International audiences fell in love with the handsome “Rick O’Connell and the sharp librarian Evelyn” and the Mummy’s ghost in the action-adventure movie “The Mummy” from 1999, which served as the first in The Mummy film series.

The unusual duo fights against the undead Egyptian high priest Imhotep as he pursues his campaign to exterminate humanity in Stephen Sommers’ adaptation of the 1932 classic creature film.

It was combating the supernatural powers and terrifying plagues that unleash upon the land. This is entirely different from the 1930s and 1940s Universal horror films and Hammer horror films.

The Sommers mummy’s curse brilliantly incorporates humor, amazing effects, and exciting action sequences into the gripping Egyptian story, shifting their focus away from being short horror movies and toward adventure and romance.

The Mummy Movies in Order of the Release Date

  • The Mummy (1999)
  • The Mummy returns (2001)
  • The Scorpion king (2002)
  • Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in The Mummy (2008)
  • The Mummy (2017)

The enjoyable and captivating Mummy’s shroud film helped Brendan Fraser solidify his status as a Hollywood leading man and gave Rachel Weisz her breakthrough role abroad, catapulting the duo to international fame.

In 2001, Dwayne Johnson made his debut through the sequel and landed his first significant part in “The Scorpion King” movies, the prequel to the franchise, both of which broke box office records.

The Mummy trilogy was a runaway success that contributed to the resurgence of interest in monster movies. Expertly fusing romance with horror, adventure, and humor provided viewers with a joyful and exhilarating experience.

The Mummy was an unsuccessful attempt by Universal Studios to revive the well-liked franchise in 2017, and it was a commercial failure.

Though HBO max presently offers The Mummy movies by Stephen Sommers for streaming, the mummy trilogy franchise perfectly blends adventure, silliness, and horror. If you’re also a fan of Mummies and ancient ruins, you should watch it in order of release date and chronological order.

 The Mummy (1999)

The 1999 fantasy action-adventure extravaganza “The Mummy,” directed by Stephen Sommers, follows American explorer Rick O’Connell as he leads (John Hannah) as Jonathan and Evelyn Carnahan, a talented librarian, and aspiring Egyptologist, travel to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, for an archaeological dig.

Anck-su-namun, the mistress of the ruthless Pharaoh Seti, and high priest Imhotep are having an affair when the dramatic picture opens in Thebes in 1290 BC.

When their illicit relationship is discovered, Imhotep runs away, and his sweetheart commits herself in the hope that he will raise her from the dead.

The Pharaoh’s bodyguards, the Medjai, foil his attempts to achieve just that by burying the high priest alive and swearing to stop Imhotep’s reappearance forever.

The story begins in 1926, when Evelyn, a cunning woman, saves O’Connell from certain death in a Cairo prison.

She then persuades the former captain of the French Foreign Legion to guide them to the legendary city because he is one of the few men to have ever been to Hamunaptra and survived to tell the tale.

The group comes upon a group of American treasure hunters commanded by Rick’s cowardly old friend Beni Gabor, who is being kept an eye on by the Medjai and their boss Ardeth Bay.

Evelyn accidentally awakens Imhotep after reading the Book of the Dead, casting a terrible curse upon the land that leaves bloodshed and mayhem in its wake. Rick, Evelyn, and the Medjai are in charge of returning the high priest to his Underworld burial.

Alongside Rachel Weisz, Brendan Fraser plays the dashing, endearing hero Rick O’Connell in the movie. The actors captivate audiences with their brilliant onscreen chemistry and humorous banter.

Sommers spent a year writing the script because he wanted to make a romantic horror picture with a more terrifying and menacing monster than the shambling, bandaged Mummy from the old movies.

The critical and financial success of “The Mummy” prompted the 2001 follow-up “The Mummy Returns,” which received accolades for its acting, special effects, and innovative take on the classic creature picture.

The Mummy Returns (2001)

The 2001 action-horror movie “The Mummy Returns” follows up in 1933 with the now-married Rick and Evelyn O’Connell. They now have an eight-year-old son named Alex and reside in a large estate outside of London after slaying the furious undead high priest Imhotep.

The sequel opens with a flashback to 3067 BC, when the Scorpion king led an army to conquer the world. After being beaten and banished to the Ahm Shere desert, the warrior makes a soul-saving bargain with Anubis in exchange for defeating his foes.

After winning, Anubis takes his soul and casts him into the Underworld. Rick and Evelyn find the potent Bracelet of Anubis while exploring ancient ruins with their kid, which starts a series of events that endanger all of humanity.

A large portion of the cast from the first movie returns for “The Mummy Returns,” including John Hannah as Jonathan, Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep, and Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay, along with some brand new actors like Freddie Boath as Alex and the fearsome Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Lock-Nah, Ardeth’s enemy.

A lot of the stars suffered while they were working on the movie. It took five months of preparation for Rachel Weisz and Patricia Velasquez’s Anck-su-namun to perform their epic battle sequence without the assistance of stuntwomen.

The box revenue and audience success of “The Mummy Returns” paved the way for a third and concluding picture; 2008 saw the release of “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”

The Scorpion King (2002)

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays the famous Egyptian Scorpion King Mathayus of Akkad in the 2002 action-adventure movie.

Related: Dwayne Johnson Movies in Order (Movies with “The Rock”)

The Scorpion King, which carts his spectacular ascent to power. The former WWE wrestler portrays the ferocious desert warrior as he fights to defend Gomorrah, his home city, from a cruel, evil tyrant.

The menacing king Memnon wants to wipe out the nomadic tribes of the desert, so the assassin Mathayus enlists the aid of the magical sorceress Cassandra and a horse thief named Arpid to fight against him.

The Scorpion King was both a prequel and a spin-off to Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy trilogy; it was released in the renowned series after both The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

With its last chapter, the 2008 adventure film “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” underwent significant change both in front of and behind the camera.

When Rachel Weisz left the franchise and Maria Bello was cast in the character of Evelyn, Steven Sommers stepped down from the director’s chair, handing the reins to Rob Cohen and acting exclusively as a producer.

As Alex (Luke Ford), the O’Connells’ now-adult son, finds the Mummy of the first Emperor of Qin, the terrible warlord Han the Dragon Emperor, who was promised immortality but was mummified alive alongside his soldiers, the entire scenario moves from Egypt to China, with a stronger emphasis on Alex.

General Yang, a rogue military commander, snatches the stone and revives Han, thinking he can restore peace to China after the devastation of World War II; Rick and Evelyn travel to China to return the ancient gemstone known as the Eye of Shangri-La.

Although the Stephen Sommers series’ third movie eventually went on to gross $400 million at the box office, it was the least successful of the trilogy.

Although there were early discussions about a potential fourth film, Universal Pictures decided to entirely reinvent the brand with the disastrous 2017 Tom Cruise-led action-adventure thriller The Mummy.

The Mummy (2017)

The 2017 fantasy action-adventure film “The Mummy” stars action legend Tom Cruise as the U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton. He plunders ancient artifacts for sale but inadvertently awakens the imprisoned Egyptian princess Ahmanet.

Related: 21 Tom Cruise Movies in Order: Ranked Best to Worst

The film was intended to launch the Dark Universe based on the iconic Universal Monsters made famous between the 30s’ and 50s’.

The original announcement of the current remake of the series was made in 2012, and Cruise signed on to star in the big film in 2015.

According to Variety, the actor had excessive control over almost every element of the movie’s development, which is thought to have caused creative tension between him and the director Alex Kurtzman.

According to Kurtzman, who previously admitted on the Bingeworthy podcast that The Mummy was “perhaps the biggest disaster” of his life, and the experience was “brutal.”

It seems that audiences couldn’t get on board with Cruise dashing about the city of London, kicking butt against a legion of zombies and a highly irritated Mummy.

As with any reboot, there will be innumerable comparisons to the original pictures. Many believed that the Dark Universe had already failed before it started because of The Mummy, which served as the high-concept debut for a lengthy series of new horror remakes from Universal based on their iconic monsters.

Mummy movies have evolved since their release in 1932. What was once a horror movie designed to scare audiences has now become a popular genre with action, adventure, and even comedy.

Despite the changes, one thing remains the same: mummies are still a force to be reckoned with on the big screen. With new mummy movies scheduled for release in the next few years, it will be interesting to see how the genre continues to evolve. So, these were all the mummy movies in order of release date.

FAQs About The Mummy Movies in Order

Does “The Mummy Returns” have a book as a basis?

“The Mummy Returns” is the second film in The Mummy franchise; “The Mummy” (1999) and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” came before it (2008). “The Mummy Returns,” a novelization by American author Max Allan Collins, was offered at the same time as the movie.

Does anyone in The Mummy speak ancient Egyptian?

Despite this, a significant portion of the conversation in the movie is delivered in ancient Egyptian, so Ahmanet’s lines had to be translated for the film from English to Egyptian.

Is The Mummy suitable for young audiences?

Parents should be aware that the 1999 film “The Mummy” is very violent, with lethal acid, insect bites, and various magical afflictions. Most violence is intended against the “undead,” whose bones break when struck with swords or fists, and there is hardly any blood or gore.

Is The Mummy frightful?

Although it has a few bizarre moments, I recall being particularly startled by the bugs; still, it’s more amazing! The happy ending establishes the movie’s tone for the heroes and the comic relief.

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