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★
Directed by Alex Kurtzman
Starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe, and Jake Johnson
Film Review by Niall Maggs
So The Mummy is the first entry into a new cinematic universe, known as 'The Dark Universe' in which a series of films will be released, based on 'Universal Monsters' that will feature Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible Man etc. The first entry is a big disappointment.
First of all, the film did have some good aspects about it. It looked great, with brilliant cinematography from Ben Seresin and set pieces that really brought the film to life. It gave it a sense of atmosphere and made the movie feel quite eerie and creepy in parts. Also, the costume design was brilliant, the look of the monsters was scary and the design was unique and creative.
At first, the plot seemed quite intriguing with immersive storytelling but quickly became a muddled mess. It didn't seem clear what story it was trying to tell, the motives were silly and had no relevance at all, and it tried to cram far too much into the film. It seemed as if they were trying to introduce this new universe, giving us these new characters and setting up countless spin-offs to the point of them forgetting that there was a narrative that needed to be told. This gave the film a choppy and rough pace that resulted in an overall mediocre, big budgeted action-adventure flick.
The Mummy also had multiple clichés from obvious jump scares, to awkward sex jokes, to stupid character decisions that just felt unoriginal and dull. The characters were also very annoying which didn't help the fact that the script was quite cringe worthy at times, which made the overall writing feel obvious and amateur, that being said, the direction was okay but could of honestly been better, considering how much of an iconic character The Mummy is. There were also quite a few plot holes throughout the duration of the movie.
Watch the official Movie Trailer for The Mummy above.
Tom Cruise tried to give an exhilarating and entertaining performance, but with the writing and plot he was working with, it was a good performance. The other cast members were about average but the characters were dull and thinly written, and most of them served no real purpose or reason for being there, they were just...there.
The editing was explosive and entertaining, and kept the film feeling smooth, for the most part, and kept you involved and immersed, again, for the most part, and the score was unnoticeable as there was very little of it and the music was lacking. I feel that if the score was more effectively used, it would give the film a darker and more creepy tone.
The Mummy also incorporated an element of comedy that just didn't fit in, and just felt forced and unfunny.
Overall, this was a disappointing introduction to 'The Dark Universe' that lacked in plot and good writing. The characters were an annoyance and most were useless to the story, but you could find some enjoyment from it in terms of the look of the film, the awkward comedy, and Tom Cruise's performance.
If I was you, I'd stick with the Brendan Fraser The Mummy films...
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