The Mummy (1999 film)
Updated: 12/10/2025, 10:27:29 AM Wikipedia source
The Mummy is a 1999 American action-adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, and Arnold Vosloo as the reanimated mummy. It is a remake of the 1932 film and part of the larger Universal Monsters franchise. The film follows adventurer and treasure hunter Rick O'Connell as he travels to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, with librarian Evelyn Carnahan and her older brother Jonathan, where they accidentally awaken Imhotep, a cursed high priest with supernatural powers. Development took years, with multiple screenplays and directors attached. In 1997, Sommers successfully pitched his version of a more adventurous and romantic take on the source material. Filming took place in Morocco and the United Kingdom; the crew endured dehydration, sandstorms, and snakes shooting on location in the Sahara Desert. Industrial Light & Magic provided many of the visual effects, blending live-action footage and computer-generated imagery to create the titular monster. Jerry Goldsmith composed the orchestral score. The Mummy was theatrically released on May 7, 1999, by Universal Pictures. The film received mixed critical reviews but grossed $422.5 million worldwide against a production budget of $80 million, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1999. The film started a new franchise, with two direct sequels, The Mummy Returns in 2001 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008, and various spinoffs such as an animated series which ran from 2001 to 2003, and the prequel The Scorpion King in 2002, which led to sequels of its own. In 2017, an attempt was made to start another Universal Monsters franchise with The Mummy starring Tom Cruise. In November 2025, a new sequel featuring Fraser and Weisz was announced, to be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence Productions.
Infobox
Directed by
Stephen Sommers
Screenplay by
Stephen Sommers
Story by
mw- Stephen Sommers Lloyd Fonvielle Kevin Jarre
Based on
The Mummy (1932)by Nina Wilcox PutnamRichard SchayerJohn L. Balderston
Produced by
James JacksSean Daniel
Starring
Brendan Fraser Rachel Weisz John Hannah Arnold Vosloo Jonathan Hyde Kevin J. O'Connor
Cinematography
Adrian Biddle
Edited by
Bob Ducsay
Music by
Jerry Goldsmith
Productioncompany
Universal Pictures Alphaville Films
Distributed by
Universal Pictures
Release date
May 7, 1999 (1999-05-07) (United States)
Running time
125 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
EnglishArabicEgyptian
Budget
$80 million
Box office
$422.5 million
Tables
· Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
Academy Awards
Award
Academy Awards
Category
Best Sound
Recipient
Leslie Shatz, Chris Carpenter, Rick Kline, and Chris Munro
Result
Nominated
British Academy Film Awards
British Academy Film Awards
Award
British Academy Film Awards
Category
Best Special Visual Effects
Recipient
John Berton, Daniel Jeannette, Ben Snow, and Chris Corbould
Result
Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Award
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Category
Favorite Actor – Action
Recipient
Brendan Fraser
Result
Nominated
Favorite Actress – Action
Favorite Actress – Action
Award
Favorite Actress – Action
Category
Rachel Weisz
Recipient
Nominated
Favorite Supporting Actor – Action
Favorite Supporting Actor – Action
Award
Favorite Supporting Actor – Action
Category
John Hannah
Recipient
Nominated
Favorite Villain
Favorite Villain
Award
Favorite Villain
Category
Arnold Vosloo
Recipient
Nominated
BMI Film & TV Awards
BMI Film & TV Awards
Award
BMI Film & TV Awards
Category
BMI Film Music Award
Recipient
Jerry Goldsmith
Result
Won
MTV Movie & TV Awards
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Award
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Category
Best Action Sequence
Recipient
Sand monster scene
Result
Nominated
mw- Ref.
[better source needed]
Saturn Awards
Saturn Awards
Award
Saturn Awards
Category
Best Fantasy Film
Result
Nominated
mw- Ref.
[better source needed]
Best Director
Best Director
Award
Best Director
Category
Stephen Sommers
Recipient
Nominated
Best Writing
Best Writing
Award
Best Writing
Category
Stephen Sommers
Recipient
Nominated
Best Actor
Best Actor
Award
Best Actor
Category
Brendan Fraser
Recipient
Nominated
Best Actress
Best Actress
Award
Best Actress
Category
Rachel Weisz
Recipient
Nominated
Best Music
Best Music
Award
Best Music
Category
Jerry Goldsmith
Recipient
Nominated
Best Costume Design
Best Costume Design
Award
Best Costume Design
Category
John Bloomfield
Recipient
Nominated
Best Make-up
Best Make-up
Award
Best Make-up
Category
Nick Dudman and Aileen Seaton
Recipient
Won
Best Special Effects
Best Special Effects
Award
Best Special Effects
Category
John Berton, Daniel Jeannette, Ben Snow, and Chris Corbould
Recipient
Nominated
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result | mw- Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Sound | Leslie Shatz, Chris Carpenter, Rick Kline, and Chris Munro | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Special Visual Effects | John Berton, Daniel Jeannette, Ben Snow, and Chris Corbould | Nominated | |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor – Action | Brendan Fraser | Nominated | |
| Favorite Actress – Action | Rachel Weisz | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Supporting Actor – Action | John Hannah | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Villain | Arnold Vosloo | Nominated | ||
| BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI Film Music Award | Jerry Goldsmith | Won | |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Action Sequence | Sand monster scene | Nominated | [better source needed] |
| Saturn Awards | Best Fantasy Film | Nominated | [better source needed] | |
| Best Director | Stephen Sommers | Nominated | ||
| Best Writing | Stephen Sommers | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Brendan Fraser | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Rachel Weisz | Nominated | ||
| Best Music | Jerry Goldsmith | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | John Bloomfield | Nominated | ||
| Best Make-up | Nick Dudman and Aileen Seaton | Won | ||
| Best Special Effects | John Berton, Daniel Jeannette, Ben Snow, and Chris Corbould | Nominated |
References
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- San Francisco Chroniclehttps://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Mummy-It-s-Alive-Fraser-unwraps-the-laughs-2932102.php
- Jump Cuthttp://ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC43folder/Mummy.html
- Dallas Observerhttp://www.dallasobserver.com/1999-05-13/film/mummy-dearest/
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- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mummy-review-1999-movie-1195466/
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- "BMI Honors Top Film and TV Composers"https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/20000516_bmi_honors_top_film_and_tv_composers
- "MTV Movie Awards: 2000 Awards"https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000453/2000/1/
- "Saturn Awards: 2000 Awards"https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000004/2000/1
- Junkeehttps://junkee.com/the-mummy-1999/192063
- Thrillisthttps://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/the-mummy-1999-review-perfect-movie/entertainment
- Rotten Tomatoeshttps://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/5-reasons-the-mummy-was-the-indiana-jones-for-a-new-generation/
- Colliderhttps://collider.com/the-mummy-brendan-fraser-legacy/
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