🌰 the mummy - a movie review

Note: This review makes it easy to avoid spoilers.

Watch this movie if you’re looking for a light-hearted, well-constructed adventure movie with fun characters and fantasy elements.

Skip for now if you’re looking for deeper commentary on racism and the colonialist approach of historical archeology.

I can see why Tumblr is obsessed with this movie. It’s a fun, well-constructed adventure fantasy with fun characters, a tight plot, good visuals, and strong acting. All action movies should use this as a model, there’s nothing sloppy about its construction.

What Worked

• The main characters are all great fun. This genre isn’t one that requires complex characters, but The Mummy straddles the line well: the characters suit the genre while remaining well-rounded and interesting.
• fun, great main characters, great (meaning fun/artistic) use of CGI & effects hold up, well-written, Evy actually does stuff

What Didn’t

While it criticizes how white people treat the locals as disposable & kinda critiques looting, it falls into the same traps itself:

• The one Egyptian member of the protagonist party is the butt of jokes & the protagonists make fun of him.
• spoiler

  It didn't make sense for Evy's boss to sacrifice himself.

Other Thoughts

• Interesting how at the beginning of the movie, you’re sympathetic to the mummy. But the rest of the characters never understand that.
  • spoiler

    Low-key I was thinking they could have made him mortal and sacrificed Benny to bring the girlfriend back lol. I think if the movie were made today, that's how it would have gone. Benny "accidentally" gets sacrificed.
  • And maybe that’s a worse/flatter movie, in the end? It would suggest that the ends justify the means/that the world always works out “just right”.

Info:

• Related to:
  • 🌱 the royal hotel - a movie review
  • 🌰 Sammy Keyes - a book review
  • 🌰 excavations - a book review
  • 🌰 poor things - a movie review
  • 🌰 wedding people - a book review
  • 🌱 minari - movie thoughts

---

Want to comment? Write your response anywhere (e.g. Twitter, your blog, etc). Make sure to include a link to this post. Then paste the URL below and hit submit to send it my way!

Don't want to do that? @ me on twitter or mastodon

Every post on this blog is a work in progress. Phrasing may be less than ideal, ideas may not yet be fully thought through. Thank you for watching me grow.