Universal's "The Mummy" is the first (they hope) of several re-made monster movies under the 'Dark Universe' banner. Javier Bardem has signed on to play Frankenstein's Monster and Johnny Depp will be the Invisible Man (Huh. He's still a box office draw?). Also planned are reboots of Van Helsing, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. These films will share a world of 'gods and monsters,' with the probable goal of bringing these iconic characters together to face off or fight a greater threat, like some superheroes we know. It's safe to say the studio desperately needs "The Mummy" to be a box office success, which is probably why Tom Cruise plays the lead, but that makes this movie less of a thriller and more of an action flick.
The movie opens in modern-day Iraq, with Nick Morton (Cruise), his sidekick Chris (Jake Johnson) and Egyptologist Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis) discovering an ancient Egyptian tomb, which turns out to hold the sarcophagus of Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), who awakens to complete her mission to bring the Egyptian god of death Set into a human body. Much of the first section is bogged down in exposition, including Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe) and his organization, 'Prodigium,' which tracks monsters. Later we get just plain silly zombies chasing the amoral Nick, who just might be redeemable, and an ambitious ending. Boutella, known for her roles in Kingsman and Star Trek Beyond, turns in a solid performance, perhaps the best thing about this awful movie. Cruise is Cruise. For the beginning of an ongoing series, "The Mummy" is a misfire.
No comments:
Post a Comment