When it was announced that Tom Cruise would be leading an all-star cast in a reboot of The Mummy, and that it would be the springboard for a Dark Universe series of interconnected movies, everyone seemed to be on board with the idea. Then the movie was released and, just like its titular classic monster, crumbled into a pile of ancient dust. Yet, right now, it is back in the HBO Max Top 10 in the U.S. Why? It's Halloween, and even the bad movies get a run out during spooky season.
Released in 2017 as a PG-13 action blockbuster, The Mummy was all set to pave the way for a Universal Monsters shared universe, one that would have included Russell Crowe as Dr Jekyll. However, Alex Kurtzman, in one of only two times as director, failed to deliver what was expected, and instead ended up bringing to life a monstrosity that no one would really recover from. The synopsis for the movie reads:
Nick Morton is a soldier of fortune who plunders ancient sites for timeless artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder. When Nick and his partner come under attack in the Middle East, the ensuing battle accidentally unearths Ahmanet, a betrayed Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years. With her powers constantly evolving, Morton must now stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.
What Caused Tom Cruise's 'The Mummy' To Fail?
For many, the problem with The Mummy all came down to one thing; it was a Tom Cruise movie. Not in the sense that Tom Cruise was in it so it was bad, but in the way it seemed to have been created as a Mission: Impossible substitute with some horror elements thrown in. While this may not be a bad pitch for a movie, it didn't work for this one.
For many critics, the film was mediocre at best, removing any kind of nuances that the property brought with it and replacing them with bombast and a barrage of special effects in the hope that it would satisfy those looking for a big loud action blockbuster. Compared to the thrills delivered in Brendan Fraser's 90s take on the story, it didn't satisfy anyone, especially the bankrollers at Universal.
The film scored just 15% with critics on its debut, and struggled to 35% on the audience's Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. Some called out Cruise for attempting to rip off Fraser's version of the movie, others called it the worst movie ever made (surprisingly, it really isn't), and one reviewer even said that they "totally forgot I watched this before, and fair to say I will forget again."
In short, The Mummy was what happens when the dollar signs outweigh any kind of real attention to detail. The MCU was in full flow, and the DCEU had just started its own run of movies at the time The Mummy came around, and Universal wanted to exploit their Universal Monsters IP in the same way. Perhaps if they had taken a little longer in the planning, it could have worked, but instead, we are just left with a dusty relic of a movie and a great Universal Studios theme park attraction of what might have been.
The Mummy 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Fantasy Adventure Action Release Date June 9, 2017 Runtime 1h 50m Director Alex Kurtzman Writers Christopher McQuarrie, Jon Spaihts Franchise(s) The Mummy Cast See All Tom Cruise Javier Botet Annabelle Wallis Marwan Kenzari
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