“The Mummy” (Action/Fantasy: 1 hour, 50 minutes)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis and Russell Crowe

Director: Alex Kurtzman

Rated: PG-13 (Profanity, gore, violence suggestive content and partial nudity)

 

Movie Review: Mummy movies have been around since “The Mummy,” (Director Karl Freund, 1932). The latest addition by director Alex Kurtzman (“People Like Us,” 2012) has superstar Tom Cruise, a beautiful mummy, Sofia Boutella, and plenty of action and visuals, but it fails to make itself convincing. Producers should have left this mummy in its crypt.

Nick Morton (Cruise) releases Ahmanet (Boutella), an ancient Egyptian princess awakened from her tomb. She has been in her crypt for more than millennia. Now released, Ahmanet plans to release Set into a corporeal form. 

Ahmanet’s choice for a body for Set is Morton, who Ahmanet has enchanted with visions. Morton, archeologist Jenny Halsey (Wallis) and a group of monster bounty hunters led by Dr. Henry Jekyll (Crowe) race to stop Ahmanet.

A major problem is the story here. It is a monster mixture that goes far beyond the typical mummy movie. It adds several other noted monsters in the background. 

“The Mummy” is a part of Dark Universe, a reboot of the horror, suspense and science fiction films made by Universal Studios during the decades of the 1920s–1950s.

“The Mummy” is an eye-catching movie but it fails to make itself real enough to care about the plight of its characters. Its story is sloppy, haphazardly joining several monster movie themes without updating their believability for modern audiences.

Tom Cruise adds to the movie’s lack of plausibility. In most of his movies, he appears to be himself, the actor and celebrity. It is the Robert Redford syndrome, the point when an actor appears to play themselves rather than characters.

A plus is Sofia Boutella. Even as a mummy with necrotic body parts, she is still a sexy temptation. Her exoticness works for this character, making Princess Ahmanet intriguing.

Otherwise, the movie plays like a comedy in the weakest sense. Its action scenes are mediocre and dramatic moments are unpersuasive. It has deficient reasons to care about its characters. 

Grade: D+ (Uninspiring tales from the crypt.)

“It Comes at Night” (Horror: 1 hour, 31 minutes)

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Griffin Robert Faulkner and Riley Keough

Director: Trey Edward Shults

Rated: R (Violence, disturbing imagery, and profanity)

 

Movie Review: A dystopian Earth in the near future is the setting for this cleverly done horror with superb dramatics from a swell cast. 

In a secure, secluded countryside home, Paul (Joel Edgerton), Sarah (Ejogo) and their teenage son, Travis (Harrison), live. Their lives are peaceful in a world devastated by some disastrous infection. Their peace ends when a younger family arrives, consisting of Will (Abbott), Kim (Keough) and their baby son, Andrew (Faulkner). As paranoia enters the picture, the group realizes something or someone else may have breached their security.

The psychological drama is one that develops its characters beautifully. The photoplay’s Trey Edward Shults, writer and director, does a superb job. Shults has five credits on his resume. His first full-length feature is “Krisha” (2015). “It Comes at Night” is Shults’ second, and it is worthwhile for those wanting a good dramatic horror without cheap thrills. 

Shults directs his cast well. Such is easy when one has a stellar cast. Joel Edgerton is one of the most talented men in moviedom. His performances in recent movies have been commendable. Last year, he was brilliant in “Loving” and “Midnight Special” and he was excellent in “Jane Has a Gun” and “The Gift,” both debuted in 2015. Edgerton has a gritty manner making his roles real in a manner that is very believable. He is superior in “It Comes at Night,” too. The role should garner him more accolades as an actor.

Abbott, Ejogo, Harrison, Keough and even child actor Faulkner act as nice supporting characters. Abbott and Harrison are particularly engaging. Abbott’s scenes with Edgerton are engaging. Harrison (“The Birth of a Nation,” 2016) is noteworthy as a teen with angst. Harrison’s Travis is a tormented individual, and the young man makes a nice turn, offering some of the most intense moments while promoting some of the stereotypical, horror genre elements. 

A psychological drama delivers the tale of six people trying to survive grave circumstances. The monster is humanity, and Shults’ writing and directing show that in a fine manner. He nicely uses the unseen to cause anxiety. His directing is first-rate, nicely using fear of the unknown to make his audience know this is a survival story  – one with tension.

Hats off to Shults for his directing and writing; he and an exceptional cast offer a compelling cinematic experience. “It Comes at Night” draws upon one of the most primitive instincts of humanity – survival. 

Grade: A- (It is riveting day or night.)

“Megan Leavey” (Drama/War: 1 hour, 56 minutes)

Starring: Kate Mara, Ramon Rodriguez, Tom Felton and Common

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, profanity, suggestive material and thematic elements)

 

Movie Review: Based on the true story, this biographical production is about the life of Marine Corp. Megan Leavey. 

The movie is touching but mild. It gives a brief overview of Leavey’s life, mostly her time in the U.S. Marines, in a nonaggressive tone. 

Marine Leavey (Mara) becomes a canine handler. Her determination helps her discipline Rex, a very aggressive unsociable military combat dog. The two save many lives. They complete 100-plus missions before an IED explosion injures them. Their future changes but not the bond they share.

The movie is nothing powerful, yet it manages to hit many good moments to make it interesting. Mara puts her best into this role and works well here. She makes the role endearing.

The movie works as a general overview of part of Corp. Leavey’s life as Marine. Cowperthwaite’s work before now has been directing and writing documentaries such as 2013’s “Blackfish” and “City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story” (2010). Her documentary style helps. Moreover, Cowperthwaite and three writers’ methods to make this an emotive drama adds more to the story. That gives audiences something in which to invest, even if the drama is light.

Grade: B- (Thank her and her dog for their service by seeing this movie.)