Amac Productions

The is the least horror, horror movie I’ve ever seen.

Which is good, because I don’t do horror movies, and I freaking loved this movie.

My parents loved this movie when I was a kid, and I think I saw one scene with the mummy’s face half mummified and just noped out of there. I firmly recall never wanting to see this movie as a kid because it scared the crap out of me.

As a kid, I thought this stuff could really happen. Whereas like CSI, no human could be that evil, right?

I have since learned the reverse and am enjoying things that would otherwise make myself hide under my parents’ bed.

My girlfriend also had the same experience but has watched this movie since and loves it. She felt it was her duty to correct the fact that I had never seen this movie before. Which – let me tell you – she was right.

I loved this movie so much.

I’ve watched it a second time since we watched it together. Which was not all that long ago as I write this.

Regardless! Let’s talk about this movie and why it’s amazing.

I’m going to start with the obvious – they don’t make movies like this anymore. If you’ve been around here long enough, you’ll know I have a weekly Xena review. Movies and TV shows in the 90s were made with one thing in mind, entertain.

Themselves, the audience, and have some fun with it.

Much like Xena, this is a kooky freaking story with some real crazed moments.

Like when Rick just straight up screams back at the mummy.

I just love that moment. Because yeah, you might be in an all-out battle for your life against the most ridiculous thing in the world, but also, during that, I’d probably scream at the monster too. Relieves the tension.

The little moments filled with humor. “You wait here! I’ll get help!” Jumps over the side of the ship and the guy actually nods like this is a great plan until he notices it.

Jonathan having a drink while shooting people from behind a wall, only to be interrupted by Beni taking a swig for himself.

The bet. The race to the city. Evie beating all of them there while Rick just stares at her like, ‘I’m in love.’

My girlfriend also compared us to the main couple and decided she would be Evy and well, I can’t really argue with her logic. I do tend to have that look on my face while she does crazy shit or babbles like a nerd. I do sincerely hope she does not read from a cursed book though.

“No harm ever came from reading a book.”

I beg to differ, Evie. As books are where a good chunk of my knowledge base has come from and knowledge is the exact thing that gives me an understanding of just how effed everything is. Ignorance is bliss.

I love the little moments that make up this movie. It’s never trying to be more than it is. An adventure tale, centered around these characters who stumble into a curse they didn’t believe in.

They didn’t go looking to awake The Mummy. It just sort of happened to them and here we are.

In the middle of that, they’re just people. Very real feeling people.

Jonathan looks like he’s trying to drink away something. The moment when he and Rick are standing side by side and Jonathan claims he’s had worse odds too, is the first time I thought he was being completely serious. Since then, I saw a theory on Tumblr suggesting that Jonathan served in what would be called in their time, The Great War otherwise known as World War 1.

Meaning, he saw some shit.

It completely fits with his character that he’s suffering from PTSD and is dealing with it through booze.

Also, explains why he’s actually pretty good in a fight or with a gun.

As I fully expected him to be more useless and bumbling idiot. But he’s not.

Much like the bait and switch they pulled with Rick, there’s one with Jonathan too. He seems useless, but he’s actually not. He loves his sister very much and would trek around the desert looking for an ancient city with her. He would put himself on the line and be a distraction while Rick tries to grab Evie.

He can read ancient Egyptian, even if he’s not as well versed as his sister is.

He’s a fully realized person with problems but he contributes to the story and the plot. He’s never the problem or getting in the way of accomplishing goals.

He’s even a good person underneath it all.

Boat was on fire? He dashed to Evie’s room looking for his sister. Then attempted to grab the map and key when she was not there. Which he successfully pickpocketed several times throughout the movie, much to the help of the overall mission.

I really like Jonathan.

Then we have Rick, the main character. I have not seen much of Brendan Fraser’s work beyond Encino Man, George of the Jungle, and the Looney Tunes movie he was in. My girlfriend called this movie a ‘bisexual awakening’ and I thought it was crazy.

Rachel Weisz? For sure. Count me in.

Brenda Fraser? Eh, probably not.

I think bumbling goof, not swoon-worthy leading man.

And his first scene doesn’t dissuade me of the notion, but it doesn’t reenforce it either. He’s brave and fights well. Doesn’t run from a fight and is annoyed at Beni for ditching him.

Then we meet him again. A man who was looking for a good time. Appears to be a jerk of some kind. Asking tit for tat type of thing and stealing an unwanted kiss.

That entire moment sets him up to be an ass. And I thought to myself, oh dear, we’re going to watch her lower her standards for this asshole. He’s not even going to be a person with redeeming qualities.

Then nope.

He’s actually a really good guy, who acted out of character in the moments before he believed he was going to die. Which – fair. He thought these might be his last moments on Earth and while I do not endorse or support his choice, I do understand it. To feel one last positive thing before he’s hung.

I also love his last request and the guy all confusedly looking at his boss, like… do we honor that?

I would have said the same thing in Rick’s position.

From there, we get the real Rick O’Connell. He’s a bit of a scoundrel, not above thievery or a bit of revenge, but he’s not a bad person. Not even a bad guy.

He makes no further moves on Evie, until invited.

He’s kind and caring and even thoughtful to both her and her brother. He takes his charge of her and her brother very seriously. He actively listens when she talks and remembers what she has taught him throughout the movie. Not in a pigheaded manner either, he just uses the knowledge and moves on. He doesn’t stop for praise or be like, look at what I did, I listened to another human being like a person should.

Nope.

He didn’t do it to show off. Just because he was listening to her.

He takes an interest in understanding her. A real interest. One that never feels based in wanting to get in her pants, but because he’s actually intrigued by her. Attracted to more than how she looks. But how she thinks and sees the world.

He’s not interested in being there or any of the treasure. He has come for one simple reason as he tells Beni – Evie saved his life and the deal was to take her to the lost city. Therefore he is.

To keep her safe and guide her.

Which he takes with utter seriousness.

Also, I like that she saves him as well. Maybe not as overtly. But while he’s refilling his weapon, she does tug him out of the way of the bullets. Gets him to stand down from his gunfight with the other searchers because she has another path to what they’re looking for.

Tells him not to fight the Mummy right now, because they’re outnumbered right now.

Evie is all brains to his brawn. Not that he is unintelligent. She’s clearly far more than he is when it comes to books or history, that’s all. But he eclipses her with his own expertise. It all evens out.

As for Evie, she’s such a fun character as one of the main characters. She’s tough as nails, desperate everything about her appearing otherwise. I love that she’s not afraid to be excited that Rick has come to save her. It’s really freaking cute.

But I also love that she full on swiped the book from a sleeping dead just to see it for herself.

I love that Rick loved that about her.

I loved his little comment about the wind doing that a lot in this place.

Evie is girly and tough and strong and sassy. She’s never forced to choose to be one thing or not. She can hold her own in a fight against her own mummy, while she translates a symbol for Jonathan, yet still swoon because the guy, she’s got a crush on has appeared to save her.

This is writing a strong female character without having to tell me. You just show me.

She’s not afraid to disagree with her crush or speak her mind. She’s willing to put everyone to shame and win a race while her brother cheers her on because he respects and loves her too.

Even if he does lie to her on occasion.

Evie isn’t afraid to admit she’s made a mistake by reading from the book. Nor is she afraid to stay and try and fix it. Or go with a mummy who wants to use her as a human sacrifice to buy them more time. Or kiss the crazed mummy to distract him from killing people.

I could probably go on and on about this all day because it is truly a wonderful movie, filled with colorful and unique characters whose flaws define what happens to them.

Rick wants to keep Evie and her brother safe.

And although, everyone should have died, he somehow accomplishes this feat while making faces to suggest he is so over this shit.

Beni gets what’s coming to him because of his own greed. Same as the jailor who came with them. His greed caused his end.

No one listened to Beni or the expert and opened the freaking cursed box.

Evie’s curiosity gets the better of her, and she reads from a book she definitely should not.

The Americans die just as cocky as they lived.

Jonathan just wants his next drink and for his sister not to die.

Everyone has their own goals and personality that define their choices. Some of them shift as the story takes place. For Rick, Evie and her brother become more than a contract or debt owed. He cares for them. He considers Evie the treasure he’s leaving with.

Jonathan wants to be rich but never lets that stop him from doing the right thing or allowing himself to be dragged off before it’s too late.

The three of them sticking together through all of it, defines their outcome together. That things worked out in their favor.

Then there’s Ardeth who dedicated his life to keeping the creature from setting plagues on the world. Though why you would ever enact a curse where they could come back stronger and destroy all of mankind when you hate this person this much is beyond me. Like you’re giving the person you hate a whole lot of power and condemning future humans.

Also, you’re banking a lot on them being able to read your warnings and take them seriously.

Which – they did not.

Even when they came face to face with people who wanted them to leave. I also think Ardeth could have been more specific in his leave or die thing. I’m pretty sure everyone thought he was referring to him, and his people were going to kill them. Everyone felt like they could take them.

Not that saying you’ll awaken an evil mummy and set him loose on the world while he has access to terrible plagues to kill everyone with would have convinced them, but at least you tried everything. Instead of this ominous bullshit. Elaborate Ardeth. Elaborate.

Regardless, I love him and the fact that it truly appears like nothing in the world can kill him.

We don’t even know how he got out. But there he was, chilling on a camel, freaking the hell out of Jonathan.

Love it. No notes. Perfect storytelling. I don’t even want to know how he got out. It makes it all the more mysterious and interesting.

Overall, I love this movie and if you’ve never seen it, you totally should. And if you have, I suggest watching it again. This movie has a lot of rewatch-ability and I love that.

Come back next week for my review of The Mummy Returns – because of course he does.

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