The Mummy: Movie Review

The film debut for the Dark Universe expectedly falls flat. But surprisingly and shockingly, it actually eclipsed even our deepest and darkest expectations for it. "The Mummy" is a senseless film through and through and at its core, "The Mummy" is a film without a clear identity and one that does not know what it wants to be.

Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is a soldier of fortune who plunders conflict sites for timeless artifacts. When Nick and his partner find an isolated village in the middle of nowhere in the Middle East, they accidentally unearth a tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh they come to know as Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella). Not knowing that they have awakened an evil and powerful being, Nick and his partner are cursed and Nick has become Ahmanet's chosen one who will bring the God of Death into existence.

If we could choose one weak trait that caused "The Mummy's" downfall it would be its sheer lack of focus. Throughout its runtime, the film felt like snippets and vignettes of small ideas that fails to develop into anything more than what they are - fleeing thoughts. Even the film's tone is completely all over the place. On some scenes, it tries to be funny, in other scenes, it transforms into an action film, and on others, it suddenly turns into a horror film. Ironically, these sequences on their own are pretty great. In fact, the film was actually scary and tension-filled with its horror scenes and the action sequences brim full of adrenaline. If only it had actually chosen one from the other and committed to it then "The Mummy" could have been a way better experience. The jarring cuts and frequent changes in tone doesn't help in getting us into a groove with the film's mythology. Speaking of the its mythology, it was unbelievably ridiculous even for an adventure film. It doesn't make sense and it fails to explain anything substantially. Even with the credits rolling, we have little or no idea what Tom Cruise is. It's pretty clear that the film is the first foray into a series of films about monsters that will reveal more in the next lot of releases but "The Mummy" suffers heavily due to this. Sadly, even with solid acting from its cast, "The Mummy" just feels off and is a huge stumbling start to a cinematic universe that no one actually asked for.

Rating: 1 reel




Why you should watch it:
- individually, sequences were great
- solid acting but wasted overall

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the film has no focus and idea on what it wants to be
- the mythology is ridiculous even for an adventure film