The Mummy (2017)

Do not listen to Rotten Tomatoes. 17% is way too harsh. I get it, critics. You were expecting this to be like the 1999 Brendan Fraser one. Too bad. I personally liked this new take on the story. The gender-swapping was a bit weird but it brought sort of a "crazy stalker girlfriend" vibe to the film. Even if you haven't seen the Brendan Fraser version you could still enjoy this film. Tom Cruise does a great job in the lead role. The movie still has some fun moments, despite the trailers advertising this as a "dark" film. It manages to be creepy, while still keeping it fun. (Think the classic Black-and-white monster movies back in the days of yore). Since it's practically a law in the filmmaking world now to have every movie be in a "universe" that's connected, this has plenty of Easter Eggs fans of the old black-and-white monster movies may recoginize, but I won't dare spoil them. There's one sequence towards the end of the film with a surprise villain that in my opinion was one of the best scenes in the film. I personally thought this was a great kickoff to this franchise. It's like back in the '30's when people would go to the movie theater for their weekly serials. Except instead of short 10-15 min. long weekly serials we get big budget escapedes that last 2 hours and come out every 1-2 years. (or in Marvel's case, every 3 months).  I am going to compare this to the Fraser film just a bit. Personally, I think this one is better. (I know. Shame on me, right?) The CGI in that movie was just bad, even for 1999. Here, most of the effects are practical. Instead of taking someone, and making them look monstorus by adding CGI to their face, they actually used practical effects and makeup. (which, quite frankly, is what they should have done in the first place) That's not to say that every shot is perfect. When CGI is used, it still looks pretty fake. But overall, this was a fun, creepy, monster flick with a classic feel. I'm excited to see what the next entry "The Bride of Frankenstein" has in store in 2019.
Grade: A-  9/10  4/5 stars