Film – The Mummy
Director – Alex Kurtzman
Cast – Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Russell Crowe
Rating – 1.5/5
The latest reboot of The Mummy makes the preceding set of films in the franchise (starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and Arnold Vosloo) look like enduring classics. You’re up against it when you plan on reviving an already overrated film series! The Mummy presents a completely disjointed plot with random action and fantasy/horror sequences that make little sense to the viewer. The film’s appalling attempt at horror and suspense has you in splits, rather paradoxically. When scenes that intend to thrill and scare have you laughing uncontrollably due to their sheer stupidity, you know you’re in big trouble! It’s high time Tom Cruise realises that not everything he does on screen needs to be inspired by Mission Impossible! He might do well to take some much-needed career advice from compatriot Danny Glover. But by all accounts, “I’m too old for this shit”, isn’t in the 54-year-old actor’s vocabulary. For the longest time now, audiences have been subjected to the same role over and over again (the one of the cocksure hero bent upon saving the world). Unlike his contemporary, Brad Pitt, who evolved to take on more challenging roles as he grew older, Cruise is still stuck in the rose-tinted action nostalgia of the 90s that began with the release of Mission Impossible. One can only hope that he goes back to the drawing board and derives inspiration from his roles in such fine films as Rain Man, A Few Good Men, and Jerry Maguire.
In ancient Egypt, Princess Ahmanet is condemned to be buried alive after killing her family and selling her soul in order to ascend to the throne. In present day Iraq, Nick Morton (a dealer of antiques in the black market) and his team accidentally discover Ahmanet’s tomb in the midst of an expedition. While attempting to airlift the relic for further examination, the plane is attacked by a group of suicidal crows causing the plane to crash. Barring Nick’s associate, Jenny, everyone on board meets their death. Back at the hospital, Jenny is astounded to learn that Nick has miraculously woken up without so much as a scratch on his person. At the same time, Nick begins being haunted by visions of Princess Ahmanet whispering to him. When Nick is taken to see Dr. Henry Jekyll, he is told about the significance of those terrifying visions.
Another particularly funny set of sequences (unintended, of course) involves the princess kissing anyone she wishes to make a mummified follower of hers. Planned as the first film in the Dark Universe film franchise, The Mummy succeeds in keeping the expectations at an all-time low. It wouldn’t be remotely surprising if the next film is as bad as this one!