When someone mentions The Mummy to me I can’t help but imagine the old classic that starred Brendon Fraser as the lead. With so many remakes nowadays, guess it was only a matter of time until this one also got one. Officially in cinemas today (09 June 2017), I was lucky (yes again) to check out the movie earlier at an exclusive prescreening organized by the awesome crew at Ster-Kinekor (these guys sure know how to make a brother feel special). Been to a few now and can definitely vouch for these pre-screenings being worth it.

Before we get into it though, first check out the movie’s official trailer below:

Judging by the trailer, there’s no doubting that it’s definitely intense and gives you just the perfect amount to drum up some excitement and intrigue. But the same can be said about plenty more other movie trailers that have done the same with the overall watch not measuring up. So, how does The Mummy measure up?

Cast – Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Marwan Kenzari & Russell Crowe

Director – Alex Kurtzman

Genre – Fantasy/Action

Running Time – 2 hours

The Plot

Nick Morton is a soldier of fortune who plunders ancient sites for timeless artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder. When Nick and his partner come under attack in the Middle East, the ensuing battle accidentally unearths Ahmanet, a betrayed Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years. With her powers constantly evolving, Morton must now stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.

What’s interesting to note is that The Mummy is an attempt by Universal Pictures to kick start its Dark Universe franchise. What does that mean exactly? Well, basically it’s an entire universe that includes classic monster movies such as Dr. Jekyll, Dracula, Mr. Hyde etc. What was even more interesting was seeing Russell Crowe (one of my favourite all time actors) taking up the role of Dr. Jekyll. Will be interesting to see if he assumes the character full time, it would actually make sense for it to stay like that. 

It was quite refreshing to see Tom Cruise in a slightly different role, it actually fitted him quite well, this despite the criticism currently leveled against him by other critics. The movie has several action scenes as well as a bit of humour sprinkled across which made it an overall good watch. And despite a running time of two hours the movie doesn’t feel that long and does manage to keep your attention throughout. The visuals, especially when the movie kicks in properly, are fantastic…it might then be worth checking it out in either IMAX or 3D.

One thing I would have liked to see more in the story-line though is more depth, it overall seems too blend and simplistic. A part of me feels like they could have done more with it to make it great instead of just good, which is what it is, just good.

The Mummy is a good movie and you would best be served trying not to compare it to the 1999 classic. If you are then this one won’t quite measure up. Most might say it’s poor or average, I would beg to differ. I had a good time and enjoyed the bulk of it, that’s why it gets a 3 out of 5 rating from me.

The Plot

After a heist goes terribly wrong, Casey Stein (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself on the run from a ruthless gang headed by mob boss Hagen (Anthony Hopkins). Now Casey has precious cargo that belongs to Hagen, who will stop at nothing to retrieve it. Left with no choice, Casey calls his former employer and drug smuggler Geran (Ben Kingsley) to protect his long-time girlfriend Juliette (Felicity Jones) before Hagen gets his hands on her. Casey sets out on an adrenaline-fueled car chase on the German highways to save the love of his life before it’s too late.

Saying that it’s an adrenaline-fueled car chase doesn’t even begin to describe it, once the movie kicks in it’s basically non-stop and makes for an enjoyable watch. The storyline is straightforward and easy to understand, it’s very simplistic in its approach and doesn’t over-complicate anything. The movie does start off a bit slow (personally I’m not a huge fan of this) which at times makes you wonder if it really is an action/thriller based movie. But as mentioned above once it kicks in it makes for an enjoyable and fast paced watch.

So, with all that said, is there anything bad or negative about it? Yes and no, in fact I can’t make up my mind. On one end, I like the fact that it’s not complicated but on the other hand, I can’t help but think that more thought could have been put into the intro and some of the middle parts of the story. With so many great flicks around today with equally mind blowing storylines you can’t help but think that from that point of view, Collide falls a bit short. I’m probably being too technical though, after all some movies are what they are and aren’t looking to win any major awards or try to be too clever, and that’s what Collide is.

Cast – Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Marwan Kenzari, Ben Kingsley & Anthony Hopkins

Director – Eran Creevy

Genre – Thriller/Action

Running Time – 99 Minutes

Officially in local cinemas on the 17^th February 2017, Collide is a fast-paced action thriller that any action movie fan will enjoy. That’s why it gets a solid 3 out of 5 rating from me, go check it out.