‘The Mummy’ (1999) Is #1 on Peacock and A Classic Resurrected
The Mummy (1999’s Version) has risen from the tomb to claim the #1 spot on Peacock’s streaming charts in this our year 2025. The Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz horror-adventure classic remains one of the most beloved blockbusters of its era — and it’s proving more popular than ever as it’s resurrected for a new generation.
But, boy oh boy, a lot has gone wrong in the world of Universal Monsters since then.
Let’s talk Dark Universe, shall we?
Officially announced back in 2014, Universal’s Dark Universe launched with Dracula Untold. A project meant to capitalize on the Marvel-ization of film, the plan was to bring all of Universal’s classic monsters together in one universe. By now, most of you know how that went. Monumental failure after monumental failure. The Tom Cruise Mummy, anyone? Ten years of embarrassing memes later, and the studio has settled for a Dark Universe expansion of their theme parks. So, there’s that, I suppose.
The scariest piece of any of the attempts is the fact that the blueprint for a perfect Universal monster movie sat right there staring them in the face. Because in 1999, Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy released to massive box office and critical success. It set the bar for what the Dark Universe could and has continued to fail to be. Fans seem to agree, since it’s the most watched film on Peacock this week.
The Mummy (1999)
Based on Universal’s The Mummy (1932), Sommers’ action-packed remake sees Rick (Brendan Fraser), an American serving in the French Foreign Legion, discover the location of the ancient Egyptian city of Hamunaptra. Archaeologist siblings Evie (Rachel Weisz) and Jonathan (John Hannah) enlist him to take them there. Upon arrival, they and a team of Americans accidentally awaken a mummy named Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) with apocalyptic powers. He plans on resurrecting his long-lost love…no matter how many people he must destroy to do it.
A Horror Adventure Film for the Ages
The Mummy rose from the tomb during an era that I miss tremendously…that of the horror blockbuster. Of course, we still get the occasional big-budget genre film today, but the 90s were different. Deep Blue Sea…Coppola’s Dracula…Jurassic Park (yes, it’s horror). One titanic film after another that saw studios betting big on horror. The Mummy represents everything that was great about the genre at the time.
Sommer’s Mummy combines elements of Indiana Jones with gothic horror to make for a swashbuckling adventure filled with scares, spectacle, laughs and starry-eyed romance. From engaging characters to jaw-dropping set pieces, the film has a charismatic heart that has cemented it as one of the most beloved movies of the 90s. For many, Evie and Rick remain relationship goals, an iconic couple in a story about the lengths we go to for true love. While not a part of Universal’s Dark Universe, The Mummy set the template for what was possible. But none of the Dark Universe films managed to capture the adventurous spirit that has kept Sommers’ film alive for decades.
Dread’s own Chad Collins described The Mummy as, “A combination of the family adventure that made films like Indiana Jones or Star Wars so popular, and the gothic horror of Universal’s monster movies that to this day still inspire wide-eyed gasps and skin-prickling terror, Sommers’ film delivers on the very best of what movies can be”.
If you have yet to dig up The Mummy and experience the film’s magic, now’s the time with it topping the charts on Peacock. Prepare to fall in love with this Universal classic…as well as mourn once again what the Dark Universe fumbled. The way forward was right there wrapped in a perfectly bandaged package.
Categorized: News
