The Mummy Movies Ranked: Best to Worst

I ranked the six theatrical Mummy films on four tests: how well the monster is used, how good the set pieces are, how well the ensemble carries the story, and how the film plays on a second viewing. That is opinion, not a formula, so a fan who values Karloff over Brendan Fraser will build a different list and have a fair case. If you want the plain facts first, the full film list sits on all the mummy movies, and the viewing sequence is on the mummy movies in order.

Six films are ranked: the mummy 1932, directed by Karl Freund, the three main saga films, The Scorpion King (2002) and the mummy 2017, directed by Alex Kurtzman. The Mummy: Book of the Dead is left out, because nobody can judge a film that is still on the calendar. Since "The Mummy" is three different film titles and the name of the creature, I always write the year when I mean a film.

The Mummy (1999) wins because every piece of it has a job. The Cairo prison, the dig at Hamunaptra, the rival American treasure hunters and Imhotep's slow return all feed one story, and the film is willing to be funny without letting the monster become a joke. Brendan Fraser as Rick O'Connell and Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan are the template the later films are measured against, with John Hannah's Jonathan Carnahan as the reckless brother who complicates every plan. It cost $80 million and took about $418 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, which is a healthy return, though the number is not why it is first. Perhaps the simplest way to put it is that it feels like a Saturday night with a very good pizza: nothing fancy, nothing missing.

In my opinion the 1999 film is better as a night in, and the 1932 film is better as a piece of horror history. The 1932 Mummy runs only 73 minutes, and its fear comes from Boris Karloff's stillness as Imhotep, later calling himself Ardath Bey, rather than from chases. The Mummy (2017) takes the opposite route, with Tom Cruise as Nick Morton, Sofia Boutella as Ahmanet and Russell Crowe as Henry Jekyll, and in my opinion it splits its attention across too many threads to frighten anyone for long. So, if you want a creature that lingers, start with 1932. If you want the one that earns repeat viewings with friends, start with 1999. To see how the same name changes from film to film, read the mummy villains and the profile of imhotep mummy.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), directed by Rob Cohen, did not lose money on paper, but it slid hard against its predecessor. It cost $145 million, against $98 million for The Mummy Returns, and it took about $403 million worldwide, against about $444 million for the earlier film. The US gross dropped from about $203 million to about $102 million, per Box Office Mojo, while the international figure rose to about $301 million. Maria Bello took over Evelyn from Rachel Weisz, as Variety reported, and the setting moved from Egypt to China with Jet Li as Han and Michelle Yeoh as Zi Yuan. Why audiences cooled is opinion rather than record: I think the recast and the change of director cost it the familiar chemistry, and the emperor never gets the personal stakes that Imhotep had. That being said, its 1946 setting and Jet Li's casting as the emperor deserve more credit than the film usually receives.

The Mummy Returns is third because it is bigger than it is better. Directed by Stephen Sommers in 2001, it adds Alex O'Connell, the bracelet, the oasis of Ahm Shere and Dwayne Johnson's first appearance as Mathayus, and it is the highest grossing film of the six, at about $444 million worldwide on a $98 million budget. It is also busier, and in my view some of its digital creature work has aged less well than the practical stunts of the first film. The Scorpion King (2002), directed by Chuck Russell, is a lean 92 minute adventure with Johnson, Michael Clarke Duncan and Kelly Hu, and it sits fifth because it is a different kind of film. The Mummy (2017) is last because its pieces, a tomb in Iraq exposed by air strikes, a fine Ahmanet, a Jekyll subplot, never settle into one story. It cost $125 million and took about $409 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Last place is a ranking position, not a mockery of Cruise or Boutella, who work hard with what they are given.

The Mummy: Book of the Dead is the next entry and it is not ranked here. Universal has set it for Oct. 15, 2027 according to Variety, with Radio Silence directing and Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz returning. The date is tracked on the mummy 4, and any trailer will go on the mummy 4 trailer once one exists. If you are choosing what to watch tonight, begin with The Mummy (1999), add The Mummy Returns if you enjoyed it, and keep The Mummy (1932) for the evening you want something quieter. Full verdicts will appear on the mummy reviews as they are written.