(PHOTO PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE)

WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS...SORRY.

STARRING:

Tom Cruise as Nick Morton

Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll

Annabelle Wallis as Jenny Halsey

Sofia Boutella as Ahmanet

Jake Johnson as Chris Vail

(TRAILER PROVIDED VIA YOUTUBE)

Welcome to Dark Universe. The new 2017 Mummy is the first movie in Universal Pictures' new monster themed production branch Dark Universe which will feature The Invisible Man, Frankenstein's Monster, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, The Mummy and Nick Morton. This Mummy movie is set in a bigger world then the previous franchise as we get a taste of some of the creatures that go bump in the night as we first see Dr. Jekyll's laboratory.

I'm going to get right to it. This may not be a remake of the previous franchise as we get a little nod from the older Brendan Fraser movies. The Book of the Dead from the previous franchise makes an appearance in the new movie. Sure it's a quick peak, but it's there.

It's the exact same book from the other movies. Could it just be an easter egg? Could it be something to make fans of the franchise and monsters go crazy like I am right now? Sure, maybe. But maybe those other movies could act as a history to this new Dark Universe. It would be very cool if it did. I think that sort of history added to the new Dark Universe could only help it.

The film itself is pretty fun to watch. Tom Cruise is pretty good as Nick Morton. He's a jerk and a thief but you still end up pulling for him and hope that he does the right thing at the end. Tom Cruise was a great casting for his role.

Russell Crowe kills it as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. He is the best part of the film. When he turns into Hyde, he's scary and funny. I liked how he joked with wise cracks as he tried to both convince Nick Morton to join him and kill him at the same time. I do wish I got to see more of Hyde, but I bet that we will be able to see lots more of him in one of the future films.

I enjoyed Sofia Boutella's mummy a lot. Her drive and need to bring the God of Death Set to the mortal world was quite the journey. Her ability to control so much even from inside her sarcophagus is amazing. The evil in this mummy is so much more damning then the mummy from the prior franchise is unparalleled.

Annabelle Wallis' Jenny and Jake Johnson's Chris Vail served their roles well. Jenny was what Nick Morton needed to keep a thread of hope in the light. Chris Vail was the comic relief zombie ghost that haunts Nick Morton. These elements of the story were done well.

As a fan of monster movies and The Mummy, I liked how they told this story. I'm excited to see where Dark Universe takes us in the future. Originally I remember hearing that Dracula Untold would be a part of this monster movie universe. Recently I heard that Luke Evans is out and Dracula Untold will stand on it's own as a film. I find that depressing as Luke Evans' Dracula would have been a perfect addition to this film universe. With that being said, I give The Mummy a 4 out of 5 stars. They kept the story tight and the movie was not too long at 1 hour and 50 minutes. I'm excited to see where this story goes.

#themummy #darkuniverse #tomcruise #russellcrowe #egypt #ancientegypt #horrormovie