In view of the reviews this movie has received I was not expecting much. Being a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror fan I had to watch it regardless of what people said about it of course.
I have to say that I do not understand why so many seem to claim it is utter crap. Sure, it is not a great movie but it is not really bad either.
It is not just a remake of the original The Mummy movies which I think is actually good. That concept is becoming a bit deja vue after all.
To me the worst part of the movie was Tom Cruise. Total lack of charisma. He really do not succeed in his role. He is mostly wondering about being meh and just reacts to the various situations he is thrown into.
Russell Crowe is a lot better as Doctor Jekyll. I quite like Doctor Jekyll being thrown into the mix by the way. I think his role worked quite well and was well played.
Being a mummy movie there are of course a lot of supernatural stuff, curses, monsters and action. In general I think it was reasonably well done. The special effects were enjoyable and the mummy herself, Sofia Boutella, was not bad at all.
On the whole the movie and the story held a lot of promise but in the end the overall performance failed to really impress. There were plenty of good things but they were just not put to good work. I think the movie would have fared a lot better with a more charismatic lead in it and perhaps a bit better script for him.
Bottom line, I did enjoy the movie. As I wrote it is not really bad but it could have been quite a bit better. The good parts were sometimes really good but in between it felt like everyone went to lunch and let the janitors have a go at movie making.
a very bland experience.
let's say that, it's not all that bad of a movie, it has its moments, despite the average underwhelming on going of it.
the characters are put there only for the mere purpose of let them join the dark universe as soon as possible and then live them with no depth or psychological analysis at all.
the plot is not the main problem when put beside the pacing of this movie. it's very bad paced, with the second act too slow for its contents.
the villain is literally a stain, with a blank characterization like of course, all the other characters. the main protagonist is just the portrait of the one seen in the mission impossible series but a little worse.
dr. Jekylle is actually good, the only, and I say the only thing that is not actually that bad, even if its presence is only for the upcoming films in this universe.
let's talk about the plot. it is basically nothingness, coadiuvated with totally inappropriate comic relief moments that completely ruins the general atmosphere.
it's not scary, not at all. you never fell uncomfortable or put under any kind of pressure whatsoever. this film goes from start to end motionless.
I wasn't expecting nothing from it, so it didn't really disappointed me.
just take it for what it is, an average and barely entertaining movie.
"The Mummy" isn't a bad movie, just a "blah" one. Didn't hate it like everyone else, but liked it on a enjoyment level.
There were many promising elements here that I wouldn't call "great", but ideas that were visible in it's presentation. I must admit that plane crash scene was pretty intense and had my heart racing. Good thing that Cruise screaming from the trailer wasn't in the final cut, because that would easily ruin the scene. Sofia Boutella did a decent job playing the Mummy. And that's really it for me when it comes to positives.
The Dark Universe? Holy crap dose that feel forced. Especially with the logo at the beginning. I know the old monster movies did a shared universe, but the way this was executed was pretty embarrassing. And with "The Mummy" being the first installment for a possible franchise wasn't really a solid start. Making an old classic horror film into a summer blockbuster is the first big mistake the film made. Would have been better if made as a low budget horror movie by A24, but I guess that doesn't sell in foreign markets.
The amount of explanations in here is so abused, it feels like a first time director made this. Again, would have been better with a little visual storytelling for us to pick up on. Like Cruises character is a thief, but instead of showing him doing some thieving, they literally have to tell us loads of times just in case we didn't get it. And it doesn't end there, as we get flashbacks narrated by Russell Crowe for more explanations. Yeah!
Now I've got nothing against Tom Cruise and I never understood why anyone would dislike him. I mean, we've seen him deliver great performances and the level of dedication he puts into the work is unbelievable. But here, he feels so missed cast and it painfully shows. He was just basically playing Tom Cruise and not a character. He wasn't that good in the comedy and intense scenes.
Annabelle Wallis didn't really do anything to stand out. Her and Cruises characters are both morons who do things for shake of pressing the plot. Shes basically damsel in a distress and the worst type.
Even the tone of movie is all over the place. One minute it's trying to be funny with the characters saying one liners and making goofy faces during long pauses, as the audience are suppose to laugh. Then towards the second and third act, it completely takes a tone swift and goes for a serious version of "UNCHARTED".
Overall rating: "The Mummy" is exactly what you expected it to be from the trailers. A mash up of "Mission Impossible" and the 1999 version. Not awful, but nothing that's going to stick with me after a week.
This movie is hardly critizied (at least in the German community), so this review will be a bit longer, because in many parts I disagree, even though I think there is a lot wrong. First of, I have to admit I dont like adventure movies, so movies like National Treasure, Indiana Jones and the Mummy trillogy are not my piece of cake; I haven't even fully watched the 1999 Mummy yet, so why did I go to the cinema at all? First: Tom Cruise, second: Jake Johnson (I love him as Nick Miller in the sitcom New Gril), and third: I liked the trailer. So my interest was peaked. Still not liking adventure movies I was also skeptic.
And in the beginning, my skepticisim was met: The entire frame story, introducing Nick (Tom Cruise) and Chris (Jake Johnson) and describing how they meet Jennifer (Annabelle Wallis) and how it comes that those three start recovering a sarcophagus - what a load of b... This is not realistic at all, and therefore I cannot believe it; if it was a comedy, okey (and I wasn't so sure that it's not going to be, because in the beginning it surely all pointed in that direction); but for a serious movie? At least I expect som serious story.
The first thing that was interesting to me was the actual finding of the sarcophagus; it really looked cool, they had some cool ideas like with the mercury, the mechanism, and the spiders, and the birds, etc. Why however Nick and Chris can actually abandon their job and fly with Jennifer and the sarcophagus to London? Again - story is not believable. And the logics behind the character Henry (Russel Crow) is absolutely beyond me - no that makes no sense at all! I mean seriously? We dig up a many thousand years old mummy and a some hundred yeras old templar, revive the mummy, give her the weapon to release the ultimate evil, so that we can fight it? Seriously? Why don't just put her back in the sarcophagus, fill it up with mercury again, and let her rott for eternity in a save space as this base where he is operating from is said to be?!
But we have already established this: The framing story is at best average.
And this is the most sadest thing, because the rest of the movie does a lot right - not everything, but I liked a lot of things, starting with the look. When looking at promotional pictures I laughed, because seriously? Sofia Boutella (I absolutely loved her in Star Trek Beyond as Jaylah!!!) in sexy poses being the scary mummy? Not really. But! In the movie she isn't. She eventually gets there, but it's a long journey from starting out as a corpse that can bearly crawl, into various stages of half-humanoid with a lot of wholes in her face and everywhere, up to the latests scenes, where she regains her full looks. And that's pretty cool. Also, her powers are great I loved her kiss that sucked out the live of others, turning them into zombies while simultaneously making her stronger. So when it comes to the costume, makeup, and effects (including CGI), I really liked the movie. I also enjoyed the action scenes, they where pretty well done, and I had fun watching them. When it comes to acting, both Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella do a great job. Also Russel Corw is as good as expected (but more to him later). Jake Johnson plays the role that I expected and that I love. However, I somehow found it not fitting into the general tone of the movie. Especially in the beginning I found him to be a bit annoying; however his later role I somewhat liked, expecially taking in the fact that in New Girl he's also obsessed with this. I mean the zombies - in New Girl he always wants to write his zombie novel - and now in the Mummy he gets to play one. That is pretty neat. But all in all he's just the side kick, sometimes annoying, sometimes neat, but until the end, he is not really relevant for this story at all - and even in the end, you could have found other ways; so I am a bit ambivalent about his role. Non the less, I like Jake Johnson :D
Whom I did not like at all was Annabelle Wallis. She's just means to an end, but other than taht totally irrelevant (as a character), just tagging along all the time, not funny, not interesting, not tough and able to defend her self, not intelligent, nothing. There isn't even any chemistry between her and Tom Cruise, which is why even a main plot line does not really work as it should have. So, all in all, her character could have been written better, she could have had more story impact - I mean, she's there, isn't she? And also, I think Annabelle Wallis was the possibly worst cast. She's however not irrelevant, because there is one important factor she adds to the story.
Besides this I however liked the cast (a bit more of Johnsen would have been nice, but yeah) and I think they did a good job. Another thing I really liked: the genre. I spent some time in the beginning explaining how I dislike adventure movies; well: This one starts out to be an adventure movie with some comedy scenes, but overall it is a rather dark movie, which besides action also offers some horror-elements, such as jump scares, dark and spooky creatures, and an overall dark tone. I liked that - today it might sound silly, but the mummy movies used to be horror movies from the black and white era, and even with color TV the mummy was used, e.g. by the Hammer studios as horror movie creature. So somehow this is kind of a "back to the roots" thing. Not entirely, it is also an action movie and a bit of adventure, but still.
Let's get back to Russel Crow. He is playing an interesting character, and while introducing it, I rememberd reading about the Dark Universe that Universal wants to create - something similar to MCU or DCEU but with horror movie villans (such as Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, etc.); all these will get new movies, and they will have some combining elements - apparently that is Russel Crows character Henry. All in all not bad, the scenery was also nice, you are not pushed into "hey look, our horror universe", it's quite settle, but if you know it, you'll see it (and it is not to be like in the comic movies - we won't have Dracula fighting next to Frankenstein and the Wolfman, having a war with the Invisible Man and Frankensteins Bride, or anything - all movies will stand alone - but there will be a combining component: Henry(?)). So, yes, I liked the idea - BUT: what the movies shows about Henry was - for my taste - far too much. It does not have anything to do with the main story, it totally digresses, and therefore does not fit in. Better they would have left it with the short pointers from the beginning where we meet him.
The end was suprising, and therefore good. I thought it would end the way it was forseen Tom Cruise breakes the stone, the Mummy cannot do anything, maybe the curse breaks while doing so, and in the end, they find a way of destroying her - probably with the mercury; but after Nick doing what he did I thought: Wow, and now?! - I wished the effect of his deeds would have gotten a bit more screen time - what follows was relatively short.
But all in all I was entertained, even though I wasn't that well (my contacts where itching and my 3D glasses at cinema were crooked). The movie does have some lenghty parts, but it did deliver more than I expected and I had a nice evening at the cinema. Most of the negatives I can condone - I have seen much worse. It's nothing you'd need to have seen in cinemas, but it's a nice to watch movie. I am excited about how this will go on and how the Dark Universe will further unfold - 2019 we'll get the next installment: The Bride of Frankenstein :)
Just came out of the movie theatre so my impressions are fresh. The movie has a great premise and good actors which should make for a good movie. Should. But it's not. It took me about 15 minutes wondering who was directing it. I didn't do any research beforehand and I guess I missed the director line during the start credits. But as I said about 15 minutes in the movie becomes such a mess you are wondering who was at the helm. It has gigantic pacing issues. Throughout the whole movie it seems like the director was a kid breaking a toy and having trouble putting it back together again. The pieces just did not fit. And when the movie ended I saw why and it made sense. Directed by Alex Kurtzman. This is another prime example why writers should not direct. I knew Kurtzman's work as a writer. Mission Impossible III, Star Trek, Transformers are all good action movies with solid scripts thanks to Kurtzman. However this was his first big budget directing job and it shows. The movie is a mess. So many wasted opportunities. Would have loved to see this in the hands of a different more experienced director like Del Toro or McQuarrie who seems to be Cruise's new go-to-guy. Anyway, The Mummy was mildly entertaining but was ultimately a dissapointment. I'd give this 6 out of 10.
The 2017 reboot of The Mummy franchise, directed by Alex Kurtzman, is a disappointment. The film is focused on setting up an extended universe, but fails to create a world worth spending time in. Tom Cruise plays the lead character, a rogue named Nick Morton, who along with his friend, discovers the tomb of an ancient Egyptian princess who was mummified alive. The plot follows Nick's journey as he is cursed by the princess and must stop her from bringing an ancient god into the mortal world. The film is filled with exposition and dull characters. The performance of Russell Crowe as Dr [Spoiler], the leader of a monster-busting secret organization, is particularly painful to watch. The Mummy is not only a bad film, but it is also not entertainingly bad.
El reinicio de 2017 de la franquicia The Mummy, dirigida por Alex Kurtzman, es una decepción. La película se enfoca en establecer un universo extenso, pero no logra crear un mundo en el que valga la pena pasar el tiempo. Tom Cruise interpreta al personaje principal, un pícaro llamado Nick Morton, quien junto con su amigo, descubre la tumba de una antigua princesa egipcia que fue momificado vivo. La trama sigue el viaje de Nick cuando la princesa lo maldice y debe evitar que traiga a un dios antiguo al mundo de los mortales. La película está llena de exposición y personajes aburridos. La actuación de Russell Crowe como el Dr. [Spoiler], el líder de una organización secreta que caza monstruos, es particularmente dolorosa de ver. La momia no solo es una mala película, sino que tampoco es entretenidamente mala.
A disappointment.
'The Mummy' begins with promise. I initially enjoyed the duo of Tom Cruise and Jake Johnson, the plot set-up and the location choice of London. Russell Crowe is a standout name too. However, sadly, the film gets progressively worse throughout the 110 minutes.
The premise kinda just falls into itself, with any interest disappearing pretty quickly. The link between Cruise and Johnson becomes tiresome, as does all the comedy in the film in truth - there's a few chuckles, but nothing laugh worthy. The zombie vibe doesn't fit, either.
What also doesn't help is the fact they're blatantly trying to set up a film universe of some sort, which they put too much focus on. I found the effects hit-and-miss, I feel like they could've used more practical stuff rather than relying so much on CGI - for the make-up et al. at least.
Cruise leads ably and does a decent enough job - he has done far greater of course. Crowe never really gets going in my opinion, though does have a couple of cool to look at scenes late on. Sofia Boutella is alright, as is Annabelle Wallis. A meh for the cast.
Nothing diabolical, but a fair distance from good too.
"The Mummy" isn't a bad movie, just a "blah" one. Didn't hate it like everyone else, but liked it on a enjoyment level.
There were many promising elements here that I wouldn't call "great", but ideas that were visible in it's presentation. I must admit that plane crash scene was pretty intense and had my heart racing. Good thing that Cruise screaming from the trailer wasn't in the final cut, because that would easily ruin the scene. Sofia Boutella did a decent job playing the Mummy. And that's really it for me when it comes to positives.
The Dark Universe? Holy crap dose that feel forced. Especially with the logo at the beginning. I know the old monster movies did a shared universe, but the way this was executed was pretty embarrassing. And with "The Mummy" being the first installment for a possible franchise wasn't really a solid start. Making an old classic horror film into a summer blockbuster is the first big mistake the film made. Would have been better if made as a low budget horror movie by A24, but I guess that doesn't sell in foreign markets.
The amount of explanations in here is so abused, it feels like a first time director made this. Again, would have been better with a little visual storytelling for us to pick up on. Like Cruises character is a thief, but instead of showing him doing some thieving, they literally have to tell us loads of times just in case we didn't get it. And it doesn't end there, as we get flashbacks narrated by Russell Crowe for more explanations. Yeah!
Now I've got nothing against Tom Cruise and I never understood why anyone would dislike him. I mean, we've seen him deliver great performances and the level of dedication he puts into the work is unbelievable. But here, he feels so missed cast and it painfully shows. He was just basically playing Tom Cruise and not a character. He wasn't that good in the comedy and intense scenes.
Annabelle Wallis didn't really do anything to stand out. Her and Cruises characters are both morons who do things for shake of pressing the plot. Shes basically damsel in a distress and the worst type.
Even the tone of movie is all over the place. One minute it's trying to be funny with the characters saying one liners and making goofy faces during long pauses, as the audience are suppose to laugh. Then towards the second and third act, it completely takes a tone swift and goes for a serious version of "UNCHARTED".
Overall rating: "The Mummy" is exactly what you expected it to be from the trailers. A mash up of "Mission Impossible" and the 1999 version. Not awful, but nothing that's going to stick with me after a week.
Universal hade storslagna planer på att skapa ett nytt filmmonsterunviersum då de släppte den nya versionen av den klassiska legenden om Mumien. Det märks alldeles klart att The Mummy vill vara en äventyrsfilm i stil med Brendan Fraser-klassikern The Mummy från sent 90-tal eller Spielbergs Indiana Jones-filmer, men slutresultatet landar långt ifrån dessa ambitioner. Alex Kurtzmans The Mummy är ett rörigt hopkok som rider på Tom Cruises Mission: Impossible-hype och i alltför hög grad försöker efterlikna denna. Och introduktionen verkar ju lovande, men nerförsbacken kommer tätt inpå och filmen lyckas aldrig återvända från gropen den grävt åt sig.
Tom Cruise sköter huvudrollen som han brukar, men känns överraskande malplacerad här. Han är lämpad för storslagna actionscener (och tro mig, denna film erbjuder alldeles tillräckligt med sådana stunder) men är inte speciellt trovärdig som en akademiker i stil med Fraser eller Harrison Ford. Resten av ensemblen hänger med och sköter sig hyfsat men ingen lämnar ett speciellt djupt avtryck efter sig. Den kriminellt underutnyttjade Russel Crowe gör bäst ifrån sig i en roll som alldeles tydligt har skapats bara för att återanvändas i möjliga framtida filmer. Denna film gör det för övrigt alldeles för övertydligt klart för sig att den är den första delen i en planerad filmserie och de tilltänkta banden till eventuella framtida filmer känns framkrystade och onaturliga.
The Mummy skenar alltså mycket snabbt in på villospår och övergår från en lovande äventyrsfilm till något som liknar en B-klassens skräckis. De övernaturliga elementen tar snart över hela filmen och då försvinner varje gnutta av logik och ordning från manuset. Intrigen är överkomplicerad, svårt att få ett grepp om och saknar ett tydligt syfte. Hela filmen känns överproducerad, actionscenerna är generiska och mot slutet liknar denna mera än dålig katastroffilm än något som verkligen kunde ge vägkost för ett nytt filmuniversum.
Review by whitsbrainVIP 6BlockedParent2022-01-15T17:35:29Z
It's open season on Tom Cruise these days. After offending an army of female admirers by jumping up and down on Oprah's guest couch, most people will now tell you they don't like Tom Cruise. "He's weird"..."He's icky", they say. It's funny how opinion has changed. I don't know if Cruise deliberately decided to make action movies for dudes now, but it certainly looks that way. Peer at his filmography over the last 10 years and tell me he hasn't cranked out consistently fun and entertaining movies. Cruise also saves this movie with his energy and ability to portray characters that think fast in moments of chaos and desperation.
Fact is, "The Mummy" isn't very good. Hopes that Universal's "Dark Universe" series would actually attempt to be scary disappeared as quickly as you can spell "PG-13". I don't understand the choice of Egyptian princess as mummy, either. I suppose a slow-walking, zombie-ish 7-foot man isn't intimidating enough? There needs to be a cat-like female mummy with powers that can bring on the apocalypse? Oh, and here's another movie with a powerful stone or gem or something. Next idea, please.
The effects were pretty good, especially the reanimation of the mummy. The way that the body creaked and untangled itself and kind of crawled around felt inspired. The plane crash scene was also well done.
I'd watch "The Mummy" again just because Cruise makes everything he's in better.