Login
"The Mummy" was Universal's second attempt at starting a horror cinematic universe (the first was the underappreciated Dracula Untold). Plenty of critics talked about how cumbersome the elements of an arching universe were to the plot and much was made of the ballyhoo surrounding that studio presumptuousness. As a result, the bandwagon response was to despise this movie based on that concept alone.
Indeed, it was rather presumptuous of Universal to assume a positive reception and widespread acceptance of this concept but was that really the issue with the film? I believe it was not. In fact, the elements linking it to a larger universe were relatively well integrated despite being a bit on the nose at times, but I think we can all agree that a movie about a mummy is not beholden to subtlety. The real issue with the movie is that it fails to capture the audience with relatable or credible characters (or character growth) and lacks a consistent tone. It is this that derails the movie long before anything else has a chance to.
The movie works best when it's a straightforward action piece with horror elements that leaves you little time to think about the details. Alas, after building up considerable steam for the first portion it drops into a neutral hum as it tries desperately to convince you that there is a remote spark of chemistry between Tom Cruise's Nick Morton and Annabelle Wallis' Jenny. Spoiler: There exists not an iota. This proves an insurmountable problem as the emotional thrust of the movie depends on their characters. Characters, by the way, that exist in some weird limbo between nondescript and unlikable but fail to even evoke a vivid response in either camp. Most perplexing, are the abrupt attempts at humor that fall remarkably flat every, single time and serve only to take you out of the tone established by scenes previous. The movie seems to indecisive about what it wants to be.
Someone like Harrison Ford, at the height of his powers, could have pulled off the lines written for Cruise's character (which comes of as some onerous Han Solo imitation) but Cruise sells the roguish charisma as well as a desert produces water. Oddly, he's not the worst, that dubious honor goes to his aforementioned female co-star who manages to sound woodenly learned at the same time as having the emotional logic of a three year old. Jake Johnson also needs a nod as what has to be the world's most annoying attempt at blockbuster style "sidekick humor" I've seen in a while. I was glad when his character died only to be reminded that in a movie about life after death he was most likely going to come back. He did and it was woefully tiresome (and his appearances as consistent as the movie's dedication to a singular tone).
However, not all goes to waste. As alluded to earlier, the movie is a blast when it plays as a serious (though vapid) horror blockbuster. It is, at times, a visual feast with some nice action set pieces. However, the filmmakers seemed determined to bring the ill-fitting (and badly written) humor at the most inopportune moments and leave you scratching your head and wondering why. Worse, they seek to remind us that we are supposed to believe that the leads are remotely interested in each other despite every one of their interactions being as remarkable as cardboard. All this bogs down the mindless fun every time it ramps up and engages. Another positive mark is Sofia Boutella as the titular villain who you could easily see having been much more memorable had she been given more screen time in exchange for the ludicrous amounts of time that our witless leads get.
There is room for big budget popcorn flicks and, had this film excluded the worse of its qualities, this would of been a good example but it aspires to more and doesn't have the slightest clue how to get there. Morton's character growth from selfish to selfless feels stunted because of the nonsense that is the relationship with his lead and the menace of the mummy is cheapened by having to be wedged into the midst of it. Leaps in logic abound and much is asked of the audience when it comes to suspension of disbelief...even for a mummy movie.
While not horrendous, "The Mummy" is seemingly determine to bring whatever steam it builds up to a screeching halt throughout its running time. The sad part is you could see how easily this ship could of been righted if they just gave the audience a romp rather than fail miserably at trying to give non-characters substance. Glimmers of what could of been shine through and the action, visuals, and villain are noteworthy but, ultimately, this was fated to bring an end to the idea of a cinematic universe...and it did.
