The Mummy (1999)
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The story
In 1926, a librarian and her brother seek the lost city of Hamunaptra to find the golden Book of Amun-Ra. They enlist the help of Rick O'Connell, a former soldier and treasure hunter. While competing against a rival expedition, the group enters the ruins and accidentally awakens Imhotep, a cursed high priest with supernatural powers. After the awakening, the group must flee the site as Imhotep begins to exert his influence, leading them on a desperate journey to find a way to stop him before he can complete his dark purpose.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1290 BC, the high priest Imhotep is cursed and buried alive after a failed attempt to resurrect his mistress. In 1926, librarian Evelyn Carnahan and her brother Jonathan seek the city of Hamunaptra to find the Book of Amun-Ra. They hire Rick O'Connell, a treasure hunter, to guide them. They compete against an American expedition and are warned by the Medjai, but they ignore the warnings and enter the ruins. Evelyn accidentally awakens Imhotep by reading from the Book of the Dead. Imhotep follows them to Cairo, where he unleashes plagues and begins to regain his power. The group learns Imhotep intends to use Evelyn as a sacrifice to resurrect Anck-su-namun. They flee to Hamunaptra, where Rick and Jonathan find the Book of Amun-Ra. Rick frees Evelyn while Jonathan uses the book to control guards. Evelyn uses the book to make Imhotep mortal, and Rick stabs him, causing him to decompose. The group escapes as the city collapses, while the rival explorer Beni Gabor is consumed by scarabs.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Arabic; Egyptian
- Directors
- Stephen Sommers
- Writers
- Stephen Sommers · screenplay; Stephen Sommers · story; Lloyd Fonvielle · story; Kevin Jarre · story
- Cast and characters
- Brendan Fraser · Rick O'Connell; Rachel Weisz · Evelyn Carnahan; John Hannah · Jonathan Carnahan; Arnold Vosloo · Imhotep; Kevin J. O'Connor · Beni Gabor; Jonathan Hyde · Dr. Allen Chamberlain; Oded Fehr · Ardeth Bay; Erick Avari · Dr. Terence Bey
- Genres
- action; adventure; fantasy
- Themes
- Ancient Mythology; Adventure; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Action-Adventure; Romantic-Adventure-Horror
- Premise and plot tags
- Treasure Hunting; Cursed Artifacts; Ancient Egypt
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Mummy (1932)
- Franchise connections
- The Mummy
- Reception
- The film received mixed critical reviews but was a significant commercial success, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1999 and a hit on home video.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 64% · scale: percentage · review count: 107; Metacritic · score: 49 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- The film's special effects budget was $15 million.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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