A scare-free reboot that has no freshness
mercenary explorer (Tom Cruise, on autopilot) who unwittingly awakens an ancient Egyptian (Sofia Boutella, reduced to an accessory) who’s been buried in a crypt for centuries.
Released from her prison-sarcophagus, the mummy unleashes a reign of terror. Ceaseless calamities ensue at locations ranging from 12th-century England to Mesopotamia and present-day London.
The script, attributed to as many as six writers, introduces several subsidiary characters including the explorer’s ‘undead’ partner-in-crime (Jake Johnson) and a blonde archaeologist (Annabelle Wallis) who serves as the primary love interest.
Almost indistinguishable from the horde of zombies floating around the fringes, the onceestimable Russell Crowe fetches up as Dr Jekyll (yes the same, aka Mr Hyde).
The narrative is clogged with rote action sequences and splashy stunts that quickly wear out their welcome.
Despite the best efforts of director Alex Kurtzman (People Like Us) to bind the disparate elements — horror, humour, romance — into an engrossing adventure, the outcome doesn’t even make it to goodish grade.
Lower your expectations before you sign on for Ajay Pannalal’s debut film. This is meant to be a light story about a boy from Lucknow named Gattu (Rajkummar Rao) and a girl named Binni (Shruti Haasan) who grow up together, fall in love, and run up against the “mohalle ki ladkiyan behen hoti hain” tradition. Herry Tangri plays Gattu’s friend Bhura who gets unwittingly caught in the comedic crossfire. This should have been a joyride, but the plot is poorly written.
Gattu is a loser who fails UPSC exam, which might have been forgivable in a hero; but also fails as a lover, which is certainly not.