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The Mummy (1999) review

We review The Mummy - a daft but rip-roaring Raiders of the Lost Ark-style adventure mixing humour, stunts and special effects

The Mummy Poster

The Mummy (1999)

Certificate: 12A

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah

Release date: 1999

4 out of 5

4

Get ready for The Mummy,  a daft but rip-roaring adventure with this Raiders of the Lost Ark-style mix of humour, stunts and special effects, based on the 1932 classic of the same name.

Rachel Weisz (sporting some very strange pencil marks where her eyebrows should be) is the 1920s librarian who gets her hands on an Egyptian map which she hopes will lead her to a lost city of the dead. With her brother (an enjoyably dippy John Hannah) and muscle-for-hire Brendan Fraser in tow, she finds the long-buried tombs, but also accidentally reawakens a rather pissed-off (and larger than life) Egyptian priest who was buried alive thousands of years before as punishment for romancing the Pharaoh’s missus. He’s back to reincarnate her soul, and – in between subjecting various members of the party to yucky deaths – sees Ms Weisz as the perfect body to put his love’s spirit into.

Ridiculous and hilarious at the same time, this old-fashioned tale romps along at a cracking pace, while boasting a small helping of gore (making the film unsuitable for under-tens and those of a nervous disposition) and some impressive special effects that shouldn’t be missed. Silly but fun.

Is The Mummy (1999) suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...

As mentioned above, this isn’t suitable for the under-10s.

At the beginning of the movie, a man is buried in a coffin with flesh-eating scarabs and another is mummified alive.

When Imhotep comes to life, he appears as a giant roaring head out of the desert, and also as a skeleton who gradually gains flesh to look more human.

The sight of one of the explorers with his eyes ripped out so you can see the sockets isn’t very pleasant.

If you like this, why not try: Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Mummy Returns, National Treasure, The Goonies, Inkheart,