Stephen Sommer’s The Mummy (1999) is an action-packed film, but beneath its adventurous narrative, it’s a film deeply embedded with an imperialistic attitude. The film follows a group of Western adventurers: Rick O’Connell (played by Brenden Fraser), an American adventurer, and Evelyn Carnahan (played by Rachel Weisz), a British Egyptologist, who inadvertently resurrect an ancient Egyptian priest, Imhotep, unleashing chaos upon the modern world. Through a post-colonial lens, one can see the Eurocentrism, cultural appropriation, demonization, and exoticization of Egyptian history and mythology while sidelining Egyptian agency. The film follows the classic Western narrative of saving Egypt and the colonial subjects, Egyptians who are shown as passive victims rather than active participants in their history.
Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) theorizes that the Western discourse views the East or the Orient as exotic, irrational, and dangerous ‘Other’ to justify imperialism. Egyptian culture and mythology are portrayed as dangerous and mysterious but still highly exotic. Warm lighting, stereotypical arab music going on in the background, and long sweeping shots of endless dunes create the impression that Egypt is an empty, desolate land rather than a historically rich and complex civilization. It mirrors the Western adventure narratives that treat non-Western lands as mysterious and untamed, along with propagating the Western view of Egypt as an ‘exotic playground’ for Euro-American characters, while Egyptians themselves play marginal or subservient roles.
The few scenes that show urban Egypt, especially Cairo, are depicted as chaotic, noisy marketplaces with street vendors, narrow alleys filled with scam artists, and dusty buildings. This aligns with the Western prevailing idea of showing the East as exotic and backward in juxtaposition with the “civilized” and organized West. Instead of incorporating authentic Egyptian sounds, the film score features wailing vocals, deep string instruments, and minor-key melodies commonly associated with Hollywood’s Orientalist depictions of the Middle East, reinforcing the idea that Egypt is an ancient exotic mystical land rather than a modern nation. In the scenes with Western characters’ adventures, the music shifts to heroic adventure music. These musical choices subtly reinforce the ever-prevailing divide between Western rationality and Eastern superstition.
Egyptian history and mythology are shown as dark and dangerous, especially involving The Book of the Dead and the process of mummification, which are presented as sinister and threatening rather than part of a sophisticated religious system. Inhoptep, the ancient priest and central antagonist of the film, reinforces the trope of the ‘Oriental villain. His resurrection threatens the Western world, implying that Egypt’s past is dangerous when it resurfaces. The Western characters are obsessed with Egypt as a nation, exotifying it, but place their Western academic knowledge as a force of order against the chaotic and backward Egyptian “magic.”
Foucault’s theories on power and knowledge suggest that those who control knowledge also control reality, and this is proved in The Mummy, where knowledge is controlled by Western scholars and adventures reinforcing colonial power dynamics. Western characters are portrayed as the primary intellectual authority in ancient Egypt, while natives are either mystics or looters. The adventurers’ main goal is finding the fabled treasure of Hamunaptra, echoing real-life colonial looting of artifacts from Egypt.
Westerners are seen as knowledge-seeking, ambitious, and adventure-loving characters, but the natives, if ever shown on screen, are shown as laborers working under the British archaeologists, often opening chests or exhuming mummies and getting cursed by the ancient curses shown to be expendable and serving as a learning for the archaeologists.
The Medjai, a secret society meant to protect Egypt from the rise of Imhotep, are among the few Egyptian characters who have some level of agency in the film. However, their roles are secondary since our Western heroes swoop in and save the day, proving that natives depend on Western intervention. The other Egyptian characters are largely background figures and are often portrayed as comic relief (e.g., Beni, the cowardly Hungarian who ingratiates himself with Imhotep by exploiting religious symbols) or as untrustworthy, corrupt, and unintelligent (e.g., the warden who funds the expedition for profit). Moreover, the film visually and narratively juxtaposes Egyptians with Westerners—Imhotep’s followers are shown as zombified, mindless worshippers, reinforcing the idea of the "Other" as a faceless, fanatical mass. Meanwhile, the white protagonists maintain their individuality and intelligence, controlling the narrative.
The film follows the classic structure of colonial adventure narratives where Western explorers enter a foreign land and engage in what is effectively cultural looting. Evelyn’s interest in Hamunaptra is purely academic, Jonathan’s motivations are financial, and the rival American treasure hunters are outright grave robbers. Still, the film does not critically question their right to access these sites or take artifacts, mirroring real-world colonial archaeological exploits. The Westerns have consequences for their plaundering, like getting cursed or killed, but these punishments are framed as supernatural horror rather than a critique of real-world colonial looting, and these heroes escape with the treasure anyway by the end of the film, reinforcing the idea that Westerners have the right to claim Egypt’s past.
The Mummy is an enjoyable action film but reinforces colonialist and Orientalist tropes. Egypt, a great nation and once a large booming civilization, is exoticized and shown as a land to be explored and controlled by Westerners. A truly decolonized narrative would involve Egyptian characters taking ownership of their history, challenging Western interventions, and being depicted as more than just mystical guardians or villains. However, in The Mummy, Egypt remains a colonial playground where history is a source of adventure rather than a living heritage.
Jazbia Junaid is pursuing English Literature from Jamia Millia Islamia.
Edited by Sana Faiz
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.
