The
Mummy
(2017/Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
Picture:
A-/B+ Sound: A-/B+ Extras: B Film: C+
The
launch of Universal's new Dark Universe label, which updates the
classic Universal Monsters to modern re-imaginings (and not to be
confused with the ''Monster-verse'' which includes Warner Bros'
licensing of the King Kong and Godzilla properties), begins with the
Tom Cruise vehicle The
Mummy
(2017). Lying somewhere between the big budget effects spectacle of
the Brendan Fraser Mummy
trilogy and mixed with Tom Cruise's usual edge of your seat/over the
top style-action extravaganza, the end product barely resembles the
Boris Karloff classic and instead goes with a female Mummy (played by
rising Kingsman
star Sofia Boutella) who is creepy and sexy.
In
retrospect, even the critically bashed but guilty pleasure 2010
Wolfman
film, which starred Benecio Del Toro stayed more true to the formula
of classic monster movie than this. Nevertheless, I'm of the
minority that actually found a lot of great aspects for this movie
and I don't think it necessarily deserves the lashing that it got
when released in theaters back in June.
Cruise
is joined by an all-star cast which includes Annabelle Wallis (the
2017 King
Arthur
and Television's Peaky
Blinders),
Jake Johnson (Jurassic
World),
Courtney B. Vance (TV's American
Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson)
and Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator).
Directed by screenwriter Alex Kurtzman (the J.J. Abrams Star
Trek
films), the film is popcorn munching entertainment and nothing more.
Thought
to be dead and mummified, a betrayed ancient Egyptian Princess named
Ahmanet (Boutella) who did some unspeakable acts in her past an
attempt to power, rises again thanks to her tomb being disrupted by
Nick Morton (Cruise) and his unlikely assistants Jenny Halsey
(Wallis) and Sgt. Vail (Johnson). As he kills her way into restoring
her powers, The Mummy causes death and destruction every where it
lies in modern day London. After helping him survive a vicious plane
crash unharmed, Norton finds himself unwillingly linked to Ahmanet as
she attempts to use him as a vessel to immortality. With the help of
Dr. Henry Jekyll (Crowe) and Hasley, Norton finds himself on a
supernatural adventure against an unstoppable foe.
Sofia
Boutella steals the scenes that she is in and the character ideas
that we went with this Mummy are similar but not quite as cool as the
Imotep character. While Karloff's will always be considered the
purest version, the Arnold Vosloo take on the character in the
Brendan Fraser series grabbed me more as a viewer I think. This
mummy has a weakness to mercury, which at times makes her more
vulnerable than the Vosloo version, who felt more sinister and nearly
unstoppable at times.
Presented
in 2160p with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with HDR (high
dynamic range 10-bit color) and Dolby Atmos 11.1 and DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 5.1 lossless sound mixes, the film sounds as good at
home as one could ask for with an overall immersive experience that
brings the film to startling life. This is a very stylized film with
a lot of production design so it really benefits from a format like
this more than even Blu-ray. The artistry that went into this is
astounding from a production perspective to me personally and it was
really a treat to see it in this much clarity. The attached 1080p
Blu-ray version is fine with similar widescreen and audio specs, but
doesn't capture the same detail as the 4K UHD release.
Special
Features are around an hour in length and include:
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.
The
Dark Universe continues with The
Bride of Frankenstein
which will star Javier Bardem, a rumored Mummy
sequel, and The
Invisible Man
starring Johnny Depp. I have high hopes for these, but all we can do
is wait and see what Universal has planned. Being a hardcore fan of
the original classic monster movies, I want these to succeed more
than anything however maybe putting it up in the box office against
Wonder
Woman
this summer wasn't the best timing for it and it will hopefully get
more love on video.
For
more on the past Mummy
films, here are links to our coverage of the 1932 classic (hopefully
coming to 4K Blu-ray soon) on DVD....
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7251/The+Mummy+%E2%80%93+Special+Edition+(1932
...plus
the Brendan Fraser revival that became a trilogy, due to hit 4K the
same day as this revival, from our Blu-ray coverage...
The
Mummy
+ The
Mummy Returns
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7252/The+Mummy+++The+Mummy+Returns+(2-Disc+D
Mummy:
Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8089/The+Mummy+%E2%80%93+Tomb+Of+The+Drago
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
