With the release of the reboot "The Mummy," I feel like it is time for me to talk about the version from 1999. "The Mummy" (the 1999 version, not the new one) in one of those films that I look back on fondly, despite the fact that it isn't that great of a film. I'm not saying it's a bad film, but it does have the same level of dumb moments found in bad films. However, these moments actually makes the film more endearing and fun to watch. "The Mummy" occupies the same space in your head as something like "Independence Day" or "Top Gun." Deep down you know the film is stupid and cheesy, but those are the very qualities that give it a unique charm and make it a lot of fun to watch. These are just a few things in the film that make it enjoyable to me.
I'm going to come right out and say it; the best thing in "The Mummy" is Brendan Fraser. I know we like to poke fun at Brendan due to his lackluster filmography, but he is genuinely entertaining in the film. He puts all of his emotion and energy into the physical moments and the over-the-top action scenes. He effectively conveys the devilish rogue adventurer who knows his way around guns and swords. It would be easy to claim he is just another wannabe Indiana Jones, but Fraser's Rick O'Connell comes across as a unique character. While he is quite confident, he comes across slightly more buffoonish than Indiana Jones. Rick typically succeeds through dumb luck or accident. This is highlighted greatly during his fight with several mummies during the film's climax, which features some great physical comedy by Fraser.
Rick also comes across as Indiana Jones, but without the suave personality. He comes across as a bit of an everyman and some of his best dialog moments are when he either makes a sarcastic comment about the unbelievable events happening to him or when he acts frightened by the monsters. One of my favorite moments from the film comes when he sees the Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) mummy for the first time. He sees it, jolts back in terror, it roars at him, and in response, Rick yells back at Imhotep like an eight-year-old mimicking the roar and then shoots Imhotep with a shotgun. I break down laughing every time that scene plays. His personality comes across as more dorky than suave. It really shows what great comedic timing Fraser has and the level of physical commitment he put into the action.
The film also has great set design and lighting. The film is clearly mimicking the same "1930s/40s adventure serial" aesthetic that influenced the "Indiana Jones" films. However, "The Mummy" also adds a bit of the campiness from the "Universal movie monster" films of the 1930s. The 1999 film is somewhat of a remake of the original 1932 film that starred Boris Karloff. The film's sets evoke the frightening mystery of ancient ruins with dim torchlight in dark tunnels. The music, composed by Jerry Goldsmith, evokes familiar Egyptian beats and fast paced action. The film, from a production standpoint, really captures the look and feel a cheesy adventure film from the "Golden Age of Hollywood".
Many of the other actors fill their roles quite well. Rachel Weisz gives her bookworm character Evie a great level of passion and wisdom, while still making her clumsy and awkward; which gave her and the equally dorky Rick great chemistry. While Evie's brother Jonathan (John Hannah) can be a bit annoying at times, he still got a chuckle out of me here and there; plus his annoying personality was meant to be intentional. Ardeth (Oded Fehr) is stoic and brave which makes him a bit boring, but he's a great fighter and gets to show off those skills during the fun action set pieces. These characters fit into very recognizable archetypes found within the adventure genre (dashing hero, love interest, etc.). While these characters aren't all that dimensional, they still have unique and enjoyable personalities.
The film has many issues. Like most films from the 1990s the CGI, while decent for the time, has not aged well. Most the rules surrounding Imhotep's powers are very inconsistent and appear when the plot calls for it. Despite this, however, the film achieves a level of goofy charm and, when I find it playing on the television, I usually watch it to relax. "The Mummy" is a dumb film, but it knows it's dumb and has fun its inherent stupidity. The film never takes itself too seriously and allows itself to poke fun at some of these bizarre events. "The Mummy" achieves the perfect balance of genuine quality and dumb that it becomes dumb fun as opposed to "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" which is just dumb.
