At an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion accidentally awakens a mummy who begins to wreak havoc as he searches for the reincarnation of his long-lost love.
An English librarian called Evelyn Carnahan becomes interested in starting an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Hamunaptra. She gains the help of Rick O'Connell, after saving him from his death. What Evelyn, her brother Jonathan and Rick are unaware of is that another group of explorers are interested in the same dig. Unfortunately for everyone, this group ends up unleashing a curse which been laid on the dead High Priest Imhotep. Now 'The Mummy' is awake and it's going to take a lot more than guns to send him back to where he came from.Written by
Film_Fan
George A. Romero's version was a vision of a zombie-style horror movie similar to Night of the Living Dead (1968), but which also relied heavily upon elements of tragic romance and ambivalence of identity. Romero completed a draft in October 1994, cowritten with Alan Ormsby and John Sayles, that revolved around female archaeologist Helen Grover and her discovery in Abydos of the tomb of Imhotep, an Egyptian general who lived in the time of Ramesses II. Unfolding in a nameless American city in modern times, events are set into motion when Imhotep inadvertently awakens as a result of his preserved cadaver having been exposed to rays from an MRI scan in a high-tech forensic archaeology lab. The script then progresses to a fish-out-of-water story when Imhotep, having regained his youthful appearance, recognizes the need to adapt to a contemporary society that is three thousand years removed from the one he came from. Assuming at first that he is a representative from the Bureau of Antiquities, Helen finds herself drawn into a tentative relationship with Imhotep while also experiencing clairvoyant flashbacks to a previous life in Nineteenth Dynasty Egypt as a priestess of Isis. Summoning mystical powers through incantation, Imhotep later resurrects the mummy of Karis, a loyal slave whose body had been resting alongside his master's in the same tomb but is now held in the local museum. After escaping into the city sewer system, Karis embarks on a vengeful rampage against the various criminal fences and high society antiquarians who had acquired stolen relics from his tomb. Romero's script was considered too dark and violent by James Jacks and the studio, who wanted a more accessible picture. Compounding the issue was the fact that Romero was unable to extricate from a contract for a different film project he had in negotiation at the time with MGM, and so his involvement with the film was severed and the development of an entirely new script was commissioned to other writers. See more »
Goofs
Soon after the main characters pick up their camels, there is a left to right panning shot of them riding in the desert. At least five dust marks on the camera lens are revealed as pale shadows against the sand. See more »
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.
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Crazy Credits
The Earth in the opening Universal logo flashes and dissolves into the sun. See more »
Alternate Versions
The crash of Winston Havelock's plane was cut from the airline version. See more »
'Al Bahr Al Gharam Wasah (Love Is As Vast As A River)
Written by Mohamed Murad, Yunis Al Hilali
Performed by The Musicians of the Nile
Courtesy of Real World Records Ltd. See more »
A real romp of an adventure/horror genre with a wonderful aesthetic that works perfectly and he period setting is pure genius at creating an immersive world. Performances are terrific with Weisz and Fraser having a blast and a great dynamic. The CGI does look a little outdated and of course brings the overall film down but the humour and the overall tone is balanced brilliantly.
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A real romp of an adventure/horror genre with a wonderful aesthetic that works perfectly and he period setting is pure genius at creating an immersive world. Performances are terrific with Weisz and Fraser having a blast and a great dynamic. The CGI does look a little outdated and of course brings the overall film down but the humour and the overall tone is balanced brilliantly.