Intellectual property is king right now in Hollywood.
For better or worse, this is what drives the business now.
The past is the future.
Tom Cruise in 2017’s ‘The Mummy’.Credit: Chiabella James/Universal Pictures
Universal has been around since 1912.
So, needless to say, its vaults hold plenty of old celluloid treasures ripe for plundering.
But heres the thing: Its not enough to just remake one film anymore.
So the studio has gone back to its glorious black-and-white monster movies from the 30s and 40s.
Better yet, theyre properties that can be mixed and matched and pit against one another ad infinitum.
This isnt the first time the studio has landed on this grandiose idea, of course.
But theres too much money potentially being left on the table if it doesnt have another go.
So loop back and try, it is with its latest franchise-building experiment,The Mummy.
Hes a glorified thief, basicallysmooth talking, adventurous, and catnip to the ladies.
Hes Indiana Jones without the bullwhip and the PhD.
The film opens with two sequences in the long ago past.
What do these two events have in common, you ask?
They have no idea what it is or what their find means.
They just hope theres a fat payday in it for them.
It all sounds more complicated than it really is.
Were a long way from Boris Karloff territory here.
The chemistry between Cruise and Wallis is fine, if a little medium-cool.
Cruise turns out to be the films secret weapon.
But itsjustgood enough to keep you curious about what comes next.B
