The Mummy (1999)

“I only gamble with my life, never my money. ” – Rick

Number of Times Seen – At least 5 times (Theater in ’99, cable, 29 May 2001 and 4 Mar 2018)

Brief Synopsis – An American adventurer in Egypt leads an expedition to find a long lost Egyptian tomb, but while there, they inadvertently unleash a cursed mummy that will do all he can to rise from the dead.

My Take on it – This is a film that I actually recall being excited about when it came out 19 years ago.

I have always been a fan of Indiana Jones type adventure stories and this hype was all over this film that it fits right into that genre.

This film definitely delivers in that way because it takes many cues from the Indiana Jones trilogy and keeps things fun and entertaining the entire time.

I personally would have never expected Brendan Fraser to be a good choice as the lead in this, but he does a much better job here than one would assume he could which obviously is why he was invited back not just one more time but twice to continue playing this role.

He has great chemistry with co-star Rachel Weisz and they easily give us two heroes for us to constantly root for.

John Hannah is great in a comic relief role which helps keep things a bit lighter.

Arnold Vosloo is very commanding as the villain even though his performance is duly enhanced by the expert use of special effects here.

The film is filled with lots of great special effects scenes and the way that the effects are done makes this film look and feel even more realistic.

They keep the feel of a 1930’s serial which helps keep the suspense engaging for the viewer the whole way through.

Bottom Line – Quite a fun film especially since it takes so many cues from the Indiana Jones series. Fraser isn’t an actor that I would have suspected could lead a film like this, but he does it so well that they even brought him back to do it again. His chemistry with Weisz is great and we get heroes that we want to root for. Hannah is great as comic relief with Vosloo commanding as the villain even with the added enhancements and use of special effects. The effects work so well across the board to make this film feel and look very realistic.  The 30’s serial look and feel also works really well as it helps keep the suspense engaging the entire time. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Brendan Fraser nearly died during a scene where his character is hanged. Rachel Weisz remembered, “He [Fraser] stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated.” (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)

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