By 2050 a total of 72 per cent of Cyprus will be at risk of desertification, according to a climate change report issued in 2022. Although if you stepped out at any point during the last two months, you probably know that already. So, in anticipation of our loss of precipitation (some dry humour there for you), here are our top five movies set in a desert!

The Mummy (1999)

Supposedly a remake of the 1932 horror classic, The Mummy launched Brendan Fraser’s career. Having seen this one in the cinema when I was a teenager, it holds a special place in my heart.

The Mummy tells the story of rogue adventurer Rick O’Connell as he escorts an Egyptologist and her brother to find the lost city of Hamunaptra, where they accidentally awaken the high priest Imhotep. The priest, cursed by the Pharaoh is unleashed upon the Earth and the only people who can stop him are Rick and the gang.

The movie was a huge success, spawning two more sequels and making Fraser a household name. Watching it today, it’s almost impossible to think of the movie without him but the truth is that he was not the first choice for the part. That would be Leonardo Di Caprio, who had just taken the world by storm by starring in the hugely successful Titanic.

Di Caprio loved the script, and agreed to play the part but had already signed on to star in The Beach. He pleaded with the producers to delay shooting the movie but they refused, resulting in the part going to Fraser.

You can watch The Mummy on Netflix.

The English Patient

A soaring adventure-romance released back in 1996, The English Patient tells the story of the survivor of a crashed biplane in the desert, shot down by the Germans during WWII. The survivor is burned beyond recognition and as he rests in a hospital and is nursed to health he relates his story to his nurse. How he led expeditions to map out locations in the desert and how he fell in love with a woman. I won’t spoil the ending but get some tissues ready, just in case.

A character in the movie called David Carvaggio was originally meant to be played by Sean Connery but he turned it down. Adding to the litany of roles he turned down that ended up being huge successes, most notably The Matrix (the Architect) and Lord of The Rings (Gandalf the Wizard).

Actually taking part in the movie is Naveen Andrews, who you can also watch playing one of the main characters in Lost, available now on Netflix.

Dune 1&2

How could this not be on this list? Dennis Villeneuve’s sprawling desert saga is the sci-fi tale of Paul Atreides (played by Timothee Chalamet) who is forced to live on the desert planet of Arrakis with the native Fremen after his family falls victim to a plot by a rival House. Paul takes his place as the Fremen prophesied Messiah (the Lisan Al-Gaib). Riding the ferocious sandworms, Paul returns to extract his revenge and set the whole universe aflame.

While this was envisioned to be an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s first book, the movies were so successful that the studio asked Villeneuve to direct a third one, based on Dune: Messiah to conclude Paul’s story. Dune 3, as is the working title, is officially in development although no release date has been set.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Any of the Mad Max films could fit on this list but I chose Fury Road as I believe it is the best of the bunch. George Miller’s magnum opus, Fury Road was released in 2015, the fourth in his dystopian, post-apocalyptic Mad Max series that started with Mel Gibson as the protagonist in 1979. Tom Hardy supposedly stars in this one but it is Charlize Theron, playing Furiosa, who steals the show. The film tells the story of Max, a survivor of an apocalypse who is captured by a gang of roamers. He is then drafted into helping three women escape the gang and their grisly fate.

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron notoriously did not get along while filming and had to publicly apologise to the director at the Cannes Festival, where the movie was first screened.

Lawrence of Arabia

There’s no desert movie list, without this classic hit. Lawrence of Arabia, the movie that made Peter O’Toole’s career, was released in 1962 and tells the story of former British Intelligence officer TE Lawrence who served as a liaison of the British government and the Arab population who rose up against the Turks in World War I.

It was a huge hit when it was released, winning seven Oscars and dominating the box office, quadrupling its budget. It also holds a negative record, as it is the longest film with no spoken lines from a woman.