Unwrapping bandages to reveal a dusty bow

THE MUMMY (2017)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The newest incarnation of "The Mummy" can best be described as adequate and persistently mediocre. There is nothing here that nobody has seen before, be it the huge sandstorms or mummified mummies coming to life to wreack havoc. Yet when a top movie star like Tom Cruise appears and an Egyptian princess is the mummy this time, not to mention the casting of Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll, you expect much more than merely adequate.

Cruise is Nick, an Army Sergeant who craves adventure along with his pal, Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) who would rather be anywhere else. Okay, so Nick is a soldier of fortune, you know if Cruise had played Indiana Jones without a fedora or a bullwhip. In scenes set in modern-day Iraq during what appears to be an insurgent stronghold, Nick is after hidden treasures and finds one after an explosion that unearths a hidden tomb which is actually a prison. Deep in the bowels of this prison is the sarcophagus of Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) who vows to bring back the God of Death known as Set through Nick, the Chosen One or chosen human vessel. Why Nick? Not explained. Heck, we knew why Eddie Murphy was the Chosen One in "The Golden Child." So for action, we get an out-of-control Army helicopter ride that is actually quite thrilling and nerve-frying to witness. For CGI special-effects, we get a sandstorm sweeping through the city of London, a flock of birds, reanimated mummies and a chance to see Crowe turn into Mr. Hyde. This transformation happens rather briefly with Mr. Crowe, though thankfully nothing like the over-the-top cartoonish theatrics of giant Mr. Hydes that you may recall from "Van Helsing" or "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

Cruise is as Cruise does, neither labored nor too energetic in his performance. Boutella has eyes (double pupils to match) that could pierce Boris Karloff's skull or at least give him nightmares for a day (the nifty prologue explaining her past is far more animated and exciting than anything that follows). Annabelle Wallis as an archaeologist is about as interesting on screen as wallpaper covering hieroglyphics in a cave. Jake Johnson appears to be doing a comical variation on Griffin Dunne's decaying corpse from "An American Werewolf in London" though the humor quotient is low. This movie, written by a committee (aren't most blockbusters?) that includes David Koepp, had been under the contractual ownership of Tom Cruise who made probably one suggestion too many in the script and editing departments. Vanity, much?

This 2017 "Mummy" is far superior to Stephen Sommers' "Mummy" trilogy yet it is neither as diverting or as scrappily entertaining as any other "Mummy" movie from the 1930's and beyond. It needed a lower budget and a less powerful movie star at its center. You watch the movie like some sort of packaged present that has no surprises once it is unwrapped. All you get is a dusty bow.