The Mummy unwraps a sexy monster to introduce a new Universal Studio Dark Universe

Movie Title:
The Mummy (2017)

Grade: B

Rating: PG-13, 120 minutes

In a Nutshell: Universal Studio’s Dark Universe presents a sexy, new mummy that hopes to kick-start a new universe of monster movies. It drops a lot of hints of what’s to come.

The film’s tagline, “Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters,” is a quote from the 1935 Bride of Frankenstein…soon to be remade by Universal Studios.

Critics are picking this origin movie apart, but it’s fine for a summer popcorn flick that’ll entertain you plenty in air conditioning.

Uplifting theme:

“Death is the doorway to new life. We live today. We shall live again. In many forms shall we return.” Egyptian prayer of resurrection
“The past cannot remain buried forever.” – Dr. Henry Jekyll (Russell Crowe)
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” – Nick Morton (Tom Cruise)
Good vs. evil.

Things I liked:

Tom Cruise is incredibly dedicated and hard-working in this film. He takes a serious beating in almost every scene and just keeps going and going like the Energizer Bunny. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Tom Cruise movie where he just phones it in; he gives 110% every time. He said in an interview with Regal movie theater about the film, “The sets are magnificent. They’re beautiful. They’re haunting” and then later, “It’s a helluva lot of fun.”
Sophia Boutella is really great as a seductive female mummy. We’ll see her again soon in Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City.
Russell Crowe’s character was a surprise to me, but a pleasant one. We’re sure to see more of him in this role. No spoiler! I want you to be surprised too!
It’s better in 3D.
I liked the little details, such as Ahmanet’s blue, cracked fingernails.
Some of the set pieces are pretty cool and the special effects are impressive.
Lots of fun jumps and scares.
I liked Annabelle Wallis a lot. Unfortunately, she played a damsel in distress in almost every scene, but she was still pretty to watch.
There is a welcome sense of humor.
The zero gravity scene in the airplane was really good. Apparently, it took 64 takes and most of the crew got nauseous, except for Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis.
The next time you’re at Universal Studios, be sure to watch their hilarious and informative “Horror Make-up Show.”

Things I didn’t like:

There are a lot of exposition scenes. They’re necessary, although a bit annoying.
Jake Johnson was a mildly entertaining sidekick, although sometimes an odd addition. Tom Cruise was funnier than the designated comic relief.

· The film feels like action sequence, explanation scene, action sequence, explanation scene, etc.

No end-of-credits scenes. Drats. Marvel rocks at those.
Camel spiders. EEEEK!
Tom Cruise plays a protagonist who isn’t really a stellar hero. He’s a flawed man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time . His set of moral standards is questionable. For example, Jenny yells, “You stole from me!” and his justification that he is still a good person is, “But I didn’t lie!”
Did you ever see the first trailer? Tom Cruise lets out this extremely unpleasant, high-pitched scream that seems to have been replaced in the film, thank goodness.

Funny lines:

“We are not looters. We are liberators of precious antiquities.” – Nick Morton (Tom Cruise)
“I’m sorry. We’re just never going to happen. It’s not me. It’s you.” – Nick Morton
“Wow! That was intense.” – Chris Vail (Jake Johnson)

Interesting lines:

This is not a tomb. It’s a prison.” – Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis)
“There are worse fates than death.” – Ahmanet
“Evil never rests.” – Dr. Henry Jekyll
“Sometimes it does take a monster to fight a monster.” –Dr. Henry Jekyll

Tips for parents:

This probably should have been a Rated R movie. There is a lot of sexual innuendo, but more than that. There are some kinky moments and bare naked moments of Tom Cruise (covering his middle parts), and a naked side shot of Sophia Boutella.
There are a ton of bloody, gory, fighting, destructive scenes.
There is talk of an affair.
Some profanity.
Lots of dead bodies, scary mummies, and high body count.