Movie Monday January 23: The Mummy (1999)

My pick for this week is no surprise, The Mummy (1999). It’s the movie that rebooted a classic Universal Monster, adding more action and romance to the original storyline. It also started my love for actor Brendan Fraser, who is currently going through what some have called his “Brenaisssance”, as well as continued my love for all things ancient Egyptian. 

**Warning, mild spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the movie yet, what are you doing?**

In ancient Thebes, priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) is caught having an affair with Anck-su-namun, the mistress of Pharaoh Seti I. They murder Seti and Anck-su-namun is killed. Imhotep vows to raise her from the dead and travels to Hamunaptra, the city of the dead. Before he can, he is stopped by the Medjai, Seti’s bodyguards, and buried alive.

In 1926 Cairo, Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), an intelligent but clumsy aspiring Egyptologist, longs to put her knowledge to practical use. She seizes an opportunity when her brother Jonathan (John Hannah) shows her a box and map that may lead to the lost Hamunaptra. He also tells her he stole it from an American, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), who once discovered the city when he was a soldier in the French Foreign Legion. After rescuing him from prison, Evelyn makes a deal with him to lead them to Hamunaptra. On the way they encounter a rival group of American archeologists and adventurers, led by Rick’s old acquaintance Beni (Kevin J. O’Connor), as well as modern Medjai bent on stopping them from reaching the city. Still, both groups find Hamunaptra. While Evelyn searches for the Book of Amun-Ra, she finds Imhotep’s remains. The Americans find the Book of the Dead, as well as canopic jars of Anck-su-namun. When Evelyn accidentally reads aloud from the book, she awakes Imhotep. Everyone returns to Cairo, including Imhotep. He regenerates his body by killing the American party, with help from Beni, and curses Egypt with ten plagues. Rick, Evelyn, Jonathan, and Medjai leader Ardeth (Oded Fehr) figure out that Imhotep wants to resurrect Anck-su-namun by sacrificing Evelyn. They also figure out that the Book of Amun-Ra, still somewhere in Hamunaptra, can kill him. Evelyn agrees to go with Imhotep in order to save everyone else. She returns to Hamunaptra with Imhotep and Beni, followed by the others. They are able to find the book and defeat Imhotep, as well as take some of the city’s lost riches with them.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen The Mummy. It’s a classic that’s able to blend action, horror, and romance into an engaging storyline. As I mentioned before, I love ancient Egypt, and while this isn’t the most accurate movie historically, it makes history interesting. This may be where my obsession with ancient cultures began. 

All of the performances are fantastic, from leading man Brendan Fraser to Patricia Velásquez’s Anck-su-namun. I especially love the chemistry between Fraser and Rachel Weisz. The way their relationship evolved felt natural, not some rushed damsel-in-distress and her savior. Evelyn is also an amazing character. She’s arguably the smartest, brave for being inexperienced in the field, and selfless. She doesn’t cower away while the men solve all the problems. John Hannah’s Jonathan is also an unexpectedly well-rounded character. He’s definitely the comedic relief of the movie, but he’s also smart and brave when he wants to be. He also has amazing on screen chemistry with both Fraser and Weisz.

There is so much I could say about the sets and costumes and CGI. I could talk about how the lore from the original is expanded. I could go on and on, but instead I encourage you to watch or, let’s be honest, rewatch The Mummy. And if you have Hulu, you can go ahead and watch all three.

One moment I loved:

It’s hard to pick, but one of my favorites is when we’re first introduced to Jonathan. While Evelyn is alone in the museum, she follows a strange noise only to find her brother when he pops out of a sarcophagus. It tells you so much about his character and their relationship in just a few seconds. It’s also the first of many jump scares, though this one is much more humorous.

I’d give The Mummy 8 flesh-eating scarabs out of 10.