Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Mummy’ (1999)

Written by Scott Edwards

​One of my favorite subjects growing up was Egyptology. I was fascinated on how the civilization thrived over the years in the desert with only one source of water. That is the today me talking, when I was a kid, I loved the pyramids and all of the ancient carvings that seemed to be impossible to do back then without any sort of technology and looking back at it today, I am still very intrigued. The structure of their Gods was also fascinating to me as they all had powers over one thing and were able to use them to the fullest, but my favorite was Anubis, the god of the underworld, his designs looked really cool back then and even now.

Evelyn Carnahan is trying to make a name for herself working in her museum, but there is always something holding her back.  Despite her extensive knowledge about the ancient Egyptians, the staff of Cambridge College will not fully accept her into their ranks. While her brother Jonathan is living is life to the fullest and messing around in a sarcophagus, Evy finds that he has a secret of his own that could change the perception people have of her.

With a map in hand, Evy has to find some way to find the ancient city of Hamunaptra, a.k.a., The City of the Dead, to uncover one of the greatest treasures known to man. But her quest quickly goes nowhere since no one has ever found the ancient city. Everything changes however when she discovers that there is a man that is sentenced to death that may be able to help her. Rick O’Connell has been to the ancient city and has no reason to return, but when his life is bargained for by Evy, he feels obligated to lead her to the lost city. Regardless of the warning signs that precede their quest, Evy, Rick and Jonathan start their search, but they are not the only ones that want to uncover Hamunaptra’s secrets as there is another crew that has the city in their sights.

With the two groups searching for the same place, it is a race against time before one comes out victorious, but they did not expect to be met by another group that is trying to protect the ancient city’s secrets. The Magi have been in charge of keeping the secrets hidden about the lost city and have done very well, but when they are not able to stop the new explorers from obtaining their goals, they are prepared for the evil that comes along with it. When reading form the Book of the Dead, Evy awakens a monster that no mortal weapon can stop and as the ancient priest feeds on the living, his power grows and the world will not be safe until he can be bound by the sands of time once again.

This is a joy of a movie that is filled with myths, legends and lore that you might not have ever heard of, even while in school. When doing a little bit of research, some of the things that are included in this movie are right out of the books and that just makes you want to find out more. I loved how the story played out over the entire film, but since I am not a huge fan of the romantic aspect of the story, I understand why it is included…sequel. A harmless movie that will make you believe that if you put your mind to something, you will always be able to accomplish it and that just makes it a feel-good movie as well. With plenty of character growth, you will not feel cheated in the least, unless of course you are feeling like Imhotep should be given free rein to bring back the love of his life.  Happy Viewing.

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