds itself well enough at this pace that this isn’t an issue.
So if you want to watch a fun, action packed thriller that you can just sit and enjoy by yourself or with your friends then The Mummy is a good choice. I would put The Mummy on same category as other movies like National Treasure, Indiana Jones, and The Librarian. If you like these movies, then you are sure to like this one! Overall, this film has a lot to offer for anyone: action, adventure, comedy and a little romance. I would highly recommend watching The Mummy if you haven’t seen it before, if you have then go watch it again!
Neurion 