Evil Beneath The Sands: The Mummy

    When you think of Egypt, what comes to mind? Most likely pyramids or the Sphinx right? Or maybe it's what lies beneath all that. That's right, the tombs of the pharaohs that have been carefully preserved for the Afterlife, called mummies. In 1939, a film was made that made the mummies look like creepy things wrapped in what you thought was toilet paper as a kid. If you're not careful, you could accidentally bring one back to life. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what happened in Stephen Sommer's 1999 version of The Mummy. 

     Once upon a time, during the reign of Seti, High Priest Imhotep is having an affair with the Pharaoh's mistress, Anck-su-Namun. One night, the Pharaoh catches Anck-su-Namun with Imhotep. That's when they murder the Pharaoh. Imhotep is able to escape before the Medjai arrive moments later. Anck-Su-Namun however, kills herself in front of them, knowing that Imhotep can resurrect her. Imhotep does attempt to do so, but the Medjai find him and stop him in the middle of the ritual. Having committed a serious crime, Imhotep has the curse of the Hom Dai placed upon him, as well as he and his priests being mummified alive. 

      Now it's 3,000 years later, in 1926. Evelyn Carnahan and her brother Jonathan are determined to find Hamunaptra, City of the Dead. But before they can do so, they save a man named Rick O'Connel from a hanging. O'Connel claims that he was in the city itself while serving in the French Foreign legion 3 years earlier, in 1923. After some events, the group find the Book of the Dead. Evie reads a few lines from the book, but unknowingly ressurects Imhotep. Will they be able to stop him before he can wreak havoc on the world?

       There is great detail in this film. Detail is definitely needed when you're working with a culture and setting like Egypt. Whether it's the Book Of The Dead, or the basic dress of the basic dressing of the ancient Egyptians, The Mummy well executes the detail required for the story. Note that this also includes some of the 1920's outfits of the time. But the Mummy himself often distracts us from that. 
       With each form he takes, Imhotep gains power and his living form. That's not makeup either. Yep, mostly CGI.  (Computer Generated Image) That's probably a good thing. In this day and age, a mummy as detailed as Imhotep shown above is frankly, very hard to do and possibly could've ended up looking cheesy. Thank you CGI! 

    For a story like The Mummy, you're going to need a pretty good set. Was Stephen Sommers able to accomplish this? Yep.  The filmmakers were able to give us a look at  some of the culture at the time. They also showed what Ancient Egypt might have looked like. The Egyptians (and probably still do,) loved their gold leaf and artwork, showing their wealth. This goes hand-in-hand with the detail I was talking about.   

    Where there's a set, there's a location. The movie was filmed mostly in Morocco and Egypt of course, but there was also filming in the UK and in Arizona. Most of these places have the desert-like environment that is frequently seen in The Mummy. Could The Mummy have been produced without this? Yes, it just wouldn't have turned out very well. But Stephen Sommers is a good director, thankfully.

     Do you agree with this? Feel free to request a Christmas film to see this season on ETF! Also be sure to like, comment, share, and follow to always come back for more Enchanted Tales of Film!