When I really like a movie, I usually end up picking up it up on DVD. Before I had a DVD player, I did have several movies on VHS, though I did get to the point where I stopped getting movies in that version because I knew I eventually wanted a DVD player. The first movie that I actually got on DVD was the 1999 version of The Mummy.

The movie began by showing some things that took place in ancient Egypt with a voice over explaining certain things. In Thebes, Imhotep was a high priest to Pharaoh Seti I. He was in love with Anck Su Namun, the Pharaoh’s mistress. Things did not go well and Anck Su Namun chose to kill herself knowing that Imhotep would be able to bring her back from the dead. He attempted to do that in Hamunaptra, the city of the dead, but was stopped by the Pharaoh’s bodyguards. They performed an ancient curse on Imhotep.

In 1923, Rick O’Connell found himself in Hamunaptra with his army unit. He ended up running off into the desert alone. He eventually ended up in a prison in Cairo where he first met Evelyn, a librarian who was very interested in ancient Egypt, and her brother Jonathan. Evie had discovered a map in an artifact that Jonathan claimed to have won in a poker game from Rick. Evie got Rick to agree to take her and Jonathan to Hamunaptra if she got him out of the jail. After they set off on their journey, they discovered that a group of men from America were also heading to Hamunaptra. Once there, the Americans discovered some artifacts, including the book of the dead while Rick, Evie, and Jonathan discovered a mummy. Evie managed to borrow the book and read from it, bringing Imhotep back to life. He was still focused on bringing Anck Su Namun back to life and decided that Evie would be perfect to sacrifice for that purpose.

It did take a little while for everything to get set up in The Mummy. The first several minutes were set in ancient Egypt. That introduced Imhotep and explained what had happened to him and Anck Su Namun. Then some time was taken to show Rick in Hamunaptra, which set up his being able to take Evie and Jonathan there. Once Evie was introduced, the movie was mainly focused on how she and her brother wanted to find Hamunaptra for different reasons and what they had to do once Imhotep was brought back to life. I didn’t feel like the movie was too complicated even though there was a lot going on.

When The Mummy first came out, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it because the trailers I saw that time made it seem like the movie would be really scary and creepy. I did eventually rent the movie and ended up really enjoying it. I don’t think the movie was scary in any way, though certain things going on might scare younger children. There was a little bit of suspense in a few scenes without making the movie really suspenseful overall. I still thought that the plot was interesting and made for a fun, entertaining adventure movie. Humor was added throughout the movie with things that characters said and did. Jonathan added a lot of the humor with the ways he reacted to different things.

Several fights took place throughout The Mummy, with most involving Rick in some way. He did fight several mummies and other undead creatures that made for some interesting action scenes. Guns and other weapons were used throughout the movie without making things excessively violent. I didn’t think what violence there was in the movie was graphic. At one point it seemed like something kind of graphic was going to be shown. That thing wasn’t shown on camera, though it was made clear what happened.

Much of what was going on throughout The Mummy wasn’t exactly realistic. Because of that, people need to be able to suspend their disbelief to fully enjoy the movie. Those things could come across as silly to some viewers. Imhotep as well as his mummified priests all came back to life and were powerful fighters. I enjoyed that aspect of the movie, but it probably won’t appeal to everyone. A lot of special effects were used throughout the movie, especially for the different looks of Imhotep and certain things he did. Some of those effects look slightly dated now, but I do think they were well done.

Imhotep was willing to go to great lengths to bring Anck Su Namun back to life which resulted in him being cursed. Once Evie accidently brought him back, he was still determined to resurrect Anck Su Namun so they could finally be together. His determination to do that drove everything he was doing, and that did add just a bit of romance. It was clear that there was some chemistry between Rick and Evie, though that wasn’t a focus of the movie.

Imhotep was a high priest in ancient Egypt who betrayed Pharaoh Seti I by starting a relationship with Anck Su Namun. Once he was brought back to life, he was evil and very powerful. He was not someone you wanted after you. Arnold Vosloo handled the part well and made a good villain. Anck Su Namun was only in a few minutes at the beginning of the movie, so Patricia Velasquez didn’t have much to do other than walk around basically naked.

Rick and Evie really had the most to do throughout the movie, though they still weren’t as developed as they could have been. Rick sort of knew what to expect at Hamunaptra and he was more prepared than any of the others. He managed to stay calm in some rather extreme situations. I did like Brendan Fraser in the part. Evie was a very intelligent woman who was interested in the history of Egypt. She wanted to do work at archeology sites, but wasn’t taken seriously. She did need to be rescued once or twice, but she was also able to take care of herself as well. I did like Rachel Weisz in the part.

Jonathan was around through most of the movie, mostly to provide some comic relief. He wanted to go to Hamunaptra because he had visions of the treasure that was supposed to be there. He was more interested in getting rich. John Hannah was perfect in the part. Beni was a kind of weasel who had been at Hamunaptra with Rick originally. Beni was willing to do anything to protect himself. He was not a nice guy. Kevin J. O’Connor played the part well. The Americans who were also in Hamunaptra were around without being developed or having much to do other than try to find treasure. Ardeth Bay was a descendant of one of the original bodyguards who had been working to keep Imhotep from returning. He ended up working with Rick and Evie.

Main Cast

Oded Fehr - Ardeth Bay
Brendan Fraser - Rick O’Connell
John Hannah - Jonathan
Kevin J. O’Connor - Beni
Patricia Velasquez - Anck Su Namun
Rachel Weisz - Evelyn

Stephen Sommers - Director

DVD Information

There are widescreen and full screen DVDs of The Mummy available. When I first got the DVD, I didn’t realize that there were two different versions and I ended up with the full screen version. In some scenes, entire characters were missing and that really annoyed me. I found the widescreen version of the movie on sale for about $5 and picked it up, so yes, I have both versions. The extras are the same on both. There was also a deluxe edition version released at one point that I believe was supposed to have more extras.

Building a Better Mummy was a featurette that shared a lot of information on the making of the movie. There was a commentary that I haven’t listened to. There was something else that was more focused on the visual and special effects used throughout the movie. I really enjoyed that and the featurette on the making of the movie. Egyptology 101 shared a lot of information about mummification and the Egyptian gods. There were a few deleted scenes, trailers, a game, electronic postcards and two screensavers.

The Mummy was a fun adventure movie that I still enjoy watching. Some things that happened were a bit silly, but they still worked overall with everything that was going on.

The Mummy ~ The Mummy Returns~ The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ~


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older