The Mummy
| Year: | 1999 |
| Production Co: | Alphaville Films |
| Studio: | Universal |
| Director: | Stephen Sommers |
| Writer: | Stephen Sommers |
| Cast: | Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J O'Connor |
Universal executives looked back into their dusty archives and asked themselves; 'what iconic movie can we resurrect - no pun intended - and sell to a new generation bought up on thrilling action and cutting-edge effects?'
The result is a big, flashy, expensive, CGI-driven update of one of their classic monster movies from the golden age of the 1930s. Director Sommers' brief was obviously 'make it fun', which he did in droves. It's much more an adventure than a horror movie, perhaps mindful of a post slasher-era teen audience who just wouldn't find a resurrected Egyptian priest swathed in bandages scary.
A foreign legion fighter and born adventurer (Fraser) disturbs the tomb of the cursed Egyptian priest Imhotep and awakens him because of an ancient curse.
With the legions of undead starting to break out across Egypt, the hero has to win the love of the girl (Weisz), defeat the already-dead bad guy, and stay out of the way of the thieves and cut-throats all trying to play each other for the inevitable riches that result.
The result is a big, flashy, expensive, CGI-driven update of one of their classic monster movies from the golden age of the 1930s. Director Sommers' brief was obviously 'make it fun', which he did in droves. It's much more an adventure than a horror movie, perhaps mindful of a post slasher-era teen audience who just wouldn't find a resurrected Egyptian priest swathed in bandages scary.
A foreign legion fighter and born adventurer (Fraser) disturbs the tomb of the cursed Egyptian priest Imhotep and awakens him because of an ancient curse.
With the legions of undead starting to break out across Egypt, the hero has to win the love of the girl (Weisz), defeat the already-dead bad guy, and stay out of the way of the thieves and cut-throats all trying to play each other for the inevitable riches that result.