Entertainment
Tom Cruise’s 110-Minute Action Flop Is Now Officially Taking Over Streaming
When it comes to Tom Cruise, the box-office readies itself for his impact. Between hit franchises like Mission: Impossible and Top Gun and action smashes like Edge of Tomorrow and Jack Reacher, it’s rare to find a Cruise outing that’s, well, disappointing. But everyone’s success streak dips sometimes, and the star had one major (dare we say, blockbuster) misfire that has recently found new life on Prime Video. If you guessed The Mummy, we’re both frightened and amazed that you’re right.
‘The Mummy’ Is a Monstrous Mess of Mixed and Unmet Potential
The 2017 reboot of the Mummy was a conceptual mess from the very beginning. Rather than being a stunning re-imagining of The Mummy franchise – which originated during Universal’s monster movie era in the 1930s, and was at its peak back when Brendan Fraser was the lead — the film was meant to be more of a proof of concept for Universal Studios’ proposed “Dark Universe” franchise rebooting their old monster properties that, sadly, went nowhere. In fact, there are four different movies titled The Mummy, and of those entries, the one boasting Tom Cruise is somehow the worst. The supernatural action-adventure flick follows U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton (Cruise) as he unintentionally brings the ancient Egyptian Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) back from the dead. Having been mummified, the sorceress returns with unspeakable power and an unparalleled vengeance she seeks to visit against the modern world. However, Morton becomes supernaturally tethered to the titular villain, and slowly begins his own monstrous transformation. The Mummy, then, chronicles the battle for Morton’s soul as he wanders into a terrifying world that’s bigger than he imagined.
Tonally, The Mummy never quite settles on saying anything of note. It tries its hardest to do far too much and ultimately achieves none of it. In just short of two hours, the Alex Kurtzman-directed film struggles to settle on what exactly it actually wants to be. Is it a Tom Cruise action flick? Of course. Is it a horror movie? At times. Is it the kickstart of an expanded universe? Undoubtedly. Is it a comedy? It’s difficult to tell — but Prime Video audiences seem to love it. Or, at least they’re finally curious enough about it after a decade to give Cruise the time of day, making it the #4 most-streamed movie on the platform.
Watch this critical failure if you dare, but just know that everything it tries to build towards crashed and burned before it escaped the shadows…
Dark Universe Crashed and Burned Faster Than Any Blockbuster Franchise
If you’ve been around the movie scene in the last decade, then you already know that the Dark Universe franchise never happened. Although Universal first attempted a “soft” introduction with Dracula Untold, that film didn’t live up to the shared universe standards the studio hoped to achieve. The Mummy is a fascinating relic of an era where every major studio was desperate for its own Marvel-style franchise, complete with big-name stars, rich mythology, and an action-comedy feel. Remember, this was a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in full swing and the DC Extended Universe had been successfully launched in only a few short years. Universal aimed to follow Disney and Warner Bros. with its most iconic movie monsters — and on paper, we understand why. In practice, however, it’s no wonder that this entire concept (like some of Tom Cruise’s other worst movies) died on impact. It’s too bad the end result felt so rushed.
The Mummy may be making waves on streaming, but if you’re looking for a modern take on the Egyptian monster, you’re probably better off waiting for the next Brendan Fraser movie.
The Mummy is available for streaming on Prime Video.
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