Last week, the Dark Universe unveiled itself. This cinematic universe the powers that be over at Universal are hoping to launch began with a reboot of The Mummy. Partly a Tom Cruise vehicle and partly a modern monster movie, this summer blockbuster had a lot riding on it. By all accounts, the plan is to have a series of these things, leading up to potentially an Avengers style team up. Well, the beginning could have gone better for the Dark Universe, but there’s still hope. We’ll talk about that in a bit, but also, let us briefly discuss The Mummy itself, which is a definite outlier on Cruise’s resume. Read on for more on the film and the universe it’s set to launch. This cinematic universe began on Friday with The Mummy. That film centers on the chaos that ensues when an ancient princess named Ahmanet...
- 6/12/2017
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Mummy seemed like a cash grab from the moment it was announced. Universal has been trying to launch a universe of their own, featuring classic movie monsters associated with the studio, including Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and the Invisible Man, for years. The Mummy is essentially the studio going "all in" to jump start what is now called Dark Universe. Casting a star as large as Tom Cruise initially read as an attempt to make up for shortcomings in other areas. When you don't have much else, attach the biggest movie star in the world, and your film will sell (maybe)! Additionally, though the first movie came out in 1999, the Brendan Fraser lead Mummy franchise is still fresh enough in the public's mind that starting a new universe with The Mummy seemed like a strange choice. So, is The Mummy just another ill-advised attempt to launch a universe, cashing in...
- 6/9/2017
- by Nick Doll
- LRMonline.com
With a property like The Mummy, you could take it in a couple of different directions. You have the horror route: Universal and Hammer Studios both went this route in the 1930s and 50s, proving that the schlocky idea of a looming curse can be presented in a sophisticated and chilling manner. You have the adventure route: The 1999 Mummy remake gave us a fun, Indiana Jones character in a pulpy page-turning excursion. As Universal begins its journey to create their own cinematic universe like Marvel – currently titled Dark Universe – an attempt is made to go in both directions at that same time, without successfully capturing either experience very well.
When Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) and Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) aren’t slinging jokes (bad ones, at that) during missions for the Army, the duo like to steal antiquities to sell on the Black Market. A treasure map leads the pair...
When Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) and Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) aren’t slinging jokes (bad ones, at that) during missions for the Army, the duo like to steal antiquities to sell on the Black Market. A treasure map leads the pair...
- 6/9/2017
- by Michael Haffner
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Utterly devoid of soul,” Dr. Henry Jekyll (Russell Crowe) notifies protagonist Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) as to what will become of the person that the titular creature has cursed. Soulless is also an applicable description for The Mummy, the inaugural entry of Universal’s Dark Universe, though not due to inactivity – noises and effects are bounteous here – but rather the inability to offer a straight answer for “What kind of film are you?”
Prior to meeting the doctor, which is at the halfway point, The Mummy exerts a firm hold on “adventure with horror.” After a chilling sequence detailing how the jealousy of one Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) leads her to a wrapped demise (and the first occasion where the Algerian actress exhibits her scene-stealing ability), the film switches to thoroughly cheeky antiquities retriever Nick and his gratingly over-cautious pal, Chris Vail (Jake Johnson), eyeing a treasure cache in the...
Prior to meeting the doctor, which is at the halfway point, The Mummy exerts a firm hold on “adventure with horror.” After a chilling sequence detailing how the jealousy of one Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) leads her to a wrapped demise (and the first occasion where the Algerian actress exhibits her scene-stealing ability), the film switches to thoroughly cheeky antiquities retriever Nick and his gratingly over-cautious pal, Chris Vail (Jake Johnson), eyeing a treasure cache in the...
- 6/8/2017
- by Nguyen Le
- The Cultural Post
How meh is The Mummy? Let me count the ways. For all the huffing and puffing and digital desperation from overworked computers, this reboot lands onscreen with a resounding thud. Tom Cruise should have played the Mummy – that way his face would be swathed in bandages and his fans wouldn't have to see him sweat so hard to get this lumbering loser off the ground.
In a gender flip, the title role originated by Boris Karloff in 1932 is played by Algerian actress Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service). She's Ahmanet,...
In a gender flip, the title role originated by Boris Karloff in 1932 is played by Algerian actress Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service). She's Ahmanet,...
- 6/7/2017
- Rollingstone.com
I’ll be the first to admit I was rather skeptical going into Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy, as the trailers seemed to be far more focused on the action instead of the horror to the story. But thankfully, my fears about the direction this new Mummy would take were quickly quelled about 25 minutes into the film, when I realized that this brand new Dark Universe that Universal is set to unleash was starting off on the right foot, because I was having a helluva fun time and was completely immersed in this world.
And while there was a lot of action to be found (I mean, it’s a Tom Cruise movie, and honestly, no one goes for the cinematic gusto quite the way he does), it’s apparent early on that Kurtzman wasn’t screwing around when it came to the horror aspects of The Mummy, making this...
And while there was a lot of action to be found (I mean, it’s a Tom Cruise movie, and honestly, no one goes for the cinematic gusto quite the way he does), it’s apparent early on that Kurtzman wasn’t screwing around when it came to the horror aspects of The Mummy, making this...
- 6/7/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Director Alex Kurtzman accepts the daunting task of kickstarting Universal’s “Dark Universe” with The Mummy, and holy hexes, first impressions are not favorable. Wonky structuring and general tone mishandling never unearth a confident vision. Be it Tom Cruise’s obsession with Annabelle Wallis’ “15-second-man” comment or Sofia Boutella’s male-gaze-y mummification, reboot aesthetics gamble lax horror representation on a losing hand. Generic jumps, blurry action – at least dialogue peppers in the words “dark” and “monster” a whole bunch! You know, because we require needless reminders that the movie is “dark,” and there sure are more “monsters” on the horizon (Frankenstein, Invisible Man, Phantom of the Opera, etc.). Expect the “blackened” mainstream thrillification that genre fans so dreadfully feared – frantic yet bland, heavy CGI and one woefully mistold tale.
Mr. Cruise stars as Nick Morton, an Iraq-based sergeant who abandons post to sell “local antiquities” on the black market alongside...
Mr. Cruise stars as Nick Morton, an Iraq-based sergeant who abandons post to sell “local antiquities” on the black market alongside...
- 6/7/2017
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Author: Stefan Pape
The Mummy franchise was first kickstarted back in 1932 with Boris Karloff, only to then be reignited in the 90s, is a cinematic stomping ground that thrives in its elusive nature, with an Indiana Jones-like approach, setting our protagonists on a path of mystery; puzzle breaking, finding clues and overcoming riddles. Rebooted (again) with Alex Kurtzman now at the helm, instead the film takes on the form of a rather more generic, survival horror flick. As the first film in the new Universal Monster Universe, it’s also left with the burden of world building, and while necessary in parts, this responsibility also drags the film down, transpiring in a tedious, disengaging production.
Tom Cruise plays Nick Morton – an opportunist soldier-cum-thief who, alongside his trusty, if somewhat apprehensive sidekick Chris Vail (Jake Johnson), stumbles across an ancient Egyptian tomb while serving in the Middle East. Calling upon the...
The Mummy franchise was first kickstarted back in 1932 with Boris Karloff, only to then be reignited in the 90s, is a cinematic stomping ground that thrives in its elusive nature, with an Indiana Jones-like approach, setting our protagonists on a path of mystery; puzzle breaking, finding clues and overcoming riddles. Rebooted (again) with Alex Kurtzman now at the helm, instead the film takes on the form of a rather more generic, survival horror flick. As the first film in the new Universal Monster Universe, it’s also left with the burden of world building, and while necessary in parts, this responsibility also drags the film down, transpiring in a tedious, disengaging production.
Tom Cruise plays Nick Morton – an opportunist soldier-cum-thief who, alongside his trusty, if somewhat apprehensive sidekick Chris Vail (Jake Johnson), stumbles across an ancient Egyptian tomb while serving in the Middle East. Calling upon the...
- 6/7/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Mummy is the first chapter in Dark Universe, a new world of monsters and mayhem from Universal. We've heard a good bit about the company's plans for its new extended universe, but there's no better introduction than to watch five news clips for the movie. Tom Cruise stars as Nick Morton and in this clip he is teamed with Jake Johnson as Chris Vail. They've come under fire while on a mission of some sort and things do not look good for them. Now teamed with Jenny (Annabelle Wallis), Nick finds himself again under attack. Are we sensing a pattern? Where are those parachutes, anyway? Somehow, Nick has survived the previous clip and he is introduced to his new location. We'll allow Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe) to...
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- 6/5/2017
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
The Mummy is the first chapter in Dark Universe, a new world of monsters and mayhem from Universal. We've heard a good bit about the company's plans for its new extended universe, but there's no better introduction than to watch five news clips for the movie. Tom Cruise stars as Nick Morton and in this clip he is teamed with Jake Johnson as Chris Vail. They've come under fire while on a mission of some sort and things do not look good for them. Now...
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- 6/5/2017
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
This may be old news to some, but the classic Terrytoons character Mighty Mouse is apparently poised to make a triumphant return sometime in the next couple of years, with Paramount currently developing a "reboot" of the animated series for the big screen. The L.A. Times [1] reports that a Mighty Mouse movie has been in utero for years, with Brian and Mark Gunn (cousins of James Gunn) having written a script for Nickelodeon at one point in time, as well as Maurice Chauvet (Owning Mahowny) and Chris Vail. Paramount is now actively looking for a new writer and director for the project, and hoping to move forward with it in the near future. The property seems like it could be a gold mine, considering the popularity of both superhero flicks and family-oriented live-action / CG hybrid comedies. As the article points out, however, both the original 1940s Mighty Mouse comic...
- 4/19/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
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