The Mummy (Movie)

The Mummy (1999) - copyrights: Universal Studios

When you want to see a good movie, which elements you want to find? Action? Adventure? Comedy? Or maybe a bit of mystery and thrilling? For me, the best movies unite all these elements (and sometimes some more) in one good story played by great characters. One example of this type of movie, and one of my favorites, is called The Mummy.

The Mummy, released in 1999, is an epic motion picture. Full of Egyptian references, it is a great combination of action and adventure with refined humor and thrilling moments. Besides the interesting story, The Mummy has charismatic characters, a very good soundtrack, and an amazing Egyptian atmosphere full of mystery and magic.

The Mummy - Theatrical release poster

 Starting in the ancient Egypt, 1290 BC, the movie shows the story of the main antagonist: Imhotep (played by Arnold Vosloo), a high priest of Pharaoh Seti I. When the Pharaoh finds out that the priest had a love affair with his mistress Anck-su-Namun, the couple kills Seti I. Before being captured, the mistress committed suicide, in order to allow Imhotep performs her resurrection in Hamunaptra, the city of the dead. However, the priest ritual is stopped by the Medjai, the Pharaoh bodyguards.

Due to his serious crimes, Imhotep is sentenced to death through the Hom Dai, the worst Egyptian curse. It consists of being mummified alive and buried in a sarcophagus full of flesh-eating scarab beetles. The Medjai would always watch over the coffin, because if the priest was released, he would bring destruction to the world. Obviously, we all know that the mummy will be released (and defeated) in some moment. Leaving it aside, the gorgeous visual effects and the good narrative are able to introduce the public to the ancient Egypt “universe”.

The desert footage are beautiful, both in the "past" or the in "present" scenes

This little story is told in the beginning of the film. Right after this introduction, we return to the “present”, first in 1923 and then in 1926, where we meet the main protagonist: Rick O’Connel (brilliantly played by Brendan Fraser), an American that already visited the ruins of Hamunaptra, during his fights for the French Foreign Legion. O’Connel makes a deal with Evelyn Carnahan (charmingly played by Rachel Weisz), an Egyptologist eager to find more about the city of the dead. Together with her party, also composed by her brother Jonathan (played by John Hannah), they head to Hamunaptra guided by the American.

Rick, Evelyn and Jonathan in exploration

After having a competition with another group of explorers, also trying to find the lost city, they (obviously) release the priest mummy. Imhotep, released from the Egyptian curse, acquired many supernatural powers, and must be stopped at any cost by O’Connel, the Carnahan’s and the Medjai, who now aims to protect the entire world. Although the plot is sometimes predictable, the story flows nicely, with a good mix of funny and exciting moments. I am a fan of Egyptian culture, and it is amazing to see hieroglyphs, pyramids chambers and all sort of ancient materials and locations.

There are many treasures in Hamunaptra (if you ignore the mummies...)

One of the movie highlights, besides the good story, is the interaction between the characters. Rick and Evelyn “Evie” form an interesting couple: he as a man of action and reason, and she is an impulsive, yet intelligent woman. It is funny to see then argue about what to do next, or when they try to show up the interest in each other. Jonathan is the comical relief of the movie, creating instant jokes with all the cast. Vosloo is also very competent, playing the arrogant and scary mummy. Actually, sometimes, it is even possible to sympathize a bit with Imhotep, as his major objective is to revive his lover (although he wants to destroy the world in the process...)

Imhotep, before he fully recovered his body

On the other hand, one of The Mummy problems is the extent of Imhotep supernatural powers. In one moment, he creates a gigantic sandstorm, but in other, he is not able to defeat a single man in direct combat. When you realize this fact, some scenes may look weird. Another possible con is the fast pace action. The Mummy runs fast in some moments, which requires extra attention to not lose anything. Probably, it is because the movie has many things to show.

Even so, these many things are what make The Mummy a special movie. The well-planned jokes, the action scenes such as the airplane chase and the ship shooting, the exploration of ancient tombs and ruins, and the amazing desert footage are examples of great moments of the movie. It has some minor problems, but one fact prevails: the fun is everywhere, disguised in many different forms.

The airplane chase by the "mummy sandstorm" is fantastic

The Mummy is an enjoyable movie, combining action, comedy and horror in a great story through the ancient Egypt mysteries. Even if some of the “historical facts” are fictional, you could bet that everything really happened, thanks to the competent plot, visual effects and beautiful locations. The story is exciting, and the cast fitted like a glove in all the characters. Never a mummy movie was so funny and scary, with an almost perfect balance of these so different genres.