Parents' Guide to

The Mummy (1999)

By Adam Perry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Above-average action-adventure with lots of violence.

Movie PG-13 1999 124 minutes
The Mummy (1999) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 21 parent reviews

kpeets
kpeets Parent of 11-year-old
October 22, 2022
age 14+

Dated with too many horror features.

I really wanted to like this movie but it is so derivative of the Indiana Jones movies that it is just not worth it. My 11 year old son identified the parallels right away. He was fine with the Indiana Jones movies (with occasional scares that were a bit too intense) but not with this, though, due to the high level of not only violence, but horror movie features - jump scares, insects crawling under a man's skin (on his face), hanging (even if not completed) scene, to name a few. It may be because it's dated, but I also had to explain that Arab people aren't portrayed well, nor are women - the objectification (even if set in the 1920s) is excessive and simple-minded. I'd take a strong pass for any age.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
meydiana.rizki
meydiana.rizki Parent of 17-year-old
February 26, 2021
age 18+

The Last Great Adventure Film

Don't get me wrong, we have had lots of great movies since '99, but I really feel that this is the last one where it was just 10 for 10 great. And it was a great way to end the 90's, which I still believe to be one of the best movie decades; we knew how to make great movies and we knew how to make great trailers for those great movies--not just rapidly flashing scenes with drums and clashing and building violins, but REAL trailers edited to perfection with great music. "The Mummy" just packs it all; from Adventure to Horror to Fantasy to Drama to Comedy, and in my humble opinion, it succeeds superbly in all five genres. It is just such a FUN movie! The sites (and sights), the sound design, the CGI (while I won't say it's perfect), and, of course, Jerry Goldsmith's masterpiece of a score which can take Alan Silvestri's for "The Mummy Returns" to the cleaners any day of the week. While "The Mummy" was a blockbuster, it is sadly one of those unappreciated movies. Shortly after its release is when movies began to take a turn for the worse and become darker, and for what ever crackbutt reason, darker is what the American Audience wants. Audiences just want movies where everyone dies (a lot of the time including the hero(es)), the music is heavily synthesized, and the plot is simplistic. "The Mummy" is an epic adventure from beginning to end. And I can only hope that our movies return to this movie-type some day soon. While I do like "The Mummy Returns", it was a little too silly for me. And "Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"? No comment. The first one just captures the fun-ness that movies are SUPPOSED to be; a movie that grabs you out of your world so you almost feel as if you're IN the movie (he said, at the risk of sounding either cheezy or loony), very much in the tradition of "Jurassic Park" and its sequel. It's just truly a classic, and will hopefully remain so long enough to see a day when it is appreciated again.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
See all 21 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE MUMMY, American explorer Rick O'Connell (Brendan Frasier) leads a Cairo librarian Evelyn Camahan (Rachel Weisz) and her brother Jonathan to the lost city of Hamunaptra where they discover treasure that accidentally awakens a three thousand-year-old cursed mummy. The undead creature -- once the high priest Imhotep -- is bent on resurrecting his mummified former lover, Anck-su-Namun, by sacrificing Evelyn and bringing forth Bible-size plagues and undead armies. This film is filled with rich content and is a worthy heir to the action-adventure/archaeology-meets-swashbuckling genre made famous by Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones series.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (21 ):
Kids say (60 ):

Action, comedy, and the captivating romance between O'Connell and Evie are at the heart of this movie. At times, the out-of-this-world special effects and battle-sequences have one longing for the old-school charm of Lawrence of Arabia or The Ten Commandments. Regardless, The Mummy is extremely exciting, and at times educational. The juxtaposition of intricate Egyptian history and spirituality, with contemporary Hollywood spirit, might inspire teens to learn more about ancient Egypt.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way women and indigenous people are portrayed in The Mummy. How does Evie's strength as a scholarly, cultured, biracial librarian compare to other lead female roles in cinema today? How are people of different races depicted? Are they respectful of their cultures?

  • Families can also talk about the violence in The Mummy. How does the fact that much of it is supernatural affect its impact? How is it different watching the "undead" get hurt than human characters?

Movie Details

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