I can't hate this film, even if it seems like that's what's going to be trending. As a Dark Universe movie, it obviously follows the footprints of the comic book movie universes, while utilizing old Universal/Hammer horror movie elements.
I believe most of the naysayers expected a new horror movie anthology, one that brings the same fright that the old ones did we used to watch as kids. Honestly, Universal horror movies can't be that sort of frightening anymore,since we are not the same people anymore either. Universal was never about jumpscares or deep psychological horror like the current trending "horror" themes. It was about slowly creeping fear caused by fictional monsters.
In my opinion, Dark Universe films are and will be meant to be watched as action films infused with classic horror elements and characters instead of the other way around. And to me, those few elements did hit the spot.
My favorite bits horror-wise are the mummy herself immediately after resurrection: that shambling, crawling undead figure with dislocated joints and broken bones was exactly like something you wouldn't want to see heading your way in a dark London alley.
I also liked Cruise being chased by the undead Crusaders under water. The relatively slow movement all while being underwater, half-drowning, really is a nightmarish situation even if it is not meant to make you jump out of your seat (which I still find to be the cheapest sort of thrill, therefore a bad idea).
The makers deciding not to use CGI in an exhibitionist way was another one of these good bits: in many scenes, the overall darkness leaves just enough for our imagination to fill in with scary ideas instead of showing off so much, we start noticing how sterile and unfrightening CGI looks in general (I'm looking at you, Alien: Covenant).
As for being an action flick, yes, it definitely wasn't a John Wick or a Rogue One. Not terrible, not great either, and had a little problem with unnecessary action sequences. The fight between the characters of Cruise and Crowe was lacking any motivation other than showing off. Improve it in the following movies, please (which I do hope to come).
How could it be better? More detailed characters: okay, we know, the girl is cute, Tom Cruise is bringing the Tom Cruise we know from most of his movies since the 80s and Crowe is Jekyll/Hyde, but who are they as characters in this very universe? If you're building a universe, you need strong, memorable characters to build it upon, glory of the past and eye candy is simply not enough.
More inventive action scenes. Watching Dracula and the Ottoman army duke it out from the reflection of a wobbling sword in Dracula Untold was a good one. More like that, less "Tom Cruise gets the umpteenth pimp smack the very same way from an obviously stronger enemy".
Giving some power to the Good, if Evil has so much would spice things up. Jekyll's self-sustained evil is nice, but why stop there? Let's make it really interesting. What if the reanimation of the dead Crusaders backfired and they tried to fight Ahmanet due to their once holy life? They were trying to guard that gem after all, keeping their oath in their death would have been a nice addition. I understand that the franchise is more about monsters than heroes, but reducing the possibilities of what *could* happen in a still forming universe is unnecessary and even harmful.
These three points are the three missing stars from my rating (based on the axiom of this movie is meant to be an action movie). The Mummy is by no means a bad film, but whatever you may expect it to be, you will find it at least a little disappointing for one reason or the other.
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