The Mummy (2017)

The Mummy (2017) is at its best when it leans into old-school pulp: a glossy, globe-trotting monster movie that treats supernatural mayhem like a theme-park ride you can’t quite look away from. Tom Cruise brings his usual sprinting, scrappy charisma, while Sofia Boutella’s Ahmanet has a physical, predatory presence that gives the film a genuine horror pulse amid the action and quips. The tone is slick and breathless—sandstorms, curses, secret societies, and sudden jolts—less about careful mythology than the pleasure of momentum. It won’t be for everyone if you’re craving elegant storytelling or subtle scares, but if you want a surprisingly watchable blend of adventure and creature-feature thrills, it delivers more fun than its reputation suggests.

The Mummy (2017) is clearly trying to relaunch classic Universal monsters as a slick, modern action-horror franchise, with Tom Cruise sprinting through chaos while an ancient evil wakes up and London gets pummeled. The problem is it rarely settles on a tone—part horror, part adventure, part superhero setup—so the scares don’t land and the story starts to feel like a checklist for a bigger universe rather than a satisfying movie on its own. A lot of the action is noisy and familiar, and the character work is thin enough that you may not care who’s cursed, chasing, or being resurrected. If you want creepy atmosphere, clever mythology, or the pulpy fun of earlier Mummy movies, this likely won’t scratch that itch—but if you just want glossy set pieces, a few striking visuals from Sofia Boutella, and relentless momentum, you might still get an okay night out.