Again, Hollywood just can't resist to go with safe than explore something original. "The Mummy" is about as old as films themselves: we have "The Mummy" released in 1932, then again in 1959, then in 1999, not to mention all the 'Mummy' film offshoots from those films. Of course, this being summer, reboots are more forgiving, however it would be pleasant to see a little originality on the big screen ever so often.
Though safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving Middle East desert, an ancient princess, Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), whose destiny was unjustly taken from her, is accidentally awakened in our current day bringing malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.
Now, a soldier of fortune, Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) must stop the resurrected monster as she embarks chaos through the streets of London. His assistance from a cryptologist, Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis) and Nick's soldier of fortune buddy, Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) are the only ones he can truly depend on. From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, this story truly takes advantage of its different locales to set the scene.
Others to round out the cast are Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll, Courtney B. Vance as Colonel Greenway, Marwan Kenzari as Malik, Simon Atherton as Crusader, Stephen Thompson as First Man, James Arama as Second Man and Sean Cameron Michael as Archaeologist.
This was boldly and intensely directed by Alex Kurtzman ("People Like Us" '12) plus TV and tons of producing. This filmmaker was amazing at being able to bring tension and chaos around every corner. His ability to keep his characters in peril as they are attempting to solve this problem was delineated well. Even though he is a newcomer in the feature film realm, given more work, he will excel incredibly. It was written by David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman based on a screen story by Jon Spaihts, Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet. For all the experience between these writers (two out of the three are seasoned), it's surprising of the different inconsistencies it had. I would go into detail of them, but it would end up being a spoiler alert. Suffice it to say, certain situations didn't click as well as it could have. Both Koepp and McQuarrie are talented and seasoned writers, so I'm not sure what happened--bad day at the laptop? Not sure. Don't get me wrong, it was a thrilling plot--sort of reminiscent of the 1999 version, but also had its own story at the same time. Although the 1999 version excelled past this version, this was still easily able to hold my attention throughout its running time. The visual effects designed predominantly by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), MPC (Moving Picture Company) and Double Negative were seamless. I thought the 1999 version had exemplary visuals until I saw this one--they were awesome for sure.
Certainly with all the big-budget films we've seen already, we are in the dog days of the summer season. Films during this season, this one included, are produced to allow us to escape the stresses of life, go in and enjoy, and this film did that, replete with flaws, but fun nonetheless.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 110mins.
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