The Mummy

The Mummy – 1999 – ep 132

“Patience is a virtue!”

“NOT RIGHT NOW IT ISN’T!”

That’s just some of the crackling dialogue (*ends sarcasm*) in “The Mummy,” the wildly silly horror blockbuster very loosely based on the old Universal Monster classic. If you’re looking for wall-to-wall, late 90s-CGI-infused action, you won’t need to be patient at all, because “The Mummy” piles on one insane action sequence after another, plot logic be damned.

In any given scene, you’d be forgiven for thinking “The Mummy” is a terrible film, but it has one ace in the hole that makes the whole thing work: Brendan Frasier. As adventurer Rick O’Connell, Frasier gives a dashing, cheesy, incredibly charming performance that centers this wild, sometimes-extremely violent blockbuster that nevertheless gives just enough of an Indiana Jones vibe to make it a success.

“The Mummy” also provides the breakout performance of Rachel Weisz, though it’s unclear why her character, Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan, isn’t thrown in jail by the end of the movie. She’s responsible for almost all the carnage! Even that other jerk Egyptologist knows you shouldn’t read from the Book of the Dead! Geez, don’t even read the title!

Old Millennials Tyler and Angela discuss how almost every character makes terrible decisions in this movie (minus maybe Rick), right even in the beginning when those Pharaoh guards decide to bury Imhotep with a curse that might one day give him superpowers. The Old Millennials discuss CGI sand faces, that scantily-clad lady at the beginning that sets this whole movie in motion, why no character, besides loudmouth brother Jonathan, survives the movie a single scene beyond their function to the plot, and how so many people love this movie, in part, because it’s so much better than the sequels. There’s also a necessary conversation pondering why no character consistently utilizes the tried-and-true, “a cat a day keeps the Mummy away” strategy. Imhotep is definitely more of a dog person.

Also discussed on this episode of Old Millennials Remember Movies
  • Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
  • RRR (2022)
  • The Sea Beast (2022)
  • Fire Island (2022)
  • Spiderhead (2022)