On "The Mummy"

I sometimes give the impression, I'm afraid, that I don't think very much of any movie, or at least of any mainstream, remotely contemporary film. I do often prefer old and obscure movies. I think that's because it gives me a buffer zone from people. I would like popular movies if it wasn't for all the people watching them. Some of them are very good, and deserve their popularity. Others of them are popular only because it's desired for them to be.

One major blockbuster movie that, in my opinion, was very strong and which holds up well is "The Mummy". It being an adventure movie about treasure-seekers, it naturally draws comparisons with the Indiana Jones films, which almost no film could favorably match up to. If one gives it a fair chance, The Mummy offers ample reward. There are only so many movies that I could imagine watching again, and it is one of them.

The most important thing is that it has a strong story. It's fairly simple and straight-forward where many films would get bogged down in a lot of mythology and needless plot details. It's not too long. There's a good balance of horror, adventure and comedy. The characters are well-defined and, despite the film's need for characters to kill, seldom superfluous. They have clear motivations and act to achieve them in logical ways. These are things that any movie could have, but that few ever do. Why that should be is beyond me.

The film boasts a fine cast to give the characters life. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are both great in their roles if one can't have a prime Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. More importantly, the cast is very deep. There are twelve separate actors who are exceptionally memorable. There are perhaps three out of the top fifteen who are anything like forgettable, and no one is bad. The movie, quickly-paced as it is, manages to find enough oxygen for all of them to breathe.

If there is any area where one could argue that the film has suffered for the passage of time, it could be in some of the special effects. At the time, they seemed fantastic. Today their flaws are more evident, but the damage is mitigated by the apparent appreciation of the filmmakers for restraint. The effects serve the film, rather than the film existing as a clothesline for a lot of chaotic effects that look awful immediately rather than waiting for any time to pass.

"The Mummy" probably is not as great as I make it out to be. It's certainly not perfect, but it achieves a level of excellence that most commercial films meant to reach all the desirable demographics easily could reach but invariably fail to. It's no concern of mine if people appreciate it the way that I do, but they probably should. If you're of a mind to, watch it. The director's commentary track with his editor is especially good. I got a fair amount out of it, anyway.