The Mummy Parent Guide

Parent Movie Review
by Rod Gustafson

The Mummy was first unearthed as a horror flic in 1932, and followed by many sequels. Thanks to the special effects wizards at Industrial Light and Magic, Universal Studios has exhumed its remains again - this time with a whole new set of bandages.

Before his untimely death, the Mummy was known as Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), the Pharaoh’s high priest. His grave mistake was being unable to keep his hands off Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velasquez), the Pharaoh’s mistress, who, wearing nothing but body paint, left more than lipstick on Imhotep’s collar. When their secret is discovered, the mistress kills herself, but Imhotep is captured and put into a sarcophagus with hundreds of hungry scarab beetles. Sealed into the treasury temple of the city of Hamunaptra, the curse of the plagues of Egypt will fall upon anyone who dares to loose him.

Of course we know what happens next, even if it’s 3,000 years later. When Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), a clumsy librarian from the Cairo Museum of Antiquities discovers that the imprisoned former American Legionnaire Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) knows the whereabouts of the lost city of Hamunaptra, she bribes the prison warden to let Rick go. The couple, along with some extras (obvious snacks for the Mummy), set out to find the city and its riches, but inadvertently set the mummy’s curse into motion.

Throughout the film innumerable people are shot, stabbed, burned, and done away with in every imaginable way, yet hardly any gore or blood is exhibited. The most graphic scenes involve those still hungry scarabs who haven’t seen a good meal in centuries, and the skeletal form of the mummy.

The toughest job for the human talent in this film is knowing how to interact with these and many other computer generated characters. Although these special effects and the movie itself are not intended to be taken seriously, don’t expect to put all the family in front of this remake, unless you want little ones searching for their mommy in the middle of the night.

Directed by Stephen Sommers. Starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo. Running time: 125 minutes. Theatrical release May 7, 1999. Updated July 17, 2017

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.

The Mummy Parents' Guide

If any family members see The Mummy, try comparing it to the original 1932 release and look at how technology has changed Hollywood’s approach to filmmaking. How is the writing different? Is there more dialogue now, or then? What devices (sound, special effects, music) are utilized to generate fear and horror and how have those devices changed?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Mummy movie is May 16, 2017. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Mummy Ultimate Trilogy
Release Date: May 16, 2017

Universal Studios releases The Mummy Ultimate Trilogy to home video (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD). The collection features, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Bonus extras include

Disc 1 - The Mummy (1999):
- Features High Dynamic Range (HDR) for Brighter, Deeper, More Lifelike Color
- Feature Commentary with Director Stephen Sommers and Editor Bob Ducsay
-  Feature Commentary with Actor Brendan Fraser
- Feature Commentary with actors Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O’Connor & Arnold Vosloo

Disc 2 - The Mummy Returns:
-  Features High Dynamic Range (HDR) for Brighter, Deeper, More Lifelike Color
- Feature Commentary with Director/Writer Stephen Sommers and Executive Producer/Editor Bob Ducsay

Disc 3 - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor:
-  Features High Dynamic Range (HDR) for Brighter, Deeper, More Lifelike Color
-  Feature Commentary with Director Rob Cohen

Disc 4 - The Mummy (1999):
- Digital Copy of The Mummy (1999) (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
- Deleted Scenes
- Feature Commentary with Director/Writer Stephen Sommers and Executive Producer/Editor Bob Ducsay
-  Feature Commentary with Actor Brendan Fraser
-  Feature Commentary with Actors Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O’Connor and Arnold Vosloo
-  The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Sneak Peek
-  Visual and Special Effects Formation
-  An Army to Rule the World Part 1
- Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy
- Building a Better Mummy
-  Storyboard to Final Film Comparison
-  Photograph Montage
-  U-Control - Picture in Picture
-  BD-Live Enabled
-  My Scenes

Disc 5 - The Mummy Returns:
-  Digital Copy of The Mummy Returns (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
-  Outtakes
- Feature Commentary with Director/Writer Stephen Sommers and Executive Producer/Editor Bob Ducsay
-  Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Sneak Peek
- An Army to Rule the World Part 2
-  Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy
-  Visual and Special Effects Formation
- An Exclusive Conversation with The Rock
- Spotlight On Location
-  Storyboard to Final Film Comparison
- Live “Forever May Not Be Long Enough” Music Video
- U-Control - Picture in Picture
- BD-Live Enabled
-  My Scenes

Disc 6 - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor:
-  Digital Copy of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
-  U-Control - Scene Explorer
-  BD-Live - My Scenes Sharing
- BD-Live - Exclusive Content
- U-Control - Know Your Mummy
- U-Control - The Dragon Emperor’s Challenge
- U-Control - Picture in Picture
- U-Control - Visual Commentary with Director Rob Cohen
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- The Making of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
- From City to Desert
- Legacy of the Terra Cotta
- Feature Commentary with Director Rob Cohen