Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz lead a formidable action film that still maintains its effectiveness
Classics never die, and monsters much less so. Those who are usually known as mythical Universal characters, icons from when cinema was beginning to speak In truth, they have had their different periods where they have resurfaced with new filmmakers and new tones that have refreshed their possibilities.
Thanks to Francis Ford Coppola and his ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ there was a new explosion of monster adaptations in the nineties, mostly following that “prestigious” tone with heightened drama and operetta. But one went out of the way, leaving behind an iconic film for the decade and for a year as legendary as 1999. This was ‘The Mummy’.
A monster from distant Egypt
The renewal of the Egyptian monster was directed by Stephen Sommers, with stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as the protagonists of a fantastic action, adventure and romance film. As nineties as it is duly indebted to the classics, this sensational reinterpretation celebrates 25 years of its premiere in theaters and today you can see it streaming through Amazon Prime Video, Filmin, Netflix and SkyShowtime.
In ancient Egypt, a powerful priest has a secret affair with the pharaoh’s future wife, who upon finding out proceeds to torture him and bury him alive in a sealed tomb. Millennia later, he will return as a diabolical mummy who will lead an infernal armyand only a formidable Egyptologist and an adventurer can stand before him.
The Mummy Returns had been in the works even before the 1990s, but it was Sommers’ approach that won over executives. His rescue of the classic schemes of adventure and romantic cinemavery reminiscent of Indiana Jones, ended up being essential to give the film a functional basis, which it also needed other stimulating keys.
‘The Mummy’: classic adventure with romance
One of those keys was the special effects, for which Sommers had an ambitious and not cheap vision. Although its sequel has been a clear example of when digital effects go really wrong, those of ‘The Mummy’ from 1999 are effective and even astonishing considering the context in which they were released (and hold up better than those of some recent productions).
The other key, the most important to turning it into that generational classic that has become beyond its success at the time, is its actors. Fraser makes the most of his first big opportunity as an action lead, while Weisz provides the necessary contrast that the film needs and that is required to sell the chemistry between the characters. This elevates a film that manages to be very entertaining and fast-paced from start to finishand that remains powerful after all these years.
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