The Mummy (2017)

In 1999, Universal remade one of their famous monster movies, The Mummy, for modern ages. It was a cross between a horror film, a goofy comedy, and an Indiana Jones film. While it was earmarked as a modestly budgeted film, it became one of the biggest box-office smashes of that year spawning two sequels, a spin-off series, and a theme park ride. Now, Universal is trying to recreate its success with the beginning of a new universe entitled The Dark Universe and the first film in its series, The Mummy.

This time around, The Mummy takes place in modern times starring box office star, Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible Series). Cruise plays Sergeant Nick Morton, a U.S. Army reconnaissance officer who is stationed in the Middle East. During his time there, he and his sidekick, Corporal Chris Vail (Jake Johnson; Jurassic World) sideline as black market treasure hunters. During one of these "off-the-books" reconnaissance missions, Nick and Chris uncover a hidden tomb located in the heart of Iraq. 

During their exploration with archeologist Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis; King Arthur: Legend of the Sword ), they discover an ancient tomb that contains the body of Ahmanet played Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde). They unwisely remove the tomb to send back to London and Dr. Henry Jekyll (Russell Crowe; The Nice Guys ) for further study. As you can imagine Ahmanet does not play along and all hell ensues.

While The Mummy 2017 is a very entertaining film, it lacks some the "fun factor" that was prevalent in the 1999 version and some of the story gets bogged down at times. However, none of the issues can be attributed to the casting. As with most of his films, Tom Cruise gives it his all. With a career starting in the 1980s, he has become one of the most charismatic and dedicated actors working in the industry and it certainly shows in The Mummy. His character (even with some of his unscrupulous ways) is funny, resourceful, and at the end of the day, you are rooting for him. Boutella gives another great performance to add to her resume as well giving us a great female villain. While her character was envisioned as just a female Imhotep, Boutella created a sexy, smart villain that is complex compared to the mummy of the first film. The rest of the supporting cast gave their all as well, creating memorable characters, that are not just fluff to the story but help drive along the plot.

The first Mummy reboot was helmed by a young director with very few films to his name, Stephen Sommers (Odd Thomas), and Universal, once again, chose someone new to the directorial world in Alex Kurtzman (People Like Us).  While Kurtzman has several writing and producing credits under his belt this is his first big scale Hollywood film as a director. Unfortunately, unlike last time, this seems to be the main reason the film didn't succeed the way people had hoped. While the actors gave superb performances, the direction did not fare so well. At times scenes felt choppy, rushed, and the large action pieces lacked any cohesive semblance. It was rumored that behind the scenes Cruise stepped in to help during editing to fix these problems and it is a scary thought what the film would have looked like without his expertise.

The Mummy's 4K UHD disc is presented in with 2160 lines of resolution with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. As with most modern day film 4K releases, it looks amazing. The UHD color palette truly shines through during the Iraq desert scenes as well as providing a dark ominous look to the catacombs of London. The transfer also benefits from the film's use of real sets, providing the sharp details that sometimes can look fake when special effects are used with this format. Complimenting the amazing video presentation is a Dolby Atmos soundtrack that makes you feel like you are actually there with the actors in the film. The audio lets you hear every little detail from the sand whipping through the air in Iraq, to the wings of the birds hitting the aircraft during the films famous zero-g plane crash. The dialog is crisp, clear, and easy to understand.

Universal went all out with the special features for this rendition of The Mummy. As usual with most 4K releases, the special features can be found on the Blu-ray disc in the set. Aside from the Digital HD copy of these film these features include:

• Cruise & Kurtzman: A Conversation - A sit-down talk with Tom Cruise and Director Alex Kurtzman
• Cruise in Action - Cast and crew discuss the infamous lead of the film, Tom Cruise.
• Nick Morton: In Search of a Soul  - Dive deeper into what makes Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) tick in the film.
• Life In Zero-G: Creating the Plane Crash - A look into one of the films death defying stunts
• Rooted in Reality - A look into how The Mummy used real sets instead of green screens.
• Choreographed Chaos - Detail on the how the action was all put together in the final product.
• Becoming Jekyll and Hyde - The placement of Dr. Jekyll was a nice surprise in the film. Now found out more about the character.
• Meet Ahmanet  - Explore the ancient evil portrayed by Sofia Boutella
• Ahmanet Reborn Animated Graphic Novel - An animated adventure with Sofia Boutella character
• Deleted and Extended Scenes

While The Mummy (2017) was a disappointment box office wise, it still delivered all the elements of a summer blockbuster movie, a charismatic cast, spectacular sets,  and explosions — all contained in a slick package by director Alex Kurtzman.  Even though it falls short of its predecessor, it still is a fun ride and provides a solid foundation for the upcoming Dark Universe. Hopefully, the next installment in the universe, The Bride of Frankenstein, will be as much fun.