Does The Mummy (1999) Still Hold Up?

I’m always down for adventure flicks. But we’re also approaching the spooky season. Luckily for me, we’ve got a movie that strikes a nice little balance between them.

I could just watch horror movies or slasher flicks. But then I’d be here for the next year reviewing ‘Halloween’ or ‘Friday the 13th’ movies. Maybe one day I’ll have the patience for that. If I could survive Illumination, I can survive anything.

But for now: mummies!

When a holy priest of ancient Egypt betrays and murders the pharaoh and attempts to raise his lover from the dead, he is sealed away with the most terrible of curses. Three thousand years later, siblings Jonathan and Evelyn Carnahan find a clue leading to the legendary City of the Dead. To find it, they hire Rick O’Connell, who has survived a trip to the site. But more than ancient treasure and knowledge awaits them beneath the desert sands.

This is a tale of two movies. The first half is an action adventure movie, ala Indiana Jones. The second is more of a supernatural slasher horror. The first blends seamlessly into the second, creating the film equivalent of a mixed drink. Sweet and intoxicating.

The setpieces in this movie are awesome. Underground tombs filled with flesh-eating scarabs. Hoards of possessed townsfolk attacking like the beginning of Resident Evil 4. A chase scene with a plane against an evil sandstorm. This is an adventure movie with a capital A!

On the other hand, we have the horror. Which is… alright. It does well to build suspense and some of the visuals are pretty creepy. But it’s not the kind of movie that’ll put you on the edge of your seat or make you soil yourself.

Of course, none of that would matter if the characters aren’t any good. Thankfully, we’ve got a cast of well-rounded and likable heroes and villains to fill the runtime. And great actors to bring them to life!

Brendan Fraser as Rick is phenomenal; dude plays the charming rogue effortlessly. Rachel Weisz brings the dorky librarian Evelyn to life brilliantly. And let’s not forget about Kevin J. O’Connor as Beni; a better traitorous rat, you’ll be hard-pressed to find.

As for the special effects… well, it was the 90s. CGI was still far from perfect. It isn’t as awful as other movies of the time, but it isn’t as timeless as something like ‘Jurassic Park.’ Luckily, all the practical effects, the sets, the costumes, look fantastic to this day, and the movie skews much more towards them than computer animation.

Except for… you know, the Mummy itself. But in comparison to the rest of the CG, he doesn’t look too bad! Dated, yes. But fine.

Side note: God bless the poor bastard who had to clean up after the library scene…

It’s rather refreshing to watch a movie where something is always happening visually. No shot is completely still and boring. Every frame may not be a painting – though more than a few are – but at least something is always going on.

Though all the swipe cuts definitely don’t hold up. Remember when every movie did those? Y’know, when movies were good.

The Mummy is awesome. Great writing, visuals that still – mostly – hold up, thrills, horror, Brendan Fraser, it’s got it all. It may not be completely timeless, but it’s still a masterpiece among classic movies.

Whether the same can be said for its sequels… well, I guess we’ll find out.

But considering how these marathons usually go, I’m not too hopeful.