The other night, I had the honor of returning to co-host the Generation Video podcast with Kairos Publications voice actor Wes. It was a blast to revisit 1999’s The Mummy, a woefully underappreciated neo-pulp masterpiece in the company of a true film buff.
As the dead cat bounce after Cultural Ground Zero, 1999 brought us a cornucopia of blockbuster action films. Had The Mummy not been up against the likes of The Phantom Menace and The Matrix, it’s hard to see how it wouldn’t now be looked back upon as a landmark film and a major cultural touchstone.
What’s noteworthy about The Mummy is that as recently as a quarter century ago, Hollywood could still make a kitchen sink genre movie that doesn’t feel cluttered or convoluted. Not only is this film rightly noted for its Indiana Jones DNA, the main character’s dual blazing pistols evoke more than a hint of The Shadow, and many scenes ooze Lovecraftian atmosphere. And Appendix N fans will recognize classic TTRPG archetypes in the motley cast of characters.
At the end of the day, The Mummy may just fall short of being greater than the sum of its parts, but it is as good as the sum of myriad excellent elements.
But don’t just take my word for it. Listen to the Generation Video episode here.
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Yes, The Mummy was very good indeed. Also Brendan Fraser's other movie 'Blast to the Past' had a truly excellent comparison of the Fifties to the Moderns with a montage of how the store above changed over the years as a beautiful description of the general awfulness of the changes. Both are movies that can stand multiple rewatchings.
The Mummy is one of my go-to-feel good films, Just enough cheesy pulp goodness, every character has...character, and it hits just the right balance of action and camp, neither taking itself too seriously nor going for mere silliness. I consdier it a worthy double-feature with Big Trouble in Little China.