Movie Review
Keeping your expectations in check, I think you’ll enjoy this one more than you think.
In keeping with the spirit of the season, I decided to watch this flick yesterday.
I had really wanted see this movie went it came out. Like everyone else, I had incredibly high expectations and was getting ready to be blown away. Too bad it flopped BIG TIME!
Honestly, I think this movie was as much a victim of the media machine as it was a mediocre film. The hype for it was insane and the bar was raised ridiculously high. Studio bigwigs need to pay more attention to content rather than their marketing tactics, or at the very least, stop killing their product before it has been released to the masses.
The Mummy (Release Date: June 9, 2017)
An ancient Egyptian princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.
Stars: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, and Annabelle Wallis
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Rating/ Runtime: PG-13/ 1hr 50
My Thoughts…
Not bad!
I decided to put my lofty, movie critic standards aside and give it a chance. I had wanted to see it but was put off by the reviews. And as I mentioned, I was really excited for it before it was released.
Let’s talk about the aesthetics first. I loved Boutella’s “Mummy”! She was equally beautiful and terrifying and I loved her look. She may not have been as awe-inspiring in terms of powers as Arnold Vosloo‘s Imhotep, but that’s because we had never seen anything like it before. At the time, the CGI was pretty impressive and was what made The Mummy franchise so successful. That said, I still enjoyed the cinematics and SFX in this one, even if they weren’t entirely original.
The plot wasn’t the most novel concept either, mind you it is a remake so there isn’t much room for originality, but I expected that. There were a few surprises and Russel Crowe’s intro as Hyde was pretty clever. I like the tie-in they’ve created for all of the unreleased movies. Similar to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in that it will be monsters fighting monsters.
In terms of the acting, I would say that the cast’s charisma carried this film. Particularly, Tom Cruise. I continue to be impressed by his willingness to perform a lot of his own stunt work and I really loved the dynamic between Cruise’s character “Nick” and his friend played by Jake Johnson. I only wish Johnson had more time on-screen as “Chris Vail”. You’ll see what I mean if you watch it.
Overall, it wasn’t the best effort but I enjoyed it. Popcorn fodder maybe, but it’s entertaining. At least I thought so.
Rating… C++
Reads & Reels 
I’m so glad you reviewed this. I kept thinking it was so odd because I kept seeing stuff about it BEFORE it came out, and then I really didn’t hear much of anything about it once it did. Usually I wind up hearing that a movie was “sooo good” or “absolute garbage” at least, but honestly I hadn’t heard anything at all on this one.
I’ll probably wind up checking it out at some point or another, so I’m glad to know it’s at least worth the watch. 🙂
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Thst’s just it. The release was so poor that all talk of it sort of died out. There were the negative reviews of course, but there were so many other highly anticipated movies coming out like IT that people moved on.
It’s okay, I was disappointed but it still had merit. At the very least, it is an origin story that must be seen if you plan on watching the other movies when they are released.
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So glad I didn’t see this in the theater – the reviews haven’t been kind. Have it in the Netflix queue.
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It’s true. I am very happy I didn’t pay to see it in theaters but it was an okay movie for Netflix
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I totally get what you mean – I wanted to like this movie soo bad. I too think Tom Cruise is great and impressive when it comes to stunts. I really loved him in Mission Impossible and Minority Report soo I had high hopes for this. The thing that bothered me, honestly, was the writing itself. I felt like Cruise’s character was way too much of a copy of Nathan Drake, from Uncharted (the whole, ‘witty, charming, capable treasure hunter’) but the banter between him and his friend was funny and I enjoyed it. I would have loved more from Chris like you said and more from Jenny too honestly! I loved the ending and what Nick’s character does for her..but felt disconnected from the relationship cuz they went from one-night-stand to true-love with little to no scenes that made that connection believable xD Also, the actress who played the Mummy was gorgeously creepy! I loved her take on it and in a way….sometimes, I almost found myself voting for her xD Really nice review, totally agree!
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Right? Me too! I sort of wanted them to live happily/ evilly ever after. They had better chemistry than he and Jenny did. Yes I agree with you about the writing. There just should have been more. I do like the direction Nick’s character takes. I look forward to the next movie. Hopefully, they’ve learned from their mistakes.
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I had no idea there’d be another movie (now that ending makes more sense xD) but yeah totally agree! I’d watch it to see if they did indeed improve the relationships a bit 🙂
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Yeah Universal is redoing all the old monster movies and they will all be connected some how! ☺
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Huh sounds very cool!
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