The Mummy (2017)
Genre: Adventure
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance
Duration: 110 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Sofia Boutella goes on a furious rampage in The Mummy.

Action man Tom Cruise stars in this reboot of  Universal’s The Mummy franchise. It is also the first instalment in the Dark Universe film series, which will see well-known monsters such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Invisible Man and Frankenstein revived in the coming years.

Cruise plays Nick Morton, a soldier of fortune who plunders ancient sites for precious artefacts and sells them to the highest bidder. When Nick and his partner (Annabelle Wallis) come under attack in the Middle East, the ensuing battle accidentally unearths Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), a betrayed Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years. Morton must try to stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.

The film includes another Dark Universe monster. Russell Crowe stars as Dr Henry Jekyll, a brilliant scientist who leads  an organisation dedicated to destroying monsters but who must inject himself with a serum  to prevent from transforming into his evil and monstrous alter-ego... Edward Hyde.

Made on a $125 million budget, The Mummy received mostly poor reviews. The critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Lacking the campy fun of the franchise's most recent entries and failing to deliver many monster-movie thrills, The Mummy suggests a speedy unravelling for the Dark Universe.”

Cruise’s star power was not enough to pull off the film. Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal, in fact, commented: “A Tom Cruise movie has come to mean a professional production that is, if nothing else, good to look at. This one, his worst ever, isn’t worth a first look, let alone a second one.”

Molly Freeman of Screen Rant added: “The Mummy tries a fresh spin on the classic monster with a gender-swapped villain and Dark Universe connections but winds up a stale action reboot.”

Dan Jolin of Empire was, however, less harsh in his comments. He wrote: “An odd but frothily entertaining genre cocktail, which coasts on the charisma of its two biggest names and keeps things just fun enough to forgive its considerable lapses in narrative.”

Despite the crticism, the film, released last Friday in the US, has earned a total of $172.4 million worldwide.

Ratings
IMDB: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 17%
Empire: 3 stars

The Shack (2017)
Genre: Drama
Director: Stuart Hazeldine
Starring: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Tim McGraw, Radha Mithcell, Graham Greene
Duration: 132 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

Octavia Spencer helps Sam Worthington find himself again in The Shack.

The psychological drama is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by William P. Young. It revolves around Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) who spirals into a deep depression after suffering a family tragedy.

Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, he journeys to the place where he encounters an enigmatic trio led by a woman named Papa (Octavia Spencer).

Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever.

Critics commented that the film will only appeal to believers with Joe Morgenstern describing the film as “a sermon on faith packaged as a movie”.

Sandie Angulo Chen lauded the cast and said: “The talented cast elevates this sentimental faith-based adaptation above others in the genre.”

The $20 million budget film, released in the US in March, made $93.5 million worldwide so far.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
Empire: 2 stars