The Mummy - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Mummy

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I knew going in that this movie bombed at the box office. Critics and public reviews alike tore it to shreds, and frankly, I was curious why. The trailer didn’t seem to make it out to be anything more than an action-adventure flick, perhaps a little reminiscent of The Mummy reboot from 1999. But then, that really was a good popcorn flick. Why wouldn’t they emulate it to some degree?

The Mummy has had a few reincarnations in the last 85 years, all of them centered on an ancient Egyptian priest who is accidentally resurrected, bringing with him a powerful curse (or curses), and the ensuing attempts of heroic archeologists to stop him. The original film from 1932 starred Boris Karloff as Imhotep the high priest, and was the first of six installments of the Universal Monsters series, the last being released in 1955. From 1959 to 1971, Hammer Film Productions released their own series of stand-alone Mummy films, and then came the trilogy by Steven Sommers from 1999 to 2008 (starring the then boyishly gorgeous Brendan Fraser and the delightful and ravishing Rachel Weisz) that gave Imhotep a bit of a facelift and turned The Mummy into more a daring adventure with a few elements of horror, and a genuinely adorable love story thrown in.

Nine years later, Universal decides to try their hand at resurrecting the mummy (smirk) as part of their Dark Universe franchise. However, no longer is it a sacrilegious priest but a vengeful princess, mummified alive for making a pact with Set, god of Death, to resurrect him in the body of a man in exchange for the power to take revenge on those who would deny her the throne. When her tomb is found centuries later a thousand mile from her homeland, a looter frees her and becomes the object of her obsession – to fulfil the pact she made with Set and bring destruction to those that oppose her.

This stood a good chance of being a hit but for one mistake: they chose Tom Cruise as their leading man, Nick Morton. Don’t get me wrong; I like a good Tom Cruise action flick, but emphasis on the word “good.” Personally, I think his last good one was Knight and Day with Cameron Diaz. Every film after that has seemed an attempt to prove he’s “still got it” despite his obvious (though mostly graceful) aging. He’s in amazing shape, I will give him that, but the juggling act of tongue in cheek comedy, fast paced heroics, intelligent conversation, and believable affection seem too far beyond Tom’s reach. Many times, his attempt at humor comes across as awkward and ill-placed, especially when coupled with the cheesy one-liners from his sometimes-dead partner, Chris Vail (Jake Johnson). There’s an obvious lack of bonding between two characters who have supposedly thieved together for several years.

Then there’s the thread-bare connection to his leading lady, or should I say, leading ladies. Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis) is a stubborn but gifted archaeologist with whom Morton apparently shared a night of passion, but we meet her AFTER said night, and through the course of the movie, we see no signs from either of them that they crossed any level of intimacy past pick-pocketing. Her character, however, carries with it a sense of third dimension – she has a past we don’t know that led her to be employed by a shady agency seeking out ancient and dangerous artifacts. I also have to say Wallis has a very expressive face, which she uses to her advantage to convey her character’s inner monologue.

And then… the beautiful and sultry Sophia Boutella as the infamous Princess Ahmanet. I have zero criticism of her performance. She’s utterly fantastic and the highlight of the film. She has this way of connecting with the audience using just her eyes; they give depth and emotion to an otherwise villainous character. Alas, none of that worked on Tom. Most of his interactions with her leave him dazed and confused, and in moments where he should have been captivated, he applies comedic awkwardness. In only one scene did I feel his snarky response appropriate to the situation.

Adding to this already muddled narrative is the introduction of the classic horror character Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, though really, his presence didn’t forward the story to much degree. He could have been your average eccentric doctor with a god-complex and the events would have unfolded almost exactly the same. I supposed they included him because this film was to be part of a larger inter-connected Monster movie franchise, until its box office demise. One could surmise he was to have his own movie, if this proved successful. Should The Mummy stand alone, he’s just a loose thread adding to an already poorly woven tale.

However...most of my nitpicking didn’t occur to me until after the credits rolled. In the moment, I was mesmerized by the special effects: the spectacular sets, from ancient Egypt to modern day ruins of Mesopotamia, from cavernous tomb to heart-stopping plane crash, and all the undead fighting along the way. Many moments were appropriately funny, and others genuinely tender. But there were just enough disconnects to break the suspension of disbelief. For fans of the 1999 Mummy movie, there’s some head-nods you’ll enjoy. In the trailer, of course, they showed the face in the sand-storm, but there’s one or two others in unexpected places.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for violence, action and scary images, and for some suggestive content and partial nudity




Video:

The Mummy is one of the few films these days actually SHOT on REAL film stock. Well, at least for the most part. Some of my sources say there were a few digital shots here and there, but 98% of the movie done using 35mm film, and the results are simply stunning. The colors have been heavily graded with that blue/gray look that is so popular nowadays, although the open air shots of Iraq look like they’ve been given that sandy and dusty earth tone touch up work. Fine details are incredibly sharp and vibrant, with every tattoo our dear mummy, and every smudge of dirt on fabric showing up with no effort whatsoever. Blacks are very prominent throughout, and the underground tunnels and grotto’s show off excellent shadow detail and I couldn’t really find even a smidgen of banding. A teensy bit of crush in a few shots, but very minimal, almost to the point of nonexistence. An all around demo worthy transfer.







Audio:

Universal’s Dolby Atmos track is not far behind the video, and is just a smidge away from being perfect as well. The track is spacious and EXTREMELY encompassing, with the constant action of the series allowing for copious use of the surrounds and overheads. I was especially impressed with the overhead usage with helicopters thudding above the listening position, as well as sounds of sand falling as everyone descends into the tomb. Side surrounds are wildly active, as you can hear everything from a falling footstep, to the plink of water in a sewer tunnel with eerie accuracy. LFE is deep and guttural, but this is where I deduct the half point. While it’s powerful and loud, it doesn’t get as deep or as ferocious as I would have hoped for. Again, this is only a MILD complaint as the track is simply stunning and really a fantastic experience.






Extras:

• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Cruise & Kurtzman: A Conversation Rooted in Reality – Tom Cruise and Alex Kurtzman discuss the making of The Mummy.
• Rooted in Reality – Filmmakers and cast reveal how they broke away from old tropes and traditions to create a dynamic and realistic 21st century monster movie.
• Life in Zero-G: Creating the Plane Crash – Watch Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, and the crew shoot the incredible plane sequence.
• Meet Ahmanet – Sofia Boutella shares the excitement of reinventing a monster icon.
• Cruise in Action – A behind-the-scenes look at Tom Cruise's most memorable Mummy stunts.
• Becoming Jekyll and Hyde – Find out how the casting of Russell Crowe brought a bold new dimension to the roles of Jekyll and Hyde.
• Choreographed Chaos – Watch as cast and filmmakers create an epic outdoors clash between ancient and modern worlds.
• Nick Morton: In Search of a Soul – Tom Cruise describes what drew him to play a man seemingly without a soul.
• Ahmanet Reborn Animated Graphic Novel – Witness Ahmanet's descent into the monstrous underworld as she is reborn into the Goddess of Chaos and Wrath.
• Feature Commentary with director and producer Alex Kurtzman, and cast members Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis and Jake Johnson

Final Score: ​

The Mummy (2017) tried to gender-switch the cliché roles of seductive villain and unwitting victim only to miscast the “hero” and end up condemning itself to merely a decent action movie. However, it is saved by the engaging performances of Annabelle Willis and Sophia Boutella. While on opposite sides of the spectrum, one fiery and intelligent, the other sensuous and cunning, both imbue authenticity into their characters and give the audience something to connect with on a personal level. Sophia is especially riveting and complex, able to display Ahmanet’s inner conflict without words. Tom did well in action sequences, or sarcastic one-liners, or the occasional romantic interlude, but couldn’t match Sophia’s balancing act of warring emotions and motivations. For those of us like myself who are wondering if Universal's Dark Universe has any legs, this and Dracula Untold (which is technically not part of the Dark Universe, but did as a litmus test) are making me slightly nervous about any long term franchise longevity. Audio and video are simply FANTASTIC, and really are the highlights of the entire package. It's a decent enough popcorn flick in it's own right, but this is one of the FEW times where I felt Tom Cruise didn't rise above the weak script and thoroughly engage the audience. Decent Rental




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis
Directed by: Alex Kurtzman
Written by: David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 AVC
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core),Spanish, French DTS 5.1
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 110 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 12th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Decent Rental

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. If it is on netflix or amazon prime, will check it out.

 

[phillihp23]

Spot on Review.

Such a shame, the studio had a real opportunity to bring back a true horror version of the movie.

 

[Michael Scott]

it was a strange mix of mild horror and some of the action and adventure from Stephen Sommer's Mummy flicks as well. Although not nearly as charming

 

[Sonnie Parker]

To me this is going to be more about the special effects than the acting. I haven't ever thought much the acting of Tom Cruise, although I liked his MI stuff fairly well.

 

[Michael Scott]

Here's a little behind the scenes clip to tease the audience.

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the tease clip.

 

[Jack]

Well sports fans, I finally watched this at an acquaintances home theater and I simply hated everything about it. The image was almost unseeable in the darker scenes and the audio was simply a disaster. I think the problem here was his system was too loud, had too much bad bass and although he just put in a new bulb in his projector, the colors were blown out in the above ground scenes and had no detail in scenes below ground.
I wonder if seeing it on my, IMO much better system would help ?

(Even tho he had it very loud, I feel asleep I was so bored)

 

[Todd Anderson]

Well sports fans, I finally watched this at an acquaintances home theater and I simply hated everything about it. The image was almost unseeable in the darker scenes and the audio was simply a disaster. I think the problem here was his system was too loud, had too much bad bass and although he just put in a new bulb in his projector, the colors were blown out in the above ground scenes and had no detail in scenes below ground.
I wonder if seeing it on my, IMO much better system would help ?

(Even tho he had it very loud, I feel asleep I was so bored)

I think you need to tell us how you really felt about it. ;-)

In all seriousness, a bad system can certainly leave a sour taste in your mouth. I'm not sure if it can destroy a good storyline, tho. Unless you have a ton of time to blow, I'd opt for other media on your system.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

I still haven't seen it yet... been trying to figure out a way to watch it without video or speakers, but I might be like Jack and fall asleep!

 

[Todd Anderson]

Time get the headset on, Sonnie, and fire up the 4K TV!

I'm a little surprised that Cruise took this role. He so rarely strays into potentially poor productions. Even flicks that aren't great are decently entertaining.

Is his star power drying up a tad?

 

[Jack]

Ha ha, I did not mean to sound like a jerk, it was just not my cup of poison. I really agree that of the bits I did see, Sofia was absolutely wonderful in all she did, her facial expressions and mannerisms were spot on. Never the less I think I will follow what Mike says and move on although Sonnie might have a good point

 

[Todd Anderson]

Ha ha, I did not mean to sound like a jerk, it was just not my cup of poison. I really agree that of the bits I did see, Sofia was absolutely wonderful in all she did, her facial expressions and mannerisms were spot on. Never the less I think I will follow what Mike says and move on although Sonnie might have a good point

I didn't think you came off like jerk... I call it "keep'n it real!"

Probably best to let Mike take the bullet.

 

[Michael Scott]

this was a mild bullet compared to some of the hits I had to take recently.... Transformers 5 review is coming up in a few days and that's a huge bullet to take

 

[Medi0gre]

this was a mild bullet compared to some of the hits I had to take recently.... Transformers 5 review is coming up in a few days and that's a huge bullet to take

Oh my, I had higher hopes for that one

 

[Michael Scott]

Oh my, I had higher hopes for that one

Transformers 4 was painful, this one just hurt REALLY bad... Michael Bay just vomitted CGI on the screen and we'll leave it at that for now

 

[Jack]

Having seen the latest transformer movie (Yes with a small "T") I agree with Michael, it was a spew fest that really wastes the viewers time, but that discussion is for another time in King Arthur's court. Oops I hope I did not spoil some of the magic....oops did it again... I mean some of the dragons foul breath that is this movie.

 

[phillihp23]

Time get the headset on, Sonnie, and fire up the 4K TV!

I'm a little surprised that Cruise took this role. He so rarely strays into potentially poor productions. Even flicks that aren't great are decently entertaining.

Is his star power drying up a tad?

Ha, the true mummy in the film was Cruise... Cruise...go back to your tomb

 

[phillihp23]

this was a mild bullet compared to some of the hits I had to take recently.... Transformers 5 review is coming up in a few days and that's a huge bullet to take

This is truly disappointing to hear.....I guess Hollywood has sold out for good....if you got any talent anymore I guess you need to find work at HBO or Netflix where they write actual plots for their movies and develop characters. Not really sure I am ready for the next Star Wars as they seem to be sliding down hill also.