"The Mummy" (2017) Review

Title: The Mummy

Directed by: Alex Kurtzman

Written by: David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie, and Dylan Kussman

Year: 2017


Universal's horror monsters will always be near and dear to me, as I grew up on the classics from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The Mummy (1932), is a masterpiece, combining horror and romance in a dream-like experience. The Mummy (1959) (from the Hammer run), is a thrilling tale that equals the original. However, the version that most people are acquainted with today is the 1999 version of the same name. While not particularly good, it does have a fantastic atmosphere and several fun, adventurous moments. I was quite stunned when I heard the news that Universal would be dusting off its old icons for a new run. Does the resurrection of this decades old franchise pay off, or should it be called a wrap already?

The tomb of Princess Ahmanet is discovered and taken aboard a plane for research. The plane crashes, but Sergeant Nick Morton miraculously survives, having been cursed by the mummy princess. Now, Nick is on a mission to stop Ahmanet from restoring herself to her full power.

While I appreciate Universal's trying to bring some of its most well known characters back to the mainstream, this attempt is a colossal mess. The story is needlessly convoluted, with far too many moving parts. There is the main plot, the romance, a side story involving visions of a dead man, and of course the "franchise establishing" organization Prodigium. The film is juggling too many things and consistently drops the balls. The movie is not focused enough and suffers from an identity crisis, frequently shifting between being an action movie, a horror flick, and a comedy. A sense of unity is sorely lacking.

I love Tom Cruise, but I feel that he is horribly misplaced in this picture. His style does not match that of the movie and as a result, does not evoke the right vibe. Annabelle Wallis is fine, but leaves little to no impression. Jake Johnson, whom I have nothing against, is terribly unbearable. His character seems to have accidentally walked onto the set from another film. Russel Crowe is perfectly cast as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Now, what they do with the character is a different story, but Crowe is fitting as the mild mannered doctor. Sofia Boutella is another excellent casting choice. Again, the character is not fully realized, but Boutella excels in these bizarre, supporting roles. The makeup and costuming for the titular character further enhances Boutella's performance and is easily the highlight of the picture.

The genre-jumping that this movie performs is so confusing and disjointed that I'll have to address each aspect separately. The action set pieces, though perhaps not always suitable, are well handled. Cruise carries these out with his usual enthusiasm and there more than a few impressive sequences. The comedy is completely out of place. The first joke of the entire film sets the bar very low, and no joke surpasses it. And for a film called The Mummy, there is surprisingly little horror on display. I can think of only two scenes. However, those are the two best scenes in the film, one involving the princess killing night workers and the other an armada of rats led by an absolutely creepy corpse.

On top of the multiple, pointless storylines, the film spends far too much time setting up a larger universe for future installments. Though not all bad, (I do like the idea of Dr. Jekyll being the gateway for the other monsters to appear), the already haphazard pacing comes to a screeching halt. The movie would have been serviced better with a simpler plot and a strict focus on the the mummy herself.

One of the most interesting things to note is that if you listen to director Alex Kurtzman speak in interviews, he has a great understanding of what makes these monsters so enduring; they are all tragic characters (except for Dracula of course). This information leaves me stumped as to why this picture turned out to be so misguided. As an action film, it has great moments but is cluttered with too many plot threads. As a comedy, the movie sports an absent sense of humor. And as a horror flick, the scary moments are almost non-existent. The Mummy is a grand symphony where most of the instruments are out of tune, an astounding case of missed potential.

Grade: C-