Learn how to Watch Chronologically and by Launch Date
Audiences internationally fell in love with the swashbuckling Rick O’Connell and good librarian Evelyn within the 1999 action-adventure The Mummy, which marked the beginning of a film franchise. Utterly totally different from the Nineteen Thirties and ’40s Common horror movies (and the Hammer horror movies which adopted), the Stephen Sommers remake of the 1932 traditional creature characteristic follows the unlikely pair as they battle in opposition to the undead Egyptian excessive priest Imhotep on his campaign to destroy humanity, combating his supernatural powers and terrifying plagues he unleashes upon the land.
The Sommers installments focus much less on being straight horror movies and extra on journey and romance, impressively incorporating comedy, particular results, and thrilling motion sequences within the thrilling Egyptian story. The success of The Mummy went on to spawn two direct sequels: 2001’s The Mummy Returns and 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, whereas additionally inspiring the 2002 prequel/spin-off The Scorpion King (and a prolonged wave of direct-to-video Scorpion King sequels).
The entertaining and engrossing footage helped additional set up Brendan Fraser as a Hollywood main man, and served as Rachel Weisz’s worldwide breakthrough position, launching the pair to worldwide stardom. Dwayne Johnson made his cinematic debut within the 2001 sequel, and even nabbed his first main position within the franchise’s prequel The Scorpion King, setting data within the course of.
The Mummy trilogy have been blockbuster hits that helped make monster films sizzling commodities once more, masterfully mixing romance with horror, journey, and humor, collectively that resulted in a enjoyable and wild trip for audiences. Common Studios tried to reboot the beloved franchise in 2017 with the Tom Cruise-starring motion film The Mummy, which ended up being an ill-fated endeavor and field workplace blunder. Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy movies are at the moment out there for streaming on HBO Max.
The Mummy Films in Chronological Order
The Scorpion King
Chronicling the electrifying rise to energy of the legendary Egyptian Scorpion King Mathayus of Akkad, the 2002 action-adventure movie The Scorpion King options Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in his first main position. The previous WWE celebrity portrays the fierce desert warrior as he battles to guard his homeland and metropolis of Gomorrah from a ruthless evil ruler. Within the spellbinding image, the murderer Mathayus enlists the assistance of the magical sorcerer Cassandra and a horse thief named Arpid to combat in opposition to the oppressive King Memnon, who needs to exterminate the nomadic tribes of the desert. Although it serves as each a prequel and spin-off to the Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy trilogy, The Scorpion King was truly launched after each The Mummy and The Mummy Returns within the profitable franchise.
The character of the Scorpion King was beforehand launched in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, through which the fabled warrior vows to provide his soul to Anubis as a way to defeat an opposing military; when he’s victorious, the Scorpion King is dragged right down to the Underworld, rising hundreds of years later as a monstrous, terrifying creature. Within the prequel, the character is known as Mathayus, is depicted as a strong and noble hero versus bloodthirsty villain. Dwayne Johnson made the Guinness Guide of World Information when he nabbed top-billing in The Scorpion King, incomes $5.5 million and turning into the report holder for highest-paid actor of their first main position.
The Scorpion King garnered combined critiques however was a business success, grossing over $180 million and propelling Johnson to Hollywood superstardom; his triumph as a number one man helped kick off his distinctive cinematic profession. It spawned 4 straight-to-home movies indirectly associated to The Mummy trilogy, and a reboot of The Scorpion King is at the moment in manufacturing, with Johnson serving as a producer. The prequel helps to additional set up the timeline and occasions main as much as the 1999 blockbuster hit The Mummy, which kicked off Sommers’ installments.
The Mummy
Stephen Sommers directed the 1999 fantasy action-adventure extravaganza The Mummy, which facilities on American adventurer Rick O’Connell as he guides good librarian and aspiring Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan and her bumbling older brother Jonathan to Hamunaptra, Metropolis of the Useless, for an archeological dig.
The sensational image begins in Thebes in 1290 BC, the place excessive priest Imhotep is having an affair with Anck-su-namun, the mistress of the highly effective Pharaoh Seti. After their forbidden romance is found, Imhotep flees and his lover kills herself beneath the idea that he’ll resurrect her. His makes an attempt to just do which might be interrupted by the Pharaoh’s bodyguards, the Medjai, who bury the excessive priest alive and are sworn to forestall Imhotep’s return for all eternity.
The movie picks up in 1926, after O’Connell is saved from impending dying in a Cairo jail by the savvy Evelyn, who convinces the previous French International Legion captain to cause them to the legendary metropolis since he’s certainly one of few males who’ve ever visited Hamunaptra and lived to inform the story. The trio meet a band of treasure-hunting People led by Rick’s cowardly former acquaintance Beni Gabor, who’re being watched by the Medjai and their chief Ardeth Bay. After studying from the Guide of the Useless, Evelyn inadvertently awakens Imhotep, unleashing a terrifying curse upon the land that leaves bloodshed and violence in its wake. It’s as much as Rick, Evelyn and the Medjai to ship the excessive priest again to his Underworld grave.
Brendan Fraser stars stars because the swashbuckling, charming hero Rick O’Connell, showing alongside Rachel Weisz within the movie, with the duo charming audiences with their dazzling onscreen chemistry and amusing banter. Sommers spent a 12 months engaged on the screenplay, eager to direct a romantic journey with horror parts that included a scarier and extra threatening monster than the shambling, bandaged mummy within the traditional movies.
Arnold Vosloo was awarded the position of Imhotep after a single audition, having instructed Sommer he needed to play the half “completely straight. From Imhotep’s standpoint, this can be a skewed model of Romeo and Juliet.” The Mummy went on to garner reward for its performances, particular results, and recent tackle the old-fashioned creature characteristic, with its crucial and business success resulting in the 2001 follow-up, The Mummy Returns.
The Mummy Returns
After defeating the vengeful undead excessive priest Imhotep, the 2001 journey horror movie The Mummy Returns picks up with the now-married Rick and Evelyn O’Connell in 1933, through which the danger-prone duo now have an eight-year-old son named Alex and dwell in a sprawling property outdoors of London. The sequel begins with a flashback to 3067 BC, depicting the Scorpion King as he leads a military to overcome the world; after being defeated and exiled to the desert of Ahm Shere, the warrior guarantees his soul to Anubis in return for defeating his enemies. Upon his victory, Anubis claims his soul and is shipped to the Underworld. Whereas exploring historic ruins with their son, Rick and Evelyn uncover the highly effective Bracelet of Anubis, setting forth a series of occasions that threaten all humankind.
When an Egyptian cult resurrects Imhotep through the use of the Guide of the Useless, with hopes he’ll defeat the Scorpion King and command his military, Alex is kidnapped by the cult’s enforcer Lock-Nah and the bodily reincarnation of Anck-su-namun. The Bracelet of Anubis locked round his wrist and confirmed him a imaginative and prescient of Ahm Shere, with the boy being compelled to guide the cult and revenge-seeking Imhotep to its location. Rick and Evelyn got down to rescue their son with the assistance of her brother Jonathan and constant good friend Ardeth Bay, battling in opposition to the undead and the dwelling on their quest to avoid wasting Alex. An epic showdown between Rick (who discovers he’s a descendant of the Medjai), Imhotep and the monstrous beast the Scorpion King ensues, with just one rising triumphant.
The Mummy Returns options a lot of the unique movie’s forged together with John Hannah (Jonathan), Arnold Vosloo (Imhotep), and Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bay), along with new forged members like Freddie Boath because the inquisitive Alex and an amazing Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje because the cruel fighter and foe of Ardeth, Lock-Nah. Lots of the actors suffered for his or her craft throughout manufacturing, with Brendan Fraser having cracked a rib, torn a spinal disc, and injured his knees, and Dwayne Johnson having suffered from warmth stroke and meals poisoning. Rachel Weisz’s epic combat scene with Patricia Velasquez’s Anck-su-namun took 5 months of coaching, they usually did their very own stunts with none stunt girls. The Mummy Returns was an enormous hit on the field workplace and with moviegoers, as soon as once more resulting in a 3rd and last movie, 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Mummy trilogy underwent fairly a number of modifications each in entrance and behind the digicam with its last installment, the 2008 action-adventure The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Steven Sommers stepped away from directing duties for the image, as a substitute passing the torch to Rob Cohen and serving solely as a producer, whereas Rachel Weisz departed the franchise and the position of Evelyn was taken over by Maria Bello.
The general setting shifts from Egypt to China, and focuses extra on the O’Connell’s now-adult son Alex (Luke Ford) as he discovers the mother of the primary Emperor of Qin, the evil warlord Han the Dragon Emperor who was granted immortality however was mummified alive along with his troopers. When Rick and Evelyn arrive in China to return the traditional gemstone generally known as the Eye of Shangri-La, a rogue army chief named Common Yang steals the stone and resurrects Han, believing he can heal China after the turmoil of World Conflict II.
The O’Connells and Evelyn’s brother Jonathan should band collectively to cease Han from reaching Shangri-La and awakening his vicious military, becoming a member of forces with the guardian of the emperor’s tomb Lin, who possesses the one weapon that may kill the highly effective warrior: a cursed dagger. The daddy and son discover themselves in an epic showdown in opposition to Han, one thing the now retired Rick is aware of all too nicely after his misadventures in Egypt. The idea of The Emperor and his military was primarily based on the real-life Qin emperor Qin Shi Huang, who was truly buried amongst hundreds of terracotta troopers, generally known as the Terracotta Military.
The crucial and fan response to The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was lackluster and condemning, with many believing the installment didn’t seize the magic and charisma of its predecessors; audiences have been dismayed by the brand new setting and missed the looks of Oded Fehr’s Ardeth Bay and Rachel Weisz’s Evelyn. Brendan Fraser was praised for his uncanny skill to deliver allure to any scene, and martial arts star Jet Li additionally earned constructive suggestions for his efficiency because the villain Han.
The third movie did go on to earn $400 million on the field workplace, but was the trilogy’s lowest-grossing installment. Whereas there have been early talks of a possible fourth image, Common Footage canceled such plans and as a substitute determined to reboot the franchise utterly with the ill-fated 2017 Tom Cruise led action-adventure movie The Mummy.
The Mummy (2017 Reboot)
Supposed to kick off the Darkish Universe that might be primarily based on the traditional Common Monsters made well-known between the ‘30s and the ‘50s, the 2017 fantasy action-adventure movie The Mummy options motion legend Tom Cruise as U.S. Military Sergeant Nick Morton, who pillages historic artifacts to promote, however within the course of by chance awakens the entrapped Egyptian princess Ahmanet.
Plans for a contemporary reboot of the franchise have been first introduced in 2012, with Cruise signing on in 2015 to guide the epic image. Selection reported that the actor had extreme management over the movie in almost each side of manufacturing, allegedly resulting in artistic discord between him and director Alex Kurtzman. Kurtzman known as the expertise “brutal” and described The Mummy as “in all probability the most important failure” of his life, having mentioned on the Bingeworthy podcast:
I are inclined to subscribe to the standpoint that you simply be taught nothing out of your successes, and also you be taught every thing out of your failures. And that was in all probability the most important failure of my life, each personally and professionally. There’s about one million issues I remorse about it, however it additionally gave me so many presents which might be inexpressibly lovely. I didn’t change into a director till I made that film, and it wasn’t as a result of it was well-directed – it was as a result of it wasn’t.
It’s exhausting to understand a film that revamped $400 million on the field workplace might probably be thought-about a failure, however because of the excessive manufacturing and advertising and marketing prices the movie wanted to make a minimum of $450 million to interrupt even; it ended up shedding Common Studios between $60-$100 million. Not solely did The Mummy fail to recoup prices, it additionally was ineffective at connecting with audiences and reviewers, with many criticizing the reboot for its plot factors, tone and general performances.
As with every reboot, there are going to be numerous comparisons to the unique image(s), and it appears that evidently audiences simply couldn’t get on board with Cruise working across the Metropolis of London, kicking butt in opposition to a legion of zombies and a severely enraged mummy. What started as a high-concept opening to an intensive sequence of recent horror remakes from Common primarily based on their traditional monsters, with The Mummy, many thought-about that the Darkish Universe failed earlier than it even started.
The Mummy Films in Order of Launch Date
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