The Mummy Trailer: Peak
Tom Cruise Universal's upcoming set of monster franchises is getting a lot of attention as the latest "connected universe" in Hollywood. Joining the ranks of Star Wars, Marvel, and even J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, it will be fit nicely into the modern cinematic trend. It's actually based on an older set of monster films that was arguably the first connected universe in cinema, but in a modern context it's the latest in a series of similar ideas. And it's already starting to look pretty exciting.
The Mummy is the first film up, and it's a curious choice for Universal, because it's arguably the most familiar title of the several projects that have been planned. 1999's The Mummy, directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, has long been a guilty pleasure for a generation of action and adventure fans. It received only mediocre reviews from critics and isn't a particularly nuanced or intelligent film, but it's a lot of fun and has proven to have some staying power over the years.
The film led to a sequel (The Mummy Returns) in 2001, as well as a spinoff (The Scorpion King) in 2002. Additionally, this site's catalogue of online gaming sites reveals that there's still a slot reel based on The Mummy circulating on the internet. It's largely an homage to the 1999 film, rather than a full-fledged video game, but it features characters, music, and artwork reminiscent of the cinematic adventure. It's worth mentioning because online film-based slot games are typically built only for popular projects in order to attract visitors. This would seem to indicate that 1999 version of The Mummy still draws a crowd.
Nevertheless, Universal is looking to kick off its new universe with The Mummy, perhaps seeking to erase existing notions of their own monster films right from the start. The new movie will star Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe as Nick Morton and Dr. Henry Jekyll (yes, that Dr. Jekyll), and will be directed by Alex Kurtzman (best known for co-writing Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness). Telling the tale of an ancient Egyptian mummy brought to life to terrorize the modern world, it's expected to be similar in concept to the '99 film, but far different in execution.
That's about all we had to go on until recently when the trailer was unveiled. Now, there's only one way to characterize the reboot: it's peak Tom Cruise. Described by some as a Mission Impossible-style film with a supernatural element, The Mummy looks like Cruise at his sprinting, yelling, heart-stopping best as we see him going down in a dramatic plane crash and later waking to a "world of monsters." A few deep, dramatic lines of narration from Crowe add a sense of seriousness to the trailer, and we get an intriguing glimpse of Sofia Boutella's Princess Ahmanet unleashing magical terrors. For the most part, this looks like a simple but shrewd move by Universal to give Tom Cruise the keys to the universe and let him drive it.
That would seem to be a move inspired by what Marvel did with Robert Downey, Jr. in 2008's Iron Man, and we know how that turned out!
