There have been a ton of movies that have featured mummies over the years. And in that slew of films between the 1932 Boris Karloff classic and the 2017 Tom Cruise one (that no one except for me seemed to like), exists a trilogy of films starring Brendan Fraser. Now, none of these were big critical hits but, the first two were mostly well-received by audiences.
The last of the Brendan Fraser 'Mummy' films came out back in 2008 and because it's been ten years since that series ended, I thought it would be a good time to look back and see if the movies hold up. Also, I'm going to keep this limited to the just the 'Mummy' films, so the 'Scorpion King' spinoff movies will not be included.
What works: Although after rewatching all of these I think it would be hard to argue in favor of any one of the three films being a legitimately great piece of cinema, it's hard to deny that they are a fun bunch of adventure flicks. Brendan Fraser is solid as the likable jerk Rick O'Connell, there is a nice balance of action and comedy, and the supporting cast is (mostly) good. Also, I like the musical score in all of the films, particularly the main themes from the 'The Mummy' and 'The Mummy Returns'.
What doesn't: The CGI effects in these films are really bad. Some will argue that the films came out in 1999, 2001, and 2008 respectively so they don't look great compared to today's standards. However, as someone who saw all of these when they were first released in theaters, a lot of the effects were subpar even for the time. Additionally, each of the three films carries a runtime of about 2hrs and they all feel a bit too long. Like most trilogies, there is one movie that is clearly the weakest of the bunch, and the runt of this litter is 'Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'. It doesn't involve an Egyptian mummy, most of the jokes fall flat, and they weren't able to convince Rachael Weisz to come back, so they just recast Evelyn.
Overall, despite some problems, I still think this is a fun trilogy of films. Are they going to go down in history as all-time classics? No, but if you haven't seen then in a while then they are worth revisiting.
Have a suggestion for a film review? Leave a comment below.
-and-
If you enjoyed this there is, I did another 'Look Back' at the Hellboy films (you can check that out by clicking HERE).
Back in
October of 2016 I ranked the Marvel Cinematic Universe films worst-to-first
based on a variety of factors; story, villain, initial viewing and
rewatchability etc. But most importantly, the list is simply about how much I
enjoyed one film over another. Since then, many movies have been added to the
MCU with each one building on and often changing the impact of previous films.
So, I've updated the rankings which is something I'll be doing after each new
installment.
#23 The
Incredible Hulk (2008)
-This one,
for me, is the most forgettable of the MCU films (Marvel even replaced Norton
with Mark Ruffalo and no one cared). Edward Norton and the rest of the cast are
solid but, the film doesn’t hold up as well as some of the others and the movie
just isn't much fun overall.
#22 Black
Panther (2018)
-This one
was a bit of a letdown for me. Pacing was an issue but, most of all I was just
bored by this film. Also, this movie has some pretty terrible CGI moments.
#21 Iron Man
3 (2013)
-This one is
a bit of a mixed-bag. Initially I didn’t care for it, probably because I had
such high expectations going in, but over time and a few repeat viewings I’ve
found a good number of things I really like in the movie.
#20 Thor:
The Dark World (2013)
-This sequel
to 2011’s ‘Thor’ is a solid movie that just suffers from, what is likely, the
MCU's most forgettable villain. We do get to see more of Asgard in this one,
which is a plus. I rank this one a little higher than most people probably do,
because I do think it's well made and I enjoy it.
#19 Iron Man
2 (2010)
-This movie
isn't bad, Robert Downey Jr. is great, Justin Hammer (played by Sam Rockwell) is one of my favorite MCU characters, and it's actually the film I've seen the
most on this list, but at times it feels like more of a setup for future MCU
films than an Iron Man one. On the plus side, War Machine and Black Widow are
fun additions.
#18
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
-While it is
a really fun action packed movie, it didn't quite live up to my
expectations. I liked the larger roster
of Avengers, but I didn't find Ultron all that menacing and I think the
character was wasted in a one-off story. Who knows, maybe Ultron will return in
the future.
#17 Thor
(2011)
-The film
doesn't start off having the most compelling Marvel hero and it isn't the most
action-packed of the bunch, but it's a solid entry and Chris Hemsworth is
another example of great casting by the folks at Marvel. It's been fun to see
the MCU version of the character grow from kind of obscure to a fan favorite
over the years.
#16 Ant-Man
and the Wasp (2018)
-I
personally think this is a solid follow-up to 2015's Ant-Man. After a little
time and a few repeat viewings I might put it ahead of the original but for now
it's going to sit at the #16 slot.
#15 Captain
Marvel (2019)
-I was
really excited for this one because Captain Marvel has had a few good story
runs in the pages of Marvel Comics over the past few years and, while I liked
the movie, I didn't love it. I had fun in the theater watching it but, The
Guardians movies and Thor: Ragnarok have presented such a fun and vibrant feel
to the MCU's cosmic stories, and this movie's scenes in space felt a bit dull
and generic to me.
#14 Doctor
Strange (2016)
-This one
isn't just entertaining but it's also visually captivating. Doctor Strange was
never one of my favorite Marvel Comics characters, but that didn't hurt my
movie going experience and I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was solid a Stephen Strange.
#13 Ant-Man
(2015)
-I was kind
of surprised by how much I enjoyed this one when I first saw it. It’s a really
fun movie. There is the one big MCU tie-in when Ant-Man comes across Falcon,
but like ‘Iron Man’ the movie is able to stand on its own without relying too
heavily on the rest of the MCU.
# 12
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- It's the
culmination of 10 years worth of Marvel movies and, while that makes it a
satisfying experience for MCU fans, it doesn't really stand on it's own as a
film. There is a good chance that it moves up or down significantly on the list
as subsequent films build on the events of this one.
#11 Captain
America: Civil War (2016)
-There are a
lot things I loved about it and a few things I didn't, but overall it's really
entertaining. I would've liked to rank it higher, but there just wasn't enough
to put it ahead of the others.
#10
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
-Overall,
this is a really good Spider-Man movie. I didn't like it as much as Spider-Man:
Homecoming (at least after just one veiwing) but, I had fun with this one.
There is some fun action, a few good laughs, and some great character moments.
#9 Guardians
of the Galaxy (2014)
-Just
because it’s #9 doesn’t make it a bad movie. The characters are likeable, and
the story is interesting. The biggest flaw is that Ronan the Accuser is an
underwhelming villain that felt like nothing more than a place holder until a
future Guardians film.
#8 Avengers:
Endgame (2019)
-The film is
packed full of fan-service and fun moments. The narrative, pacing, and
structure aren't the strongest of the bunch and the 3 hour runtime does affect
it's rewatchability but, I still really enjoyed it.
#7 Thor:
Ragnarok (2017)
-It was time
for Marvel to do something different with Thor and the Hulk, and in this
action-comedy I think they knocked it out of park. This is easily my favorite
of the 'Thor' films, I found it to be an absolute joy and it holds up to repeat
viewings which is not something I say about several of these films.
#6 Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
-I like the
first 'Guardians of the Galaxy' film but it does have it's flaws and, while
this one isn't perfect either, I did really enjoy it. It's a fun, very funny
film with the characters you love from the first one, plus it has Kurt Russell.
I definitely recommend it
#5 Captain
America: The First Avenger (2011)
-I probably
like this one more than most people. I think it's a really fun and well done movie,
especially since origin stories so often end up being a little boring.
#4
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
-Spider-Man's
first solo film in the MCU was exactly what I hoped it would be. A fun, action
packed film with a Peter Parker who actually looks like a high school student.
The Sam Rami trilogy was pretty good overall. The Amazing Spider-Man films had
their moments. This is the Spider-Man I think most of us wanted all along.
#3 The
Avengers (2012)
-There was
nothing quite like seeing Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Black Widow, and
Hawkeye all fighting alongside one another for the first time on the big
screen. When the heroes are standing in a circle, battle-ready, and the
Avengers theme kicks in... it's still one of the coolest MCU moments and
resulted in the biggest cheer I have ever heard in a cinema.
#2 Captain
America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
-This almost
made the #1 spot. It’s an action packed thriller, and one of the all-time best
comic book movies. Simply a great addition to the MCU.
#1 Iron Man
(2008)
-The film
that started it all still holds up as my favorite. The plot isn't overly complicated,
you can enjoy it for exactly what it is without the need to see any of the
other films beforehand, and Robert Downey Jr. is excellent as Tony Stark. I
still remember walking out of the theater thinking "Man, I hope they make
another one of these..." I could've never imagined at the time that the
MCU would become this big.
How do you
rank the MCU films?
Leave it in
the comments below.
I post
reviews of new and classic films all the time, so check back regularly or
follow me on Twitter @jfrey87 for links to new content.
