FAQ

While searching for buried treasure under Hamunaptra, an ancient Egyptian city of the Dead, English librarian Evelyn "Evy" Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), her brother Jonathan (John Hannah), and treasure hunter Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) accidentally awaken the mummified remains of High Priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), buried alive over 3,000 years ago. Imhotep wants only to resurrect his lover Anck Su Namun... but he needs Evelyn's death to do it, and he'll do anything to get it.

The Mummy is a loose remake of The Mummy (1932), which was based on a script by American playwright John Balderston, who also contributed to Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931) and covered the opening of Tutankhamen's tomb for New York World when he was a journalist. Balderston's script was rewritten for this film by screenwriters Lloyd Fonvielle and Stephen Sommers (who also directed The Mummy (1999)). Two sequels followed: The Mummy Returns (2001) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). A novelization, also titled The Mummy and written by American writer Max Allan Collins, was released concurrently with the movie.

Yes, it would, and it is exactly for that reason that they put a curse on Imhotep so that, if he were to be resurrected, he would bring with him the ten plagues of Ancient Egypt. This may sound ill-advised to modern ears, but keep in mind that in that age, people were still very fearful of the Gods. Putting such a heavy curse on Imhotep pretty much guaranteed that his followers wouldn't even consider resurrecting him. However, the ancient Egyptians did not realize that their religion would disappear over time and that people in the 20th century would be a lot more skeptical of ancient curses, especially Evelyn, a scientist who has little fear of ancient curses. That is why she reads from the Book of the Dead without realizing the dire consequences.

The movie is fiction/fantasy, inspired by ancient Egyptian lore. The ancient Egyptians in the movie, i.e., Seti I, Anck-su-Namun, and Imhotep, are actual historical figures. However, that's where the accuracy ends. A simple look at their lifespans shows that these three characters could never have known each other. Imhotep (2650 BC - 2600 BC) died over 1,000 years before the reign of Seti I (to 1279 BC). Anck-su-Namun (1348 BC -1322 BC) never knew Seti I. She was wife of her half brother Tutankhamun "King Tut" (1332 BC - 1323 BC).

The notion of ancient Egyptian curses that supposedly befall anyone who disturbs the grave of a Pharao is a popular one in literary fiction and movies. It originated from the novel The Mummy, written in 1828 by Jane Loudon Webb, which sparked the idea of a cursed tomb with a vengeful mummy. Several later writers reused the idea. The discovery of King Tutankhamun's burial chamber in 1922, which allegedly led to the mysterious deaths of 26 people involved, fueled the conviction that the curse really existed. However, contrary to popular belief, this has very little basis in fact. In the time before and after the discovery, writer Arthur Conan Doyle (of Sherlock Holmes fame) had already reminded the public of the terrible Egyptian curse from the novel. A newspaper at the time of the discovery falsely reported that Tutankhamun's tomb bore an inscription reading, "They who enter this sacred tomb shall swiftly be visited by wings of death", and the story was quickly picked up by others. Although some old graves have been known to contain inscriptions cursing potential desecrators, the only inscription in Tutankhamun's tomb that comes close appeared over a shrine dedicated to the god Anubis, and stated, "It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chamber. I am for the protection of the deceased". Among the 26 deaths supposedly caused by the curse, only eight died in the first 12 years after the discovery (there were 58 people present when the tomb was opened). The most prominent victim, who died several weeks after the discovery, was Lord Caernavon, who had funded the expedition and was one of the first to enter the tomb. His death sparked much speculation among writers about the curse being real. However, his death was from blood poisoning due to an infected mosquito bite, and not some unexplained cause. The actual discoverer of the tomb, archaeologist Howard Carter, lived on for another 17 years, finally dying a natural death from lymphoma. The third person to enter the newly discovered tomb, Lord Caernavon's daughter, did not die until 53 years later, at the age of 79. So whatever "proof" there ever was about ancient curses, most of these stories have been wildly exaggerated.

In order to get a rating of 12 by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), slight alterations were required for the theatrical release in the UK. The theatrical version lacks any shot of Richard (Brendan Fraser) hanging from the gallows plus a further shot of a butterfly knife. Except for the shot of the butterfly, the alterations were taken over for the 12-rated VHS and the 12-rated Universal DVD as well. Subsequent DVD releases—rated 15—were uncut and uncensored.