The Mummy (2017)

The Mummy

Dir: Alex Kurtzman

      Cast: Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Butella, Russell Crowe, Jake Johnson

     At 54, Tom Cruise maybe getting too old to do action movies as it's evident in this

 flick. Perhaps he should stick to something a little less strenuous.

     The first installment of Universal's Dark Universe is a reboot of the classic movie 

 series, The Mummy. Taking place in present day, it stars Tom Cruise as Nick, a soldier

 of fortune who stumbles upon the tomb of a beautiful, ancient Egyptian princess

 (Butella) turned to vengeful mummy.

    With the help of fellow archaeologist Jenny (Wallis) and Dr. Hyde (Crowe), they try

 removing the curse that was placed upon him before it's too late. 

 The Good: There is a nice blend of action and some horror elements added to it. The 

 first two thirds is an above average monster film with familiar tropes and good 

 performances. The actors try their best at what was given to them. New Girl star
 Jake Johnson plays Cruise's pal, Cpl. Vail, who mostly provides comic relief during
 some scenes.

 The Bad: The overuse of CGI in a setting that shouldn't have been. The plot seemed

 to drag on almost to the point of boredom. Given that director Kurtzman also wrote

 for the Transformers series, I went in not expecting high quality cinema. It resurrects

 the old thrill factor that quickly unravels with a confusing plot that seems utterly
 pointless.

Overall: For a summer movie, it's a mindless popcorn flick that shouldn't be taken

seriously. If you enjoy Tom Cruise running for his life, then this flick is for you.

With Universal looking to cash in on the cinematic universe craze, they're getting

off to a pretty bad start. This can simply be fixed by making better movies. If you're
looking for a better Mummy movie, just stick to the Brenden Fraser version instead.

Grade: C- (6/10)

Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island 
Dir: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Cast: John Goodman, Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson,

John C. Reilly. Toby Kebbel

       The summer blockbuster season gets off to an early start in this feature from 
  WB and Legendary Pictures. It also pays homage to classic monster movies of
  the 1950's & 60's.

       It's the early 70's and during the Vietnam War, a group of scientists studying 
MUTOs  (Massively Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) send some researchers 
to a remote island hidden deep in the South Pacific. There, they come across 
a gigantic ape the size of a building that inhabits the island.

       Leading the expedition is Gov. agent Bill Randa (John Goodman).To help him 
are a Ber Grylls type adventurer James Conrad (Hiddleston), a cute photographer
girl, Mason (Larson) and strict colonel Preston Packard (L. Jackson).

      When the army begins to drop napalms, Kong is awakened and starts attacking
 the military copter. Col Packard makes it his personal mission to hunt down and 
 kill Kong after witnessing this. The survivors band together and try to get off 
 island when they meet a wacky Navy pilot (Reilly) whose been stranded there
 for almost 30 years. His quips during the film make for a good comic relief.

     The cinematography is amazing and the panoramic shots are incredible along with 

some great closeups. The CGI used during the monster battles looks fantastic. While

it plays out like an average monster film, the story is nothing to write home about. 

The film focuses more on King Kong fighting the monsters that inhabit his island 
than the characters who aren't fleshed out as one hoped. They're just fodder to move 
the story along.

    All in all, it's a fun popcorn movie that doesn't take itself seriously. You can turn
off your brain for awhile and enjoy it for it is. While it may not win any major awards.
it's serviceable in it's own right in the WB/ Kaiju universe. 

  Grade: B+ (7/10)