Tom Cruise in The Mummy brings new thrills to an old fascination [Review]
Sofia Boutella is magnificent as Princess Ahmanet.Mummies are hardly new film fodder, but luckily the latest reboot of The Mummy is a captivating, thrilling ride.
The movie opens with Egyptian Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) selling her soul to the god Set in exchange for being made queen. Predictably, the deal doesn’t go as planned and she’s imprisoned in a tomb of flesh-eating scarabs.
Fast-forward 2,000 years to the present, where soldier-of-fortune Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) accidentally awakens her. With the help of archaeologist Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis) and Dr Henry Jekyll (Russell Crowe), the leader of a mysterious secret society, they must destroy the ancient evil once and for all.
The casting is perfect – Boutella in particular. She expresses Ahmanet’s different characteristics – sweet, evil and crazily evil – purely through her eyes. Cruise is also amazing – maturing from coward to fearless man almost purely by altering his body language and tone of voice.
The plot is pacy, yet still manages to give enough time to build up the story, paying special attention to Ahmanet’s background. The script is tight and builds up the emotional intensity at the right pace to keep you wondering what’s coming next.
This is also a treat visually, especially the sweeping top-down wide shots of the desert and cities.
Archaeology fan or not, this blockbuster is a great time for all.