The Mummy (1999-2008/2017)
A sequel which exists only to steal your money through cinema. If I'd watched this on the big screen I'd have demanded my money back. The storyline is practically the same as the first movie, except there's an obnoxious little brat as Brendan Fraser's & Rachel Weisz's son who gives Jar Jar Binks a run for his money as the most annoying cinematic sidekick of all time. It's even more obvious that this movie was rushed into theatres to catch the school holidays by the lazy special effects, particularly at the end. Not a patch on the 1999 film.
THE MUMMY (12)
D: Alex Kurtzman
Universal/Dark Universe/Perfect World (Alex Kurtzman, Chris Morgan, Sean Daniel & Sarah Bradshaw)
US 2017
110 mins
Action/Adventure/Horror
W: David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie & Dylan Kussman
DP: Ben Seresin
Ed: Paul Hirsch, Gina Hirsch & Andrew Mondshein
Mus: Brian Tyler
Tom Cruise (Nick Morton), Sofia Boutella (Ahmanet), Russell Crowe (Dr. Henry Jekyll), Annabelle Wallis (Jenny Halsey), Jake Johnson (Chris Vail)
Universal's reboot of The Mummy is the first in their planned series of Dark Universe films, in which they are remaking all of their classic horror movies from the early 1930's, monetary gain being the primary reason.
If The Mummy is anything to go by, things an only get better.. surely. Relocating the bulk of the action from 1930's Northern Africa to present day London, this adventure movie is a complete and utter mess, starring a ridiculously miscast Tom Cruise as a treasure hunter gone rogue from the US army.
Along with a female historian whom he has a romantic tryst with, they uncover an Egyptian tomb and release a great evil into the world when their airplane crashed over Britain.
It soon emerges that their find is part of a plan by Dr. Henry Jekyll (Russell Crowe), of Jekyll & Hyde fame, who is in the story for no real reason.
Screenwriter turned director Alex Kurtzman does a really shoddy job bringing this to the screen, failing to elicit any convincing performances from his main stars and even the visual effects fail to live up to the billing. Sofia Boutella manages to pull off a creepy performance as the malevolent Ahmanet, but her work is undone by everyone else being so piss poor, particularly newcomer Annabelle Wallis, who should have been a Razzies contender for Worst Supporting Actress of the year (along with her work in the equally poor King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword).
2/10
