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Dawson Nyffenegger
Updated
Jan 28, 2026, 7:49 PM EST
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Ancient Egypt is a subject that fascinates many, so it's only natural that it has been committed to film multiple times. Sadly, most films about Ancient Egypt have been really bad—horrible, even. In a sea of low-quality B-movies about one of humanity's oldest societies, it can be really hard to find a good movie about the topic, especially if you're craving something in that genre.
Fortunately for aspiring Egyptologists, there are a handful of diamonds in the rough out there. Some of these are blockbusters, but most of them are underappreciated gems that aren't really talked about enough today. If Ancient Egypt is your thing, you should definitely check out these movies. They might not be historically accurate, but they're definitely entertaining.
15 'The Scorpion King: Book of Souls' (2018)
Image via Universal Pictures
The Scorpion King franchise is a spin-off of the '90s and '00s The Mummy series, serving as a sort of prequel. The fantasy films take the audience back in time to the prime years of Ancient Egypt, following the eponymous Scorpion King in his rise to power. Generally, the franchise has been pretty poorly received, to the point that most of the films were exclusively direct-to-video. None of them, save the first one, got theatrical releases, yet they were somehow successful enough to keep churning out sequels. Most of these are pretty bad. Horrible, even.
This fifth and final installment, though, is actually kind of awesome. Much to everyone's surprise, the action was actually thrilling, and the filmmakers seemed like they genuinely cared about it and weren't just tossing it out for a quick buck. It's actually really well-made, and was a success both for returning fans and newcomers. It's easily the best film in The Scorpion King series, and is currently sitting pretty with a 79% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a much better score than any of the other films got.
14 'Mummies' (2023)
Image via Warner Bros.
Mummies is an animated family movie that hails from Spain, but that was made entirely in the English language. The film follows three Ancient Egyptian mummies, who rise from the dead, traveling through the underworld in search of a mythical ring, only to wind up in 21st-Century London. Obviously, this results in many awkward and comedic situations as they try to understand this new land and new culture that they never could've even imagined back when they were alive.
This animated flick is honestly really underrated. Critics didn't like it very much, but audiences seem to be very fond of it, indeed, from kids to adults alike. Sure, there's not a whole lot of Ancient Egypt actually featured in the film, but come on—they're mummies. Mummies are practically synonymous with Ancient Egypt. Don't expect to learn too much about history with this film. However, if you're looking for a family-friendly comedy adventure about how pharaohs would function in the modern day, this might just be a film for you.
13 'Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatre' (2002)
Alain Chabat kissing Monica Bellucci's hand in Mission CleopatraImage via Pathé
Based on the famous Asterix comics, and a 1965 story in particular, Asterix & Obelix: MIssion Cleopatre is a French comedy film that actually serves as the second adaptation of the story. This is following a 1968 animated film, although the live-action version is much more recent, and arguably of better renown. The film focuses on a fictional deal between Caesar (Alain Chabat) and Cleopatra (Monica Bellucci) to build a temple in record time, with the Queen enlisting the help of Asterix (Christian Clavier) and Obelix (Gérard Depardieu).
Critic and audience reviews were pretty much in agreement for this one, with both groups holding it to a similar level of quality. As to be expected, this is a pretty wild comedy film and doesn't come close to any aspect of actual history. But it is genuinely hilarious, as these films tend to be. Fans of Ancient Egypt will surely come to appreciate its setting, along with its ridiculous humor and signature flair.
12 'Caesar and Cleopatra' (1945)
Caesar and Cleopatra is actually based on a 1901 stage play by William Bernard Shaw. As one could easily guess by the title, the story follows the love affair between Roman politician Julius Caesar (Claude Reins) and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII (Vivien Leigh), one of the last and most famous pharaohs to ever exist. The two had a known relationship during Caesar's Civil War in Egypt, which occurred in the First Century BCE. These years marked the last years of both the Roman Republic and the Egyptian Empire.
The movie decides to play it safe, opting to not make any changes whatsoever from the source material. Its dialogue is basically a direct copy-and-paste, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Despite an Oscar nomination, the movie was a financial disaster, failing to break even at the box office. Yet critics seem to like this movie very much. It's not super action-packed or anything, but it's a great adaptation of a great play, made more vivid and lively thanks to movie magic.
11 'The Egyptian' (1954)
Image via 20th Century Fox
The Egyptian is set in the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt, which ran from approximately 1550 until 1292 BCE. The movie follows the turmoil that occurred in Egypt with the birth of Akhenaten, who is played by Michael Wilding. Akhenaten became a pharaoh and ascended to the throne of the Egyptian Empire, but he ultimately rejected Egypt's traditional polytheistic religion in favor of a monotheistic one. Akhenaten believed that the only god was the Sun, named Aten. He attempted to spread his beliefs, which made him the target of the priesthood's vitriol.
The story follows the political and societal unrest during Akhenaten's reign, and features many other historical figures, too, including Nefertiti (Anitra Stevens) and Horemheb (Victor Mature). Some aspects of the film may not have aged perfectly, but it is a historically informative film. Sure, it misses a lot of finer details, but it does provide a brief summary of true events that many aren't aware of. In short, for fans of Ancient Egypt, this is absolutely a must-see movie.
10 'The Prince of Egypt' (1998)
Image via DreamWorks
The Prince of Egypt is a religious movie at heart, intended to appeal towards Christian and Jewish audiences. However, even if you aren't Jewish or Christian, heck, even if you aren't religious whatsoever, it's a phenomenal movie. Produced by DreamWorks, it has all the makings of a classic Disney animated musical, from the upbeat, poppy numbers right down to the animation style. The story follows much of the Biblical Book of Exodus, in which Moses (Val Kilmer) leads the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery, against the will of Moses' adoptive brother, the Pharaoh Rameses (Ralph Fiennes).
The spectacle is truly wonderful, and the musical numbers are some of the best DreamWorks has ever produced. Songs like "The Plagues" and "Playing With the Big Boys" are sure to be stuck in your head for weeks afterwards. Of course, it also features a lot of Egyptian mythos and themes alongside its Abrahamic undertones. While not a movie that is totally historically accurate, it's a fantastic adventure through time that can easily be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of faith, or lack thereof, and is among the best Ancient Egypt movies ever.
9 'The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec' (2010)
Image via EuropaCorp
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec is a French film based on a comic book series by Jacques Tardi. In this live-action flick, Adèle is played by Louise Bourgoin, who brings an elegance and shine to the fictional writer, appearing alongside a few of the comics' recurring characters. In this adventure, Adèle heads to Egypt to unearth the tomb of Ramesses II, but what she finds there proves to be far more than she bargained for.
It isn't just themes of Ancient Egypt that get explored here—there's also dinosaurs (yes, really), and a good amount of period drama, taking place in early 20th-Century Paris. This is often a recipe for disaster, and is a sign of a movie biting off more than it can chew, but everything works together really well in this movie, making it a thrilling and highly-underrated adventure flick.
8 'Stargate' (1994)
Image via MGM
Stargate was very poorly received when it first came out, but it's found quite a cult following in recent years, with many consumers now starting to appreciate the film and its subsequent cinematic universe for what it is. Kurt Russell stars as an archaeologist who stumbles upon an ancient artifact in Egypt, which, when activated, opens a portal to a distant desert planet. This new planet, Abydos, is inhabited by people who speak a dialect of Ancient Egyptian, implying that Ancient Egyptians must have used this portal to travel to Abydos.
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Dive into the world of entertainment with Collider, delivering the latest news, reviews, and exclusive updates from movies, TV, and pop culture Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.If you're into a twist of sci-fi with your Egyptian mythos, this movie is right up your alley. It's got modern experts meeting a people and culture that hasn't existed for millennia, and also features some cosmic themes about humanity's influence on the universe. Classic, yet criminally underrated, Stargate will be like nothing you've ever seen before, and not in a bad way.
7 'Agora' (2009)
Oscar Isaac as a Roman ruler sitting on an elaborate throne in Agora.Image via Focus Features International
Agora is a Spanish-made movie, but it is in English and features a lot of notable actors. In the foreground is Rachael Weisz, who plays the real-life philosopher Hypatia, who lived in Alexandria in the Fourth-Fifth Century CE, when Egypt was considered part of the Eastern Roman Empire. Hypatia was not only a philosopher, but an astronomer as well, and began to look into the flaws in the Romans' geocentric model of the solar system.
The film takes a few historical liberties in its depictions of Hypatia, but hey, what movie doesn't take a few here and there? That's why it's historical fiction. Regardless, the movie may not be great, but it's still good, and gives attention to a very influential woman in ancient history who doesn't get nearly the amount of attention that she deserves. It definitely deserves points for that.
6 'The Mummy's Hand' (1940)
Image via Universal Pictures
The Mummy's Hand is a pseudo-sequel created on account of the success of the 1932 film. This horror flick doesn't focus on an undead mummy, but rather a mummy who is being kept alive over the course of thousands of years by a nefarious priest. The movie has its flaws for sure, with a relatively unimpressive budget and even rehashing footage from the original, yet in spite of all of it, it still manages to squeeze past being average and make it as a decent, enjoyable movie.
The cast and crew are all new, along with the characters. Instead of Imhotep, the mummy in this movie is Kharis, who is forced to live using a mystical brew of tea, keeping him from passing on into the Duat. The Mummy's Hand is a little hokey, but overall a fun follow-up to the 1932 film, coming off as something almost entirely new, and as more of a spiritual successor than a full-on sequel.
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