A Reel 20: THE MUMMY

“This creature is the bringer of death…”

This month marks the 20^thanniversary of Stephen Sommers’ THE MUMMY. 

A loose remake of the 1932 version of the story of a cursed Egyptian priest who returns from the dead, Stephen Sommers’ THE MUMMY was a high-adventure inspired by the classic Hollywood films of old. Horror was traded in for fun and thrills, and while today remakes that try that approach often fail, for this version of the story it worked perfectly and makes the film one of the rare occasions where the remake surpasses the original. 

The journey to resurrect THE MUMMY goes back to 1992, when Universal Studios decided to update the original for modern audiences. Famed horror directors Clive Barker (HELLRAISER), and George A. Romero (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD), worked on early versions, as did Joe Dante (THE HOWLING)…who wanted Daniel Day-Lewis as a brooding mummy. Wes Craven (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), was also considered to direct the project, which at this point was leaning towards a straight-up horror film with a low budget. 

The turning point came in 1997 when Stephen Sommers, who had directed Disney’s THE JUNGLE BOOK, came on board with a vision of THE MUMMY as a cross between Indiana Jones and JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. Universal liked the idea and gave the go-ahead while increasing the budget. 

The inspired casting included Brandan Fraser as an American adventurer, Rachel Weisz as a clumsy but intelligent Egyptologist, Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep the resurrected mummy, and John Hannah as the bumbling brother to Weisz’s character. The rest of the cast included Kevin J. O’Connor, Oded Fehr, Erick Avari, Patricia Velasquez, Bernard Fox, and Jonathan Hyde. Filming took place in Morocco, the Sahara Desert, and the United Kingdom. The score was provided by famed composer Jerry Goldsmith of STAR TREK fame. Visual effects were accomplished by Industrial Light and Magic, which was experimenting with new technology called CGI to bring the mummy to life. 

Despite mixed reviews, THE MUMMY was a hit, and would finish as the 6^thhighest grossing film of 1999. It would be nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound, and Goldsmith would win a BMI Award for his score. 

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On a cool Spring day in 1999, this Blogger dropped his car off to get new tires installed, and with a wait time of 10,000 years…wandered over to the theatre to catch a flick. THE MUMMY was playing, and not expecting much, that was what I bought a ticket for. That ticket was bought with a shrug as I was not expecting much. Two hours later, I flew out of the theatre with a new favorite film. THE MUMMY delivered on all fronts; high energy, fun characters, gorgeous cinematography, a classic score, and a sense of whimsy and adventure on the highest level. It played out as a love letter to classic cinema and a bygone era of Hollywood; carrying its inspiration of the original MUMMY and perhaps LAWRENCE OF ARABIA heavy on it shoulders. Today, despite 20-year-old CGI, THE MUMMY hasn’t aged a day, and stands as one of those perfect films; perfect for dates, entertainment, or just taking in an adventure. 

“Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, and save the world.”