The Mummy, 2017.
Directed by Alex Kurtzman
Starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Marwan Kenzari, and Russell Crowe.
SYNOPSIS:
An ancient princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.
To say that The Mummy is a bit of a mixed bag is an understatement. The plot is ludicrous and the set-up for the new Dark Universe is clumsy, but at the same time there’s some decent action and Sofia Boutella is on top form as the evil awakened Mummy Ahmanet.
Heading up the adventure is Nick Morton (Cruise) a man who is supposed to be a “liberator” of antiquities and a bit of a heartless bastard. Along with his friend Chris Vail (an underused Jake Johnson) they discover a hidden prison where the evil Princess Ahmanet has been kept hidden from the world and they accidentally wake her up. Accompanied by archaeologist Jenny Halsey (Wallis); Nick must save the day and stop Ahmanet performing a ritual that will have untold consequences. Along the way we meet Dr Jekyll (Crowe) who seems to be the Nick Fury of this new universe as well as a ton of CGI mummies and effects that we’ve seen a thousand times before.
Say what you will about Tom Cruise but he usually commits 100% to a role; but here it seems that even he can’t be arsed with the dodgy script. He has good chemistry with Boutella but in the case of Wallis there is zero going on. By the end he’s supposed to have had some character development, but we find out so little about him that it doesn’t make any impact. Acting opposite Wallis couldn’t have helped. She delivers a performance so bland that at times it seems like he’s acting against a cardboard cut-out. The blame can’t fall entirely on Wallis as her character only seems to scream for help, get into stupid situations and be there for exposition.
As a start to the Dark Universe, The Mummy isn’t a bad film but it’s not great either. There are some great set pieces at the beginning but the over reliance on CGI baddies takes away any tension. The characters are paper-thin and the whole film feels like it’s been designed as a typical Tom Cruise film, rather than the set up for something bigger. It relies on his action chops but manages to take away his trademark charisma. Hopefully as the Dark Universe continues we will get to see some more imaginative film making.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Helen Murdoch
Originally published June 11, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
