Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (2007)

The ancient Egyptians combed the Earth in search of means and methods of bodily preservation following death in hopes of living on in immortality. Praying to the ancient gods and searching for a balance in life that would lead them to peace and prosperity in the afterlife, Egyptians – including the Great Rameses and his queen Nefertari – sought favor in life and death through the preservation of their bodies and the appeasement of the gods, including the goddess Maat. In Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs, Egyptologist Bob Brier goes in search of clues that will lead him to discover the secrets behind the ancient technique of mummification. His colleague, Angelique Corthals, hopes to uncover clues within the very DNA of these ancient humans in hopes of advancing modern medicine. Their search leads viewers on a journey of discovery through time, beginning with the life, times, rituals, and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. Also examined is the importance of the 1881 discovery of the Rosetta Stone – the key to deciphering the until-then indecipherable hieroglyphs of millennia past – and the role of grave robbing in the search for the tombs that housed the greatest Egyptian royalty to ever walk the Earth. It all comes together in 1994 when Scientists unlocked the secret of ancient DNA, leading to the belief that, through the excavation of mummies and the study of the ancients's preservation techniques, modern science could advance in understanding and develop greatly beyond what was otherwise impossible were it not for the greater understanding of the techniques of the ancient Egyptians.

Ask any schoolboy to provide a list of the handful of subjects he'd like to learn more about, and chances are good that "Egypt" or "Mummies" or some other reference that hearkens back to the days of ancient Egypt, the Pharaohs, mummification, the pyramids, and the like will show up, maybe somewhere between "dinosaurs" and "outer space." If they're desperate for knowledge and a good starting point is required, parents and teachers would be smart to consider Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs. Rather than simply support its narration with repetitive shots of archaeologists and scientists hard at work as they aim to unearth the truth behind and the potential modern benefits to be found from one of the world's greatest mysteries surrounding one of her greatest civilizations, Mummies supports much of its narrative by recreating several periods of history – which impress far more than many a cheap low-budget wannabe period movies of the kind – and brining the time of the pharaohs, the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, and a pivotal scene from modern-day science to vivid visual life. It's the kind of Documentary made for younger audiences with a thirst for knowledge and an appetite for good old fashioned adventure moviemaking, assuming they can handle some of the slightly more disturbing shots of unwrapped mummies and the resultant decay that's seen on well-preserved bodies aged several thousand years.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs takes a fascinating glimpse into not just the world of ancient Egypt, but how man's understanding of that civilization's techniques for bodily preservation have shaped future generations, whether the profitable profession of grave robbing or the potential for modern-day science to discover crucial breakthroughs in medicine. This is a smartly-produced film that's as entertaining as it is educational; the film finds just the right balance between dry commentary and exciting storytelling, not to mention delivering just as many finely-crafted visuals meant to recreate several crucial periods in the history of mummification and the resultant discoveries that would vastly expand modern man's knowledge base. Though it may be short in length and not quite up to par with big-budget Hollywood fare, Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs proves just as enthralling thanks to its epic feel and quality score that positively bring each segment to vivid life. It's well-written and nicely acted by those who recreate the past, and the modern scientists and archaeologists who play themselves in search of answers to some of history's greatest questions appear not only dedicated but invigorated by the opportunity afforded to them to use this movie as a means of educating the public about the potential that the ancient technique of mummification holds not only as a means of satiating curiosity about the ancient world but in bettering the lives of future generations by better understanding those who came thousands of years before.