Letâs talk about The Mummy (1999)
Someone was talking at me yesterday about this movie and I was getting riled so I decided to go full rant. Specifically in regards to the feminist podcast that slammed it.
I donât even remember which podcast it was, but I am still rankled and baffled that any âfeminism in moviesâ podcast could jump to anything but âthis movie is phenomenal.â
First of all, even just discussing the overall quality: sure, it might not have been groundbreaking with its cgi or plot twists. But back in the 90s, that wasnât the standard of measure like it is now (and even now is a shitty standard that needs to die). This movie was light and funny and yet hit all the right beats to maintain the dire stakes needed to make it a compelling action flick.
Its characters are fully realized and entirely distinct from each other. Even those treated with a broader brush, such as the Americans, were charismatic enough that we were fully invested in their fate. The entire cast of characters were real people with real impact and real agency.
The script is quotable and fucking hilarious. There are gems from literally every single character. Rick and Evie have actual chemistry, aided by Rachel Weiszâs natural magnetism and Brendan Frasierâs career-long knack for acting utterly charmed with his female costars.
Actually, letâs talk about Rick O'Connell for a second. This is peak 90s Brendan Frasier. He is absolutely GORGEOUS, suave, and cool, rugged and handsome. He is the epitome of the 1920s adventure hero. Dear god I want to kiss those casting directors. But for all his general peak masculinity? Heâs feminist as fuck. He is equally dumbstruck by Evie as she is by him, and itâs wholly evident that itâs more than a âoh no sheâs hotâ thing.
He steals her some tools to dig with. This gift demonstrates that he a) has identified her passion for archaeology, b) has recognized her proficiency in the field, despite it not being explicitly stated on screen, and c) sees a chance to restore her full and active participation in the discovery of Hamunaptra.
There is never a moment where Rick assumes to be the leader of the expedition. He is the weapons expert, the muscleâand he knows it. Better than that, heâs totally okay with it. He follows Evieâs lead in all things.
Another favorite moment of mine is when theyâre facing off with the American team on Day 1, and Evie realizes thereâs a chamber underneath Anubis they could use to excavate the statue. She puts her hand on Rickâs arm, looks him in the eye, and says very deliberately âthere are other places to dig.â And he yields, instantly.
By comparison, see the way the Americans treat their workers and guide.
Does he groan about his work being made exponentially harder as a result? Nope. And thatâs a recurring theme in his behavior the entire goddamn movie. The only time he is in charge is when a situation is in his wheelhouseâ namely, combat and rescue. And it deserves mentioning that the majority of the time that heâs in charge, Evie is not present.
Meanwhile, Evieâ her adventurerâs spirit chafing in an academia that dismisses her for her genderâ is an absolute marvel. She is visually coded as being very feminine (sheâs in dresses and long hair most of the film), but that fact in no way detracts from her competence and agency.
She is consistently protrayed as a fully capable expert in egyptology and there is never a single moment where she waffles on what to do. Even when sheâs the damsel in distress, she actively makes the choice to be so because she weighs the potential outcomes and decides doing so provides their best chance of success.
Evie is never the passive victim. She is constantly brash, constantly scheming, and saves the lives of her would-be rescuers mid-abduction. And when her brother (who is the failure of the family, against type) needs help with translation, she correctly translates for him while being throttled by a mummified priestess.
When I first saw this film, I was too young to realize how novel it was. Back then, all I knew was that it was just a good time. But now as an adultâ an adult acutely aware of the treatment female characters have gotten in the twenty years sinceâ I marvel at the respect with which the writers and directors treated Evie.
I marvel at how tender Rick was allowed to be, despite his rugged adventurer archetype.
The Mummy (1999) is peak storytelling. It doesnât try to outsmart the audience, but rather lays out a consistent, coherent narrative that gives the characters and viewers room to breathe. It invests the audience enough to care whether the characters succeed in their goals.
The Mummy (1999) does it right. Itâs the reason that any talk of the Tom Cruise version gets an immediate eyeroll from me, because whatever modern grimdark grit they shove into a story about a mummy cannot compare to the reliable and timeless entertainment of the 1999 adaptation.
All modern media should aspire to be the kind of film that The Mummy (1999) is.
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