A fun and campy adventure film

Rating: 5/10 (30 April 2020)

The Mummy, directed by Stephen Sommers, and starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, is a fun, now almost classic adventure film. This film heavily lays on the Indiana Jones style - with traps, treasure, tomb raiding and a good wallop of humour to go along with it. All of these things make for an overall enjoyable film, all things considered. The film follows Fraser as Rick O'Connell, roguish mercenary for hire, as he works with an expedition from an Egyptian museum. The expedition unleashes an ancient evil, that they then must survive, as a reanimated mummy seeks to achieve invulnerability and control Egypt!
To start, I think this film is quite fun. Suitably hammy performances abound, with both Fraser and Weisz, as well as supporting actor John Hannah, bringing the camp. The premise of this movie is suitably campy - with mummies, ghosts and flesh eating scarabs abounding. Even so, these elements bring a level of enjoyment that is well suited to this type of film. The Mummy has become a good example of a camp film that is still quite a fun experience.
To be sure, this film has its downsides. The CGI and animation have not aged well, showing the weakness of this type of visual presentation. Practical effects would have added some longevity to this film, and potentially brought it forward as a cult classic. There are some particularly eye rolling films that were horrifying to see in the 90's, but have not kept that particular feeling alive, to the detriment of the film. The acting in the film, while campy, can also be a bit cringey, especially from the Mummy itself, and many of the supporting characters. Some more believability, or going the other way, skilled camp, would have added some charm. Some side characters (notably the British pilot) are shallow and add absolutely nothing to the film.
These all detract from what could have been a classic of cult cinema. Big box at its release, this film is none-the-less blowing its way into the background of film history, and while it is still fun, it is certainly not overly memorable. A film I enjoy watching, but with some issues.