The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $400 million worldwide and spawning two sequels.
A thrilling fusion of horror, adventure, and humor was unleashed by Universal Pictures in 1999, capturing the attention of viewers all around the world. “The Mummy,” starring Brendan Fraser, not only became a massive hit but also spawned two sequels and a spinoff franchise featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
As fans continue to reminisce about the original film’s greatness, Fraser recently shed light on a crucial factor that contributed to its success: the director’s unfiltered advice given to the cast before every take. Although Fraser’s star power had been rising, the release of “The Mummy” marked the moment when he fully burst onto the Hollywood scene.
Many fans consider the “Mummy” series featuring Fraser to be the definitive telling of the story, despite prior attempts to do so in the film industry, such as the 1932 version. Three explorers—Rick (played by Fraser), Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), and Jonathan (John Hannah)—enter into an excavation in the ancient Egyptian “City of the Dead” known as Hamunaptra.
During their excavation, the group unintentionally revives a wicked mummy, setting off intense battles and surprising hilarity. The film’s unusual combination of humor and intense action won the audience’s hearts. The producers did not skimp on the spectacular effects, which were compelling, and the use of realistic objects, such as actual rats running over Weisz, in a memorable sequence.
The process of filming “The Mummy” proved to be an adventure in and of itself, fraught with dangers, including blazing desert heat, the possibility of dehydration, and encounters with scorpions. For safety concerns, the production was based in Morocco, but the dangers were such that director Stephen Sommers decided to get abduction insurance. Fraser, however, recently acknowledged in a GQ interview that Sommers’ direction was the natural source of risk-taking on set.
Fraser humorously recalled the cast’s thoughts on Sommers: “‘Will we survive Stephen Sommers.’ One of his favorite directions he’d give was … ‘Ready … and … don’t suck! Action!’ through a bullhorn.” Despite the director’s no-nonsense approach, Fraser expressed admiration for Sommers’ passion and dedication to his craft. “Stephen just loves making movies. He loved his job. His enthusiasm is infectious. I loved making that movie,” Fraser fondly stated.
Two well-received sequels to “The Mummy” were produced as a result of its enormous popularity: “The Mummy Returns” in 2001 and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” in 2008. According to Yahoo!, the trilogy earned about $1.2 billion in total.
Profiting on the franchise’s popularity, Tom Cruise and Universal Pictures developed a relaunch of the series in 2017. However, the movie fell short of capturing the same charm and was widely panned by critics and fans, negatively impacting how well it did at the box office.
Fraser explained why the reboot fell short, emphasizing the crucial missing ingredient. He told Variety, “The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in [Cruise’s] film, was fun. That was what was lacking in that incarnation. It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie. The Mummy should be a thrill ride but not terrifying and scary. I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times.”
In the end, Sommers’ risk-taking direction, the genre-defying character of the movie, and the pure fun they provided to moviegoers were the critical factors in the success of the “Mummy” movies starring Brendan Fraser. The actor and the rest of the cast followed Sommers’ advice to “don’t suck” to heart, resulting in standout performances and a lasting legacy for the franchise.
