The Tom Cruise Monster Movie On Netflix Should Have Started A Franchise

In the thrilling modern update of The Mummy, adrenaline junkie and fortune hunter Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) stumbles upon the ancient tomb of Princess Ahmanet, a forgotten Egyptian royal whose destiny was unjustly taken from her.

Awakened from her crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, Ahmanet emerges into the contemporary world, bringing with her a malevolent grudge that has grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.

As Nick becomes entangled in a sinister plot to harness supernatural powers, he must confront the vengeful spirit of Ahmanet, who seeks to claim a new existence in the modern era.

With only his wits, his fearless partner Jenny Halsey, and the cryptic resources of the enigmatic Dr. Henry Jekyll, Nick races against time to thwart Ahmanet’s dark plans and prevent her from unleashing chaos and destruction.

The battle sweeps from the vast deserts of the Middle East to the hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, intertwining ancient myths with the pulse of today’s world, all while Nick confronts the possibility of a cursed fate he never imagined.

The 2017 remake of The Mummy, despite its high-profile star Tom Cruise and a substantial marketing push, met with a rocky reception both critically and at the box office.

Critics largely found fault with the film, highlighting a muddled plot and a tone that wavered uncertainly between horror and action-comedy, failing to strike the balance that had made the previous Mummy films such enjoyable romps.

The consensus was that while it had moments of spectacle and a certain charm brought by its cast, the film struggled under the weight of setting up a larger cinematic universe, which detracted from its own story.

At the box office, The Mummy underperformed in the United States but showed a stronger performance overseas. However, the international success wasn’t enough to consider it a hit by the standards of its hefty production and promotional budgets.

It ended up at $410 million worldwide on a close-to $200 million budget. That just doesn’t get the job done really.

The lukewarm return and critical response were significant factors in putting the brakes on Universal Pictures’ ambitious Dark Universe—a planned series of interconnected films reviving classic monster characters—which ultimately led to a rethinking of their strategy for these iconic properties.

The 2017 version of The Mummy was positioned as the launching pad for Universal’s Dark Universe, with Tom Cruise at the helm, but it faltered in igniting a new franchise largely due to its tepid reception.

Tom Cruise, known for his box-office magnetism and action-hero charisma, couldn’t overcome the film’s fundamental issues—namely, a convoluted plot and an inconsistent tone.

The movie was tasked with too much narrative heavy-lifting, aiming to establish a wider universe rather than focusing on its own story. Combined with critical panning and audience indifference, the lack of a clear vision for the Dark Universe meant that Cruise’s Mummy did not resonate enough to inspire the confidence needed for a franchise’s continuation.

In Hollywood, where the start of a franchise is contingent on a strong foundation, The Mummy stumbled, and with it, the potential for Cruise to headline a new cinematic world was buried.

As the sands of time settle, Tom Cruise’s The Mummy stands as a curious relic of what could have been a cinematic universe. It’s a spectacle with its share of thrills and chills, but perhaps where it truly unravels is in its ambition to be more than a single story.

For those seeking a blend of supernatural adventure and star power, The Mummy delivers, but its legacy, much like the cryptic hieroglyphs that adorn its ancient tombs, remains a puzzle not fully solved.

Whether it serves as a cautionary tale for franchise hopefuls or simply as an action-packed diversion, this incarnation of The Mummy is ready for exploration on Netflix.