DVD: The Mummy
Reviewed by: Samantha Keogh
Review made possible by: Times New Media
Right off the bat let me say watching Tom Cruise get slapped around is always a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
He really isn’t a realistic action figure so seeing someone beat him up, especially a woman, is far more believable than him as any kind of hero.
The newest instalment of The Mummy is a complete breakaway from the film of the same name released in 1999.
Cruise takes on the role of Nick Morton, a soldier of fortune who discovers an Egyptian burial site in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq and Kuwait) when he and his partner, played by Chris Vail, come under attack.
During the attack, Vail calls the US military for airstrike support which accidentally unearths Ahmanet, a betrayed Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years.
The sarcophagus, under the watchful eye of researcher Jenny Halsey, is moved to London where a crucial part of Ahmanet’s dagger is buried in a recently uncovered Crusader tomb.
When the plane they are transporting the sarcophagus to England in crashes, Ahmanet is awakened to finish a curse she started casting thousands of years ago, before she was entombed and buried alive.
With Ahmanet’s powers constantly evolving, Morton must stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.
The gender reversal of the villain adds a great twist to what promised to be an interesting watch.
However, the movie lacked action (since it is billed as an action movie) and stopped short of delivering a riveting tale.
Ahmanet has a relatively small role to play in what is essentially her movie, while far too much time is given to Cruise’s weak acting and posturing.
Cruise has an acting range of only one character, which means every role he takes is delivered in the same hollow, egocentric manner which dilutes the plot of every movie he is in.
To see this at the top of the list of movies released this year, those casting the film would have been wise to find another actor.
My advice – it’s not the worst film I’ve seen this year but I wouldn’t waste too much time tracking it down if it isn’t immediately visible in your local DVD store.
