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Category:    Home > Reviews > Action > Horror > Comedy > Supernatural > Monster > The Mummy (2017/Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)

The Mummy (2017/Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)



Picture: A-/B+ Sound: A-/B+ Extras: B Film: C+



The launch of Universal's new Dark Universe label, which updates the classic Universal Monsters to modern re-imaginings (and not to be confused with the ''Monster-verse'' which includes Warner Bros' licensing of the King Kong and Godzilla properties), begins with the Tom Cruise vehicle The Mummy (2017). Lying somewhere between the big budget effects spectacle of the Brendan Fraser Mummy trilogy and mixed with Tom Cruise's usual edge of your seat/over the top style-action extravaganza, the end product barely resembles the Boris Karloff classic and instead goes with a female Mummy (played by rising Kingsman star Sofia Boutella) who is creepy and sexy.


In retrospect, even the critically bashed but guilty pleasure 2010 Wolfman film, which starred Benecio Del Toro stayed more true to the formula of classic monster movie than this. Nevertheless, I'm of the minority that actually found a lot of great aspects for this movie and I don't think it necessarily deserves the lashing that it got when released in theaters back in June.


Cruise is joined by an all-star cast which includes Annabelle Wallis (the 2017 King Arthur and Television's Peaky Blinders), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World), Courtney B. Vance (TV's American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson) and Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator). Directed by screenwriter Alex Kurtzman (the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films), the film is popcorn munching entertainment and nothing more.


Thought to be dead and mummified, a betrayed ancient Egyptian Princess named Ahmanet (Boutella) who did some unspeakable acts in her past an attempt to power, rises again thanks to her tomb being disrupted by Nick Morton (Cruise) and his unlikely assistants Jenny Halsey (Wallis) and Sgt. Vail (Johnson). As he kills her way into restoring her powers, The Mummy causes death and destruction every where it lies in modern day London. After helping him survive a vicious plane crash unharmed, Norton finds himself unwillingly linked to Ahmanet as she attempts to use him as a vessel to immortality. With the help of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Crowe) and Hasley, Norton finds himself on a supernatural adventure against an unstoppable foe.


Sofia Boutella steals the scenes that she is in and the character ideas that we went with this Mummy are similar but not quite as cool as the Imotep character. While Karloff's will always be considered the purest version, the Arnold Vosloo take on the character in the Brendan Fraser series grabbed me more as a viewer I think. This mummy has a weakness to mercury, which at times makes her more vulnerable than the Vosloo version, who felt more sinister and nearly unstoppable at times.


Presented in 2160p with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with HDR (high dynamic range 10-bit color) and Dolby Atmos 11.1 and DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless sound mixes, the film sounds as good at home as one could ask for with an overall immersive experience that brings the film to startling life. This is a very stylized film with a lot of production design so it really benefits from a format like this more than even Blu-ray. The artistry that went into this is astounding from a production perspective to me personally and it was really a treat to see it in this much clarity. The attached 1080p Blu-ray version is fine with similar widescreen and audio specs, but doesn't capture the same detail as the 4K UHD release.



Special Features are around an hour in length and include:


Deleted and Extended Scenes


Cruise & Kurtzman: A Conversation Rooted in Reality - Tom Cruise and Alex Kurtzman discuss the making of The Mummy.


Rooted in Reality - Filmmakers and cast reveal how they broke away from old tropes and traditions to create a dynamic and realistic 21st century monster movie.


Life in Zero-G: Creating the Plane Crash - Watch Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, and the crew shoot the incredible plane sequence.


Meet Ahmanet - Sofia Boutella shares the excitement of reinventing a monster icon.


Cruise in Action - A behind-the-scenes look at Tom Cruise's most memorable Mummy stunts.


Becoming Jekyll and Hyde - Find out how the casting of Russell Crowe brought a bold new dimension to the roles of Jekyll and Hyde.


Choreographed Chaos - Watch as cast and filmmakers create an epic outdoors clash between ancient and modern worlds.


Nick Morton: In Search of a Soul - Tom Cruise describes what drew him to play a man seemingly without a soul.


Ahmanet Reborn Animated Graphic Novel - Witness Ahmanet's descent into the monstrous underworld as she is reborn into the Goddess of Chaos and Wrath.


Feature Commentary with director and producer Alex Kurtzman, and cast members Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis and Jake Johnson.



The Dark Universe continues with The Bride of Frankenstein which will star Javier Bardem, a rumored Mummy sequel, and The Invisible Man starring Johnny Depp. I have high hopes for these, but all we can do is wait and see what Universal has planned. Being a hardcore fan of the original classic monster movies, I want these to succeed more than anything however maybe putting it up in the box office against Wonder Woman this summer wasn't the best timing for it and it will hopefully get more love on video.


For more on the past Mummy films, here are links to our coverage of the 1932 classic (hopefully coming to 4K Blu-ray soon) on DVD....


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7251/The+Mummy+%E2%80%93+Special+Edition+(1932


...plus the Brendan Fraser revival that became a trilogy, due to hit 4K the same day as this revival, from our Blu-ray coverage...


The Mummy + The Mummy Returns

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7252/The+Mummy+++The+Mummy+Returns+(2-Disc+D


Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8089/The+Mummy+%E2%80%93+Tomb+Of+The+Drago



- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/


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