20 Things You Somehow Missed In The Mummy (1999)

Stephen Sommers' The Mummy truly is a phenomenon. Considering it's a remake of a 67-year-old horror that - at the time - had no major stars, this blockbuster had plenty to prove. The fact it was released the same month as the overly hyped Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace, was another reason The Mummy could've easily bombed.

Thankfully, the Indiana Jones-inspired action flick was a hit with critics and at the box office, thanks to the cast's chemistry, the swashbuckling action, the solid comedy, and the breathtaking special effects. The Mummy didn't just launch a franchise, but turned the leads - Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz - into A-list names almost overnight. Although there've been many adaptations before and since - including the iconic Universal original - the 1999 version is surely the most beloved. (Sorry, Tom Cruise.)

Despite the fact avid Mummy devotees should know the film inside-out, there are a few details they mightn't have picked up on. We're not talking about random trivia or behind-the-scene antics in this case, but rather those interesting aspects in the film itself that observant moviegoers may not have noticed.

Even if fans have seen The Mummy a dozen times - and they should do so again this year, as it's the film's 25th anniversary - there are a couple of noteworthy tidbits that'll make them appreciate it more than ever.

The Mummy revolutionised CGI since it was one of the earliest mainstream films to utilise certain digital effects, including motion capture, digital cutouts, procedural animation, and computer-generated prosthetics.

Even though multiple visual companies worked on The Mummy, the director, Stephen Sommers, made sure digital effects were only used when necessary. Although the opening shot of Ancient Egypt implements CGI, there's not as much as it appears. In fact, almost every structure in this sequence is a miniature.

Contrary to how they look, the temples, pillars, pyramids, Anubis statues, the palace, and the sphinx were sculpted and painted by members of ILM. Kim Smith and her team studied archaeological sites and pictures of Ancient Egyptian monuments to make the miniatures as authentic as possible. 

Sadly, the sequence was drenched in artificial lightning, giving the structures an unnatural look. For this reason, many viewers may not realise how much physical labour was put into this shot, since they have a glossy, computerised sheen in-shot.