"The Mummy" (2017) Movie Review

    Universal Studios released “Dracula Untold” a few years back.  That film was meant to be tha start of a new Universal Studios Monsters shared universe.  When that film didn’t perform the way they hoped, the studio then announced Tom Cruise was going to head a new Mummy reboot which would now be the official launch of their “Dark Universe”.  The studio was counting on the Mummy brand and the star power of Tom Cruise to knock their new Mummy film out of the park.

    The main problem is that the film didn’t need to be rebooted.  The Brendan Fraser films weren’t that old and still fondly liked by many movie goers.  Plus Tom Cruise doesn’t have the domestic star power he once had.  Now this doesn’t necessarily effect the movie’s quality, but it shows how out of touch their marketing division was.  Plus, I don't think handing the keys of a huge franchise over to an unproven director like Alex Kurtzman was wise.  Kurtzman is best known as a screenwriter and has co-written hits like "Star Trek" with Roberto Orci.

    “The Mummy” is basically a typical Tom Cruise action film with some mummies thrown in.  The horror elements are almost non existent.  Now, the Stephen Sommers “Mummy” movies also focused on action but remembered it was based on a horror film and included some intended frights. 

    Setting the movie in the present also took away some of the unique qualities of the other films.  I can’t help but think this was for budgetary reasons or the writers were out of touch.  “The Mummy” works best set in the past because it’s easier to suspend your disbelief when modern technology isn’t involved.

    The Mummy is played by Sofia Boutella this time around.  Boutella is one of the few highlights of the film. I don’t like when films change genders of characters as part of a gimmick, but Boutella enhances the film and their is reasoning behind the gender swap.
    The saddest part is this was an unnecessary reboot to a franchise that could otherwise use some refreshing.  “The Shape of the Water” was the “Creature From the Black Lagoon” that Universal should have made.  “The Mummy” may have permanently ruined the Dark Universe but maybe like these monsters, it’s better if it stays dead, at least for now.

Grade: D

“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” Movie Review

    As a big fan of “The Mummy” films that came before it, I was excited to hear Universal Studios decided to make a third film.  The film, “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”, promised to take the franchise in a new direction.  I wasn’t sure if it would work but I was more than willing to give it a shot.
    First thing I should point out is that I like that the film was willing to take a risk with a new setting.  Sadly, I don’t think it really worked this time around, but I applaud the effort regardless.  Rob Cohen took over directing duties of the franchise from Stephen Sommers and did the best he could do with the script he had to work with.  Cohen is known for his action films and the action sequences were top notch.
    What hurt the film the most was the cast.  Brendan Fraser, a highlight of the franchise, seems bored and disinterested this time around.  Maria Bello takes over the role of Evelyn from Rachel Weisz after Weisz passed on the sequel.  Not only does Bello not look remotely like Weisz, but she also doesn’t act like her.  Weisz portrayed Evelyn with a shy resolve, Bello instead portrays the character with a confidence not fitting the character.  Everytime Bello was on screen, it took me out of the movie.  On the plus side, Jet Li was a great addition to the Mummy cast as the antagonist of the film.  Also, it was nice to see John Hannah back in the franchise.
   Lastly, the film went over the top a few too many times for my taste.  Case in point, the yeti scene.  In a movie where I have to suspend my disbelief in regards to an undead army, throwing a yeti into the mix probably wasn’t the best idea.
    “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” isn’t a terrible film as a whole but the cast seems to be sleepwalking through a tiresome script.  There are still good stories to tell in this franchise, this just isn’t one of them.

Grade: C

“The Mummy Returns” Movie Review

    I was a big fan of the Stephen Sommers helmed remake of “The Mummy” so I was completely on board to see the sequel when it was announced.  I didn’t know how they could make the sequel work but I was open to be surprised.  Thankfully, when I left the theater of “The Mummy Returns”, I remember really enjoying reuniting with the characters.

    “The Mummy Returns” is an overall fun and crazy film which probably shouldn’t work but somehow does.  The film manages to bring most of the returning cast together again fairly quickly and fairly early into the film.  The plot revolves around Rick and Evelyn O’Connell’s son Alex accidentally putting on the bracelet of Anubis which will end up killing him in seven days unless he returns the bracelet to the Scorpion King’s pyramid.  Along the way he is captured by Imhotep, the mummy from the first film, who is looking to capture the power of the Scorpion King for himself.
    Like the first film, most of the sequel’s charm comes from it’s cast.  Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz return to lead the cast and the two have a great unlikely chemistry.  The two really seem comfortable with each other and it helps us invest in their adventures.  Other casts members to return include John Hannah, Oded Fehr, and Arnold Vosloo who all add a little more levels to their characters in this film.  Of course this film is famous for being the big budget debut of WWE superstar The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) in a film.  Dwayne Johnson basically had a glorified cameo in the film but he had a presence that was hard to ignore even in his cameo.
    Now, I want to discuss one of the main problems with the film, The Scorpion King himself.  The Scorpion King was a great concept and I loved the idea of creating a new Universal Studio monster for a new era.  There was so much promise there and the opening scenes featuring The Rock were undeniably cool.  Then we got to the Scorpion King in the final act.  Why?  Who cleared that terrible cgi?  When the Scorpion King arrives looking like something straight out of a PlayStation 2 game, it completely takes you out of an otherwise solid movie.  A movie that was already close to being as good or better than the previous film.  Why couldn’t Dwayne Johnson come out as The Scorpion King possessing Superman like strength?  It would have worked a lot better than the cgi nightmare we got.  Plus, while I enjoyed The Scorpion King character in his solo film outing, Universal ended up watering down the character and wasting him in tiresome direct to video films.
    So, I found the film to be really fun overall.  It built on the first movie really well and had a lot of things going for it.  Unfortunately, it also had massive wasted potential with the character of the Scorpion King.  That doesn’t kill the movie for me, but it may be too much for others.

Grade: B

“The Mummy” (1999) Movie Review

    Back in 1999, as the world went crazy with excitement awaiting the release of “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” and worried about the possible end of the world thanks to the dreaded Y2K bug, a little remake of the Universal Monster classic “The Mummy” was released to little excitement and what seemed like a release date that could kill it up against the new Star Wars film.  They couldn’t have picked a better time to drop the film though.  Sure, it’s box office pailed in comparison to Star Wars, but Episode I’s massive box office actually helped “The Mummy”.  You see, many people simply couldn’t get tickets to see Episode I so they went to “The Mummy” instead.  Selling out theaters was good for both films as it turned out.

    Looking back, the people who ended up being stuck seeing “The Mummy” instead probably lucked out.  “The Mummy” was a fun and charming film and it made the Universal Studio monsters feel relevant once more.  “The Mummy” was once again a cool property.

    One of the most cleaver aspects of the remake was changing the film from a pure horror film to an adventure film in the vain of Indiana Jones with some horror aspects sprinkled in.  This gave the film a fresh feeling while still telling the same story as the original.  Setting the film in the 20s also set the film apart from other action fare and gave it a unique feel.

    The cast was led by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz and the two share a quirky and awkwardly cute chemistry.  Fraser plays Rick O’Connell who is essentially the Indiana Jones of this film.  Fraser looks imposing yet has a goofy charm and has good comedic timing.  Weisz plays Evelyn as the sweet book worm who  longs for a more adventurous life.  Arnold Vosloo also makes for a great villain as the mummy Imhotep.

    “The Mummy” is a rare remake where one could make a valid argument that it is better then the original film.  It is rare for any film to balance multiple genres without overdoing one or the other.  “The Mummy” achieves such a balance.

Grade: A-