[projekktor id=’28314′]
While The Mummy suffers from a formulaic plot, two-dimensional characters and inconsistent tone, the epic action set pieces and engaging special effects rise above to make it an entertaining pick this summer.
The film opens with the story of Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) who loses her right to be pharaoh when her father welcomes a son with his new wife. Unable to give up the throne she has spent her life aspiring to occupy, the princess makes a deal with the Egyptian god of evil, Set. He will give her the power to slay her family and she in turn will find him a vessel to use to enter the mortal world. After killing her father, his bride and their son, Ahmanet is apprehended before she can fulfill her part of Set’s bargain. Her father’s priests mummify her alive and send her remains thousands of miles out of Egypt.
In modern day Iraq, US Army Scouts Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) and Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) are exposed as soldiers of fortune when one of their plots to plunder ancient treasure is thwarted by militants. They are forced to call in back up, and after being saved by their commanding officer Colonel Greenway (Courtney B. Vance) and British archeologist Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis), the soldiers escort Halsey to the site they uncovered. The trio discover that the Egyptian tomb in the middle of Mesopotamia is actually a prison. Unperturbed however they liberate the sarcophagus of Princess Ahmanet and bring it to England where she unleashes hell in an attempt to make Nick the vessel for Set.
Known predominantly as a writer/producer (Star Trek, Cowboys & Aliens) Alex Kurtzman takes the helm for just the second time in his career with The Mummy. While his feature directorial debut was a family dramedy (People Like Us), his filmography as a producer is a bit more impressive with this style of summer blockbuster (Transformers, Now You See Me). Kurtzman clearly understands the importance of impressive visual effects and set pieces. Everything looked so cool in this film – even a mundane shot of the plane taking off in Iraq became an epic race against the clock with the addition of a massive sand storm. Not everything made sense and there was a lack of tonal cohesion in the film, but it sure did look great in IMAX 3D.
Jake Johnson does a great job as Nick’s nay-saying sidekick but spoiler alert after he dies in the first act and comes back as a ghost haunting Nick, things take a weird turn. Nick’s affinity for his partner in crime is clear, and the scenes with Vail’s ghost are funny, but truly unnecessary. They detract from the otherwise well constructed monster movie vibe and instead force comedy into the film where it isn’t required. I imagine these scenes were added because of the clear chemistry between Cruise and Johnson, a chemistry Cruise lacks with every other character.
Sofia Boutella (Kingsmen: The Secret Service, Star Trek Beyond) is fantastic as the jaded and power hungry mummy. She attempts to add depth to the monster character despite a back story that makes her seem like a one-note power hungry princess who will do anything to rule the world. Despite the screen time and back story the character doesn’t evolve much past “scorned power hungry princess”, which is a shame considering she is the title character. Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt Nick Morton however is established pretty well. A solider of fortune who sacrifices himself when it counts surprising himself but not the audience. Nick’s contradicting characteristics were probably designed to add unpredictability to his choices but rarely do because of how well the character is established. A thief with a heart of gold, an archetype that’s probably just as well established as the Mummy.
Despite having some clear issues with the film, it was still a fun watch in theatres. I enjoyed the jump scares and nods to the previous incarnations of Universal’s monsters. That’s important to note too because Kurtzman didn’t just direct The Mummy, he’s producing the whole Gods and Monsters franchise. The Dark Universe is here, and The Mummy is very clearly just the first in a long line of monster movies headed our way.
Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.
