The Mummy (1999): the 25th Anniversary
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on May 19, 2024, 4:58 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
This year is the 25th anniversary of the 1999 version of The Mummy, an action-adventure film by Universal Pictures, which some may regard as a spiritual successor to their 1932 film of the same name, as the movies do share a number of similarities, such as being set in Egypt during the 1920's, characters awakening an ancient mummy from the dead, and the lead female character being the reincarnation of the villain's former lover (or needing to be sacrificed to revive said lover), but the two films are radically different in tone, which is understandable, as they were made over sixty years apart, so I believe that the newer films should be regarded as its own entity and not seen as having any connection to the earlier film, apart from its name.
The movie clearly takes inspiration from the original Indiana Jones trilogy, which itself was inspired by action-adventure films of the 1930's and 40's, as it features a group of intrepid explorers discovering ancient treasure and then unleashing dark forces beyond their comprehension, and, as such, I certainly enjoyed watching it, and I can hardly believe that it is now a quarter of a century old, as that certainly makes me feel old.
The movie is fun and action-packed, but I do feel that still devotes sufficient time to developing its characters and ensuring that its plot is reasonably well-developed and entertaining, and it was sufficiently popular that Universal studios produced two sequels and a series of spin-off films, although I personally feel that none of the following movies matched the original, as is so often the case with movie franchises.
How does everyone else here feel about this year being the 25th anniversary of The Mummy? Are you excited about it?
I echo DarkKiridon on all counts... I love it for the same reasons I love Indiana Jones it just blends action amd comedy in a near perfect way and yet could still be "serious/spooky" when needed amd called for.
May 19, 2024 8:52 p.m.
I love this movie the first sequel is also pretty enjoyable. But that third one isn't very good. And the less said about the reboot from a few years ago the better. But the scorpion king movie was what kicked off Dwayne the Rock Johnson's acting carrer
May 20, 2024 4:19 p.m.
I love the first two Mummy movies, and this is just a great reason to break out the DVDs that are around here somewhere : ) One of my favorite things of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns is that the main characters all really have chemistry together. Especially in the first movie, the love story is like, yeah I could really see these two falling for each other, and in the second movie the friendship of O'connel and Ardith Bay is super believable. Plus with Johnathan being a very good lovably jerk...yep, it's kinda awesome. They may not be perfect movies, but they might just be perfect casts for a Mummy movie.
May 20, 2024 5:06 p.m.
Squee_Spirit_Guide says... #6
I agree with what everyone has said so far. The first won't be considered a classic by critics, but it is a classic by my standards. It's a fun adventure, spooky but not too spooky, and funny but not a full-blown comedy that would take away from the adventure. I still watch it every once in a while and enjoy it every time.
The second movie was also very fun for the same reasons. I never watched the third because I felt it wouldn't hold up without the original cast.
May 20, 2024 8:27 p.m.
Oh don't even get me started on this DemonDragonJ. The movie I saw the most in theaters.... Well here we go:
1) Awesome time-period it is set in. Story abound in the imperialist forays into Africa & on up the silk road.
2) Americans were still rough around the edges & not caught up with "civilized" Industrialized Brits.
3) STEAMBOAT FIGHTS!!! STEAMBOAT FIGHT/ROMANCE!!! SWASHBUCKLING!
4) The great race to the destination
5) The titular Mummy himself had a buttload of cool and visually impressive powers.
6) Peak Frasier
DarkKiridon says... #2
It's a classic in my eyes, and it still holds up to this day in my honest opinion. Also, Brendan Fraser is a national treasure. The sequels I think weren't terrible. Third one is the worst of course but hey, it's got Jet Li though.
May 19, 2024 8:33 p.m.