The Mummy (1999)

The Mummy (1999), an American action-adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, is a remake of the 1932 film with the same title. In ancient Egypt, high priest Imhotep engages in an illicit affair with Anck-su-Namun, the mistress of Pharaoh Seti. Despite strict rules forbidding any other men from touching her, their romance is discovered by the Pharaoh. To cover their tracks, Imhotep and Anck-su-Namun murder him and flee before his guards can find them. Tragically, Anck-su-Namun commits suicide with the hope of being resurrected by Imhotep. However, their plans are foiled when Seti’s guards catch them during the resurrection ceremony and send Anck-su-Namun’s soul back to the Underworld.

As punishment for their crime, Imhotep’s priests are mummified alive, while he himself is cursed with Hom Dai. This ritual condemns him to be an immortal carrier of disease if he were ever resurrected. He is buried under tight security in a sarcophagus beneath a statue of the god Anubis, and monitored closely over the centuries by the Medjai, descendants of Seti’s palace guards. If Imhotep were to be freed, his newfound powers would unleash chaos and death upon the world. In 1923, French Foreign Legion soldiers led by American Rick O’Connell bravely defend Hamunaptra against a massive army of Medjai warriors. Despite their efforts, they are ultimately slaughtered and O’Connell retreats within the city walls. Surrounded by a group of Medjai, he is spared when Imhotep’s malevolent presence appears and drives them away, leaving him to meet his fate alone in the desert.