An entire generation remains enthralled by 1999’s classic adventure The Mummy, which remains one of the most purely entertaining and relentlessly enjoyable blockbusters of the modern era, and we haven’t even mentioned the fact that the majority of the principal cast were responsible for many sexual awakenings, either.
Thanks to one film above all, director Stephen Sommers secured his place in the hearts and minds of fans everywhere, even if he’d already found success prior to The Mummy by helming The Adventures of Huck Finn and The Jungle Book, both of which turned a tidy profit at the box office, while he was also responsible for Deep Rising – the hefty horror flop that wound up becoming a cult classic.
Post-Mummy, the filmmaker would go on to experience mixed levels of success through sequel The Mummy Returns, Hugh Jackman’s monster mash Van Helsing, and live-action Team America adaptation G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. However, he’s only directed one film since 2009, and that was underrated fantasy Odd Thomas nine years ago, so where did he go?
Suffice to say, theorists have been putting forth their explanations, some more plausible than others.
The most recurring sentiment is that Sommers simply got left behind as blockbuster cinema evolved. For a while, he was king of the effects-heavy action epic, but his style soon became outdated in the wake of the superhero boom, with audiences preferring capes and costumes to his preferred style of kitchen sink excess that began to wear out its welcome.
Even if a comeback doesn’t materialize, though, at least we’ll always have The Mummy to revisit.