With all the buzz about a new entry in The Mummy franchise on the horizon—the ones starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz—I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the memorable lines from the first two films. I’ll do The Mummy Returns next week.
THE MUMMY (1999)
Adventurer Rick O’Connell (Fraser) runs into Beni, a former friend that once deserted him. Rick: “Well if it ain’t my little buddy Beni. I think I’ll kill you.” Beni: “Think of my children.” Rick: “You don’t have any children.” Beni: “Someday I might.”
Evelyn Carnahan (Weisz) seeks out Rick after learning that he had been to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. Evelyn: “I may not be an explorer or an adventurer, or a treasure seeker or a gunfighter, Mr. O’Connell, but I am proud of what I am.” Rick: “And what is that?” Evelyn: “I…am a librarian!”
Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz might be facing off against the Mummy again.
In Hamunaptra, Evelyn and Rick prepare to open Imhotep’s sarcophagus. Evelyn: “Oh, I’ve dreamt about this since I was a little girl!” Rick: “You dream about dead guys?”
Evelyn is describing mummification in vivid detail. Rick: “Let me get this straight. They ripped out your guts and stuffed them in jars?” Evelyn: “And then they take out your heart as well. Oh, and you know how they took out your brains?” Rick: “Evy, I don’t think we need to know this.” Evelyn: “They take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit, and then rip it all out through your nostrils.” Rick: “Ooh, that’s gotta hurt.” Evelyn: “It’s called mummification. You’ll be dead when they do this.” Rick: “For the record, if I don’t make it out of here, don’t put me down for mummification.”
With Imhotep on the loose, Evelyn asks Rick, “Have you got any bright ideas?” Rick: “I’m thinking, I’m thinking.” Evelyn: “You better think of something fast, because if he turns me into a mummy, you’re the first one I’m coming after.”
Evelyn translates a chilling line spoken by Imhotep: “Death is only the beginning.”
Back in Cairo, Rick wants to leave. Evelyn is not ready. Rick: “I thought you said you didn’t believe in all this fairy tales and hokum stuff!” Evelyn: “Well, having an encounter with a three-thousand-year-old walking, talking corpse does tend to convert one.”
Imhotep is not yet fully formed.
Rick seeks the help of Winston Havelock, late of His Majesty’s Royal Air Corps. Winston: “What’s the, uh, what’s the challenge then?” Rick: “Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, and save the world.”
And save the world is exactly what this intrepid pair, along with Evelyn’s brother Jonathan and a Medjai warrior named Ardeth Bay, will attempt to do. The Mummy is one of my absolute favorite films, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. The Mummy Returns, which I’ll present next week, runs a close second.