The Mummy, released in 1999, is definitely one of the best action movies of its decade. Such a great and exciting film with a romantic storyline, superb CGI, and Imhotep! The Mummy, due to the interest it generates, is very re-watchable. A lovable movie, but it too definitely has its shortcomings. Here are some dubious things that people had to ignore in the movie to enjoy it completely.
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1. Action-packed and adventurous but surprisingly dark. The movie is generally fun and light and not a typical horror. But it definitely has some dark scenes. The prologue, for example, is a scene where they show what it’s like to be buried alive. That’s horrifying. The scrabs in the movie that eats through flesh—the fate of Mr. Burns.
2. Egypt bowing down fast to Imhotep. This is weird because soon as Imhotep returns and he rallies support, people immediately fall in line. It is strange to expect that. There should be people revolting against this person who has suddenly decided to dictate them. Not only that, but the movie shows the extreme passion with which Imhotep is supported.
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3. What happened to the last plague. The prophecy that with the return of Imhotep, all ten plagues will return to Egypt is shown to be true in the movie. It starts with water turning to blood and so on. But the last plague: the death of the firstborn sons, is not talked about in the film. It is a hole in the plot.
4. The powers of Imhotep aren’t correctly defined. Imhotep is predicted to have much power. It is said that his return brings back all the plagues. Also, he is a master of resurrection and can eventually acquire immortality. But the fact that he can control sand and go away with wind seems absurd.
5. The culture of grave-robbing. The lead characters in the movie kick off the story by trespassing and digging up someone’s grave. Now is it the right thing to do? Should one really ever steal anyone’s grave. Yes, the story ends well, but the movie itself proves that it shouldn’t be done.
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6. Emotionless response of main characters to deaths. This is common in the movie and can be easily observed. That the lead characters don’t seem to be having an appropriately serious response to deaths happening around them. But this is what happens when you need to make a fast-paced adventurous movie. One cant afford to dwell.
7. Imhotep is devoid of free will. Imhotep’s history is a romantic tragedy. He was someone who wanted to use his powers for love, to resurrect Anck-su-Namun. But after he wakes up again, he is just cruel. But why? because of the Hom-Dai curse, which tells that he will only bring evil. The curse essentially took away his free will.
8. Near-sighted Imhotep. Now, this is an interesting one. Burns is shown as near-sighted. Now Imhotep took Burns’s eyes, so naturally, he should be near-sighted too. However, there is no such indication. It would’ve been a good improvisation, but was sadly overlooked.
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9. The sparkling condition of Papyrus after 3000 years is unexpected. However, documents like these have been found in Egypt, which are upto 4,500 years old but are still intact. But the paper in this scene is surprisingly of good condition.
10. Portrayal of Egyptian characters. The movie has many vivid Egyptian characters. But one can not deny the fact that most of them are just for comedy and jokes. Moreover, it has an ugly racial component to it.
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