Summary

• The Mummy's blend of action, adventure, horror, and comedy still holds up after 25 years, making it a beloved classic.
• The film's fantastic cast, led by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, solidified it as a fun adventure-horror movie of its time.
• Despite CGI flaws, The Mummy's production quality, deep lore, and compelling story justify its cult following and desire for a fourth film.

The Mummy was first released on May 7, 1999, with many still wondering why a fourth film in the franchise has not been made 25 years later. The first Mummy film was an overwhelming success, forming The Mummy and Scorpion King franchise. Despite the many films being released under the franchise's banner, it is a commonly held belief that The Mummy movies got worse as they went on.

That said, the first movie, 1999's The Mummy, is still a beloved classic of its time. Although The Mummy's various harsh realities make it squarely a product of the 1990s, there is still plenty to love about the film. This has led to much desire for a fourth mainline entry in the franchise, with some theories prompting The Mummy 4 to leave Egypt. However, despite the yearning for a fourth movie, The Mummy 4 has still not happened 25 years after Brendan Fraser's first outing as Rick O'Connell.

Why The Mummy Still Holds Up After 25 Years

The Funny, Dark, Adventurous Journey Of The Mummy Remains A High Point Of The Franchise

A large factor behind the clamor for The Mummy 4 is simply the fact that the first movie still holds up in 2024. 1999's The Mummy has some elements that do not stand the test of time, from the issues around Egyptian representation to the admittedly dated CGI. That said, most of these issues can be excused given the time period in which the film was created, allowing The Mummy's other, more desirable aspects to shine all the brighter. For one, The Mummy expertly balances its disparate tones.

Each of these genres provides a different tone, from the swashbuckling action scenes and globe-trotting adventure moments to the genuinely horrifying scenes of violence wrought by the film's titular antagonist...

As an action, adventure, horror, and comedy movie, The Mummy straddles a total of four genres, five when choosing to include the romance between Fraser's Rick and Rachel Weisz's Evelyn. Each of these genres provides a different tone, from the swashbuckling action scenes and globe-trotting adventure moments to the genuinely horrifying scenes of violence wrought by the film's titular antagonist and the Egyptian mythology he belongs to. All of this blends together in a way that defies belief, all while allowing the still hilarious comedic moments, quips, and banter between the characters to shine through.

Speaking of The Mummy's characters, the film's cast is fantastic. Brendan Fraser solidified himself as an action hero for the ages thanks to his quick wit, comedic delivery, and brilliant performance of the film's action scenes. Weisz matches up to Fraser as Evelyn, despite her character leaving a little to be desired. The cast is rounded off by John Hannah's Jonathan Carnahan, who exceptionally rides the line of comedic relief and supportive sidekick to Rick.

Where The Mummy also succeeds is in its production. Despite some CGI looking dated, a lot of it still holds up to sell the movie's darker moments. This, combined with the amazing practical set work and well-choreographed action sequences, proves The Mummy holds up as a Hollywood blockbuster crafted to a high quality. When adding in other elements like deep lore and mythology, good music, and a compelling treasure-hunting story, The Mummy's somewhat cult following is easy to justify given how well the film holds up 25 years after its debut.

Why The Mummy 4 Hasn't Happened & What The Latest Updates Are

The Mummy 4 Suffered From A Failed Universal Reboot

Concerning why The Mummy 4 has not happened yet, there are a few reasons. For one, The Mummy Returns and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor were not as well-received as the first movie. Both received harsher reviews and were made on higher budgets, meaning their middling box office hauls saw the film franchise stall somewhat. After The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor received a 13% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $400 million worldwide against a $145 million budget, Universal Pictures decided to reboot the Mummy franchise.

In 2017, The Mummy was released, a reboot starring Tom Cruise that was set to kickstart Universal's so-called Dark Universe franchise. The Mummy was just as big a critical and commercial failure as Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, essentially ending the franchise and explaining the lack of The Mummy 4. Similarly, the hiatus in Brendan Fraser's career brought about by physical injuries and mental health problems stemming from his sexual assault allegation against Philip Berk saw The Mummy 4 become an unlikely prospect.

A great deal of Fraser's physical problems came from performing an abundance of stunts in several action movies like The Mummy.

That said, Fraser's career has seen a resurgence of late, with the actor thankfully overcoming the period of depression that caused his break from Hollywood movies. Since then, the actor has been open about returning to The Mummy when asked. In an interview with Deadline shortly after the release of Fraser's critically acclaimed movie The Whale, the actor had this to say about The Mummy 4:

"Gosh, I don’t know any juicy details about it. But it’s kind of an open-ended question for some time now. I’m not opposed to it. I don’t know an actor that doesn’t want a job. I don’t think I’ve been this famous and unsalaried at the same time in my professional life, so sign me up.”

Only a few months before this, Fraser spoke about The Mummy 4 to Variety. Again, Fraser expressed willingness to return as Rick O'Connell. Despite saying he does not know how it would work, Fraser stated he would be open to returning to The Mummy franchise if the right story presented itself.

Why The Mummy 4 Should Still Happen

Several Elements Combine To Mean The Mummy 4 Should Happen

Regardless of the back-and-forth of whether The Mummy 4 will actually happen, it remains the case that it should. As alluded to, the first movie has somewhat of a cult following, and many would love to see those characters and that world return. Secondly, Fraser has become a people's champion due to his mental and physical struggles, and his triumph over the hardships in his life. For this, many would love to see Fraser return as the character who catapulted him into stardom.

Finally, Hollywood has an issue with franchises of late. Critically successful rebooted franchises are increasingly uncommon in Hollywood, meaning many yearn for one that works. Combining that with the incredibly fun franchise of The Mummy, a beloved star like Brendan Fraser, and an iconic comeback 25 years in the making is something the executives of Hollywood should seriously consider.