Erick Avari wears a suit and looks off camera in The MummyImage via Universal Pictures
The ‘90s were filled with movies that we can now look back on years later and plant a well-deserved chef’s kiss. From horror franchise starters like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer to perfect rom-coms like Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You and iconic dramas such as Forrest Gump and Fargo, the decade was the cinematic gift that kept on giving. No genre was hurting for top tier content and the world of action was no different. After all, where would we be as a species had Michael Bay not taken us to space in Armageddon or Brian De Palma and Tom Cruise not pushed the boundaries of stunt performance with Mission: Impossible?
And, while Hollywood has always been interested in revisiting fan-favorite IP and giving new directors a swing at already established universes, an original idea didn’t seem as hard to come by then as it is now. That’s why, at the top of our ’90s action pyramid (pun intended) is The Mummy, a little old favorite by helmer Stephen Sommers. Taking a page from what previously worked for Universal all the way back in 1932, Sommers revamped the screenplay, tossing in plenty of quippy one-liners along the way, and helped get the adventure-centered storyline’s heart beating once again. There, to ensure the comedy landed with audiences and that they connected with the romance unfolding throughout the tale, were the title’s leads, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, who undoubtedly pushed the project from success to mega-hit.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
‘The Mummy’ Returns — To the Top 10
Although it’s been nearly 30 years since The Mummy first raised hell on screens, its curse (of luck) continues to hold onto audiences as the title is currently in the seventh spot on HBO Max’s Top 10 in the U.S. There are many reasons why now is the time that viewers are returning their attention to the film. For starters, Warner Bros. Pictures recently released the story’s latest adaptation — albeit in a much more horror adjacent way — via Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. Additionally, the hype has been building on what will serve as the fourth film in the franchise first started by Sommers’ 1999 blockbuster, which will see Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett take over the reins as directors with both Fraser and Weisz on board to reprise their roles.
Whatever the reason behind the rejuvenation of interest in the cinematic classic that is 1999’s The Mummy, we’re happy fans are seeking comfort in one of the best of the decade. If you live in the U.S., head over to HBO Max now to stream one of the genre’s very best.
