8 exciting films about mummies

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Good comedies, adventures in the sands and even horrors - there are pictures for every taste.

1. Mummy

• USA, 1932.
• Adventure, horror, drama.
• Duration: 73 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

An archaeological expedition from the British Museum finds the mummy of the ancient priest Imhotep and accidentally revives it. Ten years later, the rich Egyptian Ardet-Bey declares to the son of one of the participants in the campaign and offers to show the burial place of Princess Ankhesenamun. But you shouldn't trust a strange benefactor.

Classic horror films from Universal Pictures scare audiences with all kinds of monsters. Among them were Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the wolf man, the invisible man and, of course, the revived mummy. Moreover, all these monsters lived in the same MCU.

The role of Imhotep was played by Boris Karloff, who had previously become famous for his role in Frankenstein. The title of the king of horrors was so entrenched for him that in the credits of "The Mummy" the name of the actor was even indicated as "Karloff the Creepy".

2. A platoon of monsters

• USA, 1987.
• Comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 82 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

Count Dracula is going to seize power on Earth and calls on his loyal servants for help: a mummy, a monster from the Black Lagoon and a werewolf. The team was supposed to have a monster of Frankenstein, but he accidentally stumbles upon a group of guys - fans of the most famous monsters in the history of cinema.

It's easy to guess the entire pantheon of classic Universal monsters in the villains. Actually, the film is conceived as a parody, so you should not expect excessive seriousness from it.

3. Mummy

• USA, 1999.
• Adventure, action, comedy.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

The hapless librarian Evelyn Carnahan and her nosy brother Jonathan get hold of an ancient map showing the way to the lost city of the dead. Taking captain Rick O'Connell, whom they saved from certain death, as their assistants, the adventurers set off on the road. But in the end, they find not the treasures, but the buried priest Imhotep.

The Steven Sommers remake came out much more dynamic than the classic Universal tape. The plot was left the same, but they added action and made the villain even more bloodthirsty and dangerous. The new "Mummy" became a blockbuster and even overshadowed the original, which is now remembered to the offensive rarely.

4. The mummy returns

• USA, 2001.
• Adventure, action, comedy.
• Duration: 130 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

Rick and Evelyn O'Connell have been happily married for almost 10 years and have a son, Alexander. One day, without asking, a child puts on the legendary Anubis bracelet, which the Scorpion King used to wear, and now this trick threatens with dire consequences for the entire O'Connell family.

In parallel, Mila Nais, the reincarnation of Princess Anxunamun, resurrects her lover Imhotep from the dead. The couple wants to gain power over the world, but for this they need the Scorpion King's bracelet.

In the sequel to The Mummy, the entire main cast, including Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, returned to their roles. But the plot became noticeably weaker, and its individual aspects contradicted the first part. So, Evelyn suddenly turned from a cute dullard into an experienced fighter, and Anxunamun betrays Imhotep without any explanation, although she once went to her death for the sake of her beloved.

5. Night at the museum

• USA, 2006.
• Comedy, adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

Larry Delhi takes a job as an evening watchman at the Natural History Museum of New York. But it turns out that not everything is so simple: at night the exhibits come to life. The reason is in the ancient golden tablet, which is kept in the hall with the pharaoh's mummy.

It was originally planned that the film would be directed by "The Mummy" director Stephen Sommers, but the project was eventually given to Sean Levy, and comedian Ben Stiller was invited to play the lead role.

By the way, the actor Rami Malek, before playing the hacker Elliot Alderson in "Mr. Robot" and Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody", appeared in "Night at the Museum" in the secondary role of the revived pharaoh Akmenra.

6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

• USA, China, Germany 2008.
• Adventure, action, comedy.
• Duration: 112 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 2.

The O'Connells, after defeating Imhotep, give each other their word not to get involved in risky adventures. But their adult son Alex accidentally brings the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang and his army of terracotta warriors back to life, so the help of his parents will definitely not hurt the hapless archaeologist.

In the third part of "The Mummy", the scene was moved to China, where dangerous mummies also live according to the plot. But with the departure of Rachel Weisz and director Stephen Sommers, who moved into the producer's chair, the franchise lost all its charm. From the previous cast, only Brendan Fraser and John Hannah remained, but they could not stretch the tape to the level of their predecessors.

Watch this film or not, each viewer decides for himself. But if you want to see an unassuming popcorn movie or watch Jet Li as a charismatic villain, the third "Mummy" will do just fine.

7. The extraordinary adventures of Adele

• France, 2010.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 3.

The journalist Adele Blanc-Sec, having visited Egypt, brings to Paris the mummy of the doctor of the pharaoh Ramses II. The girl hopes, with the help of Professor Marie-Joseph, to revive the genius healer so that he heal her sister. But underfoot police inspector Leone Caponi and hunter Justin de Saint-Hubert get confused.

In Russia, few have heard of Jacques Tardy's comics about a daring journalist with a funny surname Beloe-Sukhoi. But in France they are popular, and in 2010 a very light and relaxed film from Luc Besson was released on them.

8. Mummy

• USA, 2017.
• Duration: 111 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 4.

American soldiers Nick Morton and his friend Chris Weil find an ancient sarcophagus. Inside is a powerful sorceress who dreams of taking over the world. And for this, she is ready to bring a terrible Egyptian deity to Earth.

Universal has decided to resurrect its own Dark Universe franchise, which we mentioned above. Moreover, the new "Mummy" with Tom Cruise was supposed to introduce viewers into the cinematic universe. But the authors got so carried away that they completely forgot about the main plot and did not reveal the characters of the heroes.

The film ended up being a disaster, but the producers did not abandon the idea of the franchise. And in 2020, the next part of the Dark Universe appeared on the screens - "The Invisible Man". And from the point of view of critics, it came out more successful.