The Mummy (1999)

Director:

Stephen Sommers

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Sommers (screen story) and
Lloyd Fonvielle (screen story) ...

Release Date:

7 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The sands will rise. The heavens will part. The power will be unleashed.

Plot:

An American serving in the French Foreign Legion on an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Hamunaptra accidentally awakens a Mummy.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Mistress | Mummy | Curse | Tomb

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Brendan Fraser	...	Richard 'Rick' O'Connell
Rachel Weisz	...	Evelyn Carnahan
John Hannah	...	Jonathan Carnahan
Arnold Vosloo	...	High Priest Imhotep
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Beni Gabor
Oded Fehr	...	Ardeth Bay
Jonathan Hyde	...	Dr. Allen Chamberlain
Erick Avari	...	Dr. Terrence Bey
Bernard Fox	...	Captain Winston Havlock
Stephen Dunham	...	Mr. Henderson
Corey Johnson	...	Mr. Daniels
Tuc Watkins	...	Mr. Burns
Omid Djalili	...	Warden Gad Hassan
Aharon Ipalé	...	Pharaoh Seti I
Patricia Velasquez	...	Anck Su Namun

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for pervasive adventure violence and some partial nudity.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Iceland:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 (re-rating) | Finland:K-14 (original rating) | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 (cut) | UK:15 (DVD) (uncut version) | USA:PG-13 | Greece:K-13

Filming Locations:

Ait Benhaddou, Morocco

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The scene of the Cairo Prison was shot on the very first day of filming in Marrakesh.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: At the time, regular air travel consisted mainly of mail routes, which would have little reason to fly over (and thus see) the city of the dead.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ardeth Bay: [narrating] Thebes, City of the Living. Crown jewel of Pharaoh Seti the First. Home of Imhotep, Pharaoh's high priest, keeper of the dead. Birthplace of Anck Su Namun, Pharaoh's mistress. No other man was allowed to touch her. But for their love, they were willing to risk life itself.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Hebrew Hammer (2003)

Soundtrack:

'Al Nahla Al 'Ali (The Tall Palm Tree)

Bit Overlong, But Still The Word Is 'Fun'

It seems like a long time ago when this came out, but I remember it being the first DVD I had ever bought sight unseen, meaning I had never seen the film in the theater. I was pleased. I got what I had hoped for: a fun, special-effects extravaganza.

In fact, if you read a number of reviews, you see the word "fun" more than anything. That best describes this film.

This was an Indiana Jones-Jason And The Argonauts combination adventure story. It's cartoon-like in nature with an absurd swashbuckling hero, outlandish action scenes and the occult theology that filmmakers love so much. (The Mummy has God-like powers, even producing Old Testament plagues.)

However, the film isn't all good news. It's too long by about 10-15 minutes and there is simply too much action and too much noise. The film needs more lulls.

Brendan Fraser is pretty good as the Indiana Jones figure and Rachel Weisz, a new face at the time, makes a solid impression in her debut. The DVD offered a sharp picture which highlighted a number of jaw-dropping scenes. It's pure escapist fun and not meant to be anything else.