If you were going to indulge in some '90s nostalgia with The Mummy reboot later this month, you might want to rethink your plans — the early reviews are in, and they're not looking good.
Starring Tom Cruise, The Mummy is the second '90s reboot to hit our screen in the last few weeks, following on the disastrous return of Baywatch. But despite negative reviews, it seems like Hollywood just can't help itself.
In the coming months, we can expect more reboots of all your childhood favorites like Tomb Raider, Rambo, The Matrix, Resident Evil — and Top Gun, which after the reviews of Cruise's performance in The Mummy, makes us more than a little concerned.
Aside from the original Mummy never being that good in the first place, the main issue with the release is that this isn't a stand-alone movie. The Mummy is the first of a series of releases to come out of the newly-formed Universal Monsters Movie Universe.
It's similar to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe but instead of Wonder Woman, Iron Man and Spider-Man, the universe is based around famous literary figures such as Frankenstein, Invisible Man and Wolf Man. So even if (or when) this tanks, we can probably expect quite a few more Mummy appearances.
Read the reviews below and then if you're still not convinced, see The Mummy for yourself when it hits theaters June 19.
The Good
Dan Jolin, EmpireAn odd but frothily entertaining genre cocktail, which coasts on the charisma of its two biggest names and keeps things just fun enough to forgive its considerable lapses in narrative.
The Meh
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment WeeklyI'm not sure that this aimless, lukewarm, but occasionally rollicking take on The Mummy is how the studio dreamed that its Dark Universe would kick off. But it's just good enough to keep you curious about what comes next.
Molly Freeman, ScreenRantThe Mummy tries a fresh spin on the classic monster with a gender-swapped villain and Dark Universe connections but winds up a stale action reboot.
Clint Worthington, Consequence of SoundThe Mummy's true curse is that it's doomed to sacrifice its moments of fun, breezy spectacle for overwrought world-building.
The Bad
David Ehrlich, indieWireObviously the worst movie that Tom Cruise has ever made.
A.O. Scott, New York TimesIt will be argued that this one was made not for the critics but for the fans. Which is no doubt true. Every con game is played with suckers in mind.
Geoffrey Macnab, Independent (UK)Whenever the action stops, though, the film becomes derivative and empty headed, Strip away the bandages and there really isn't very much here at all.
Peter Travers, Rolling StoneHow meh is The Mummy? Let me count the ways. For all the digital desperation from overworked computers, this Tom Cruise reboot lands onscreen with a resounding thud. Epic fail
John DeFore, Hollywood ReporterIt's hard to muster anything like desire for another Dark Universe flick after seeing this limp, thrill-free debut.
Matt Prigge, MetroA depressing watch, and not only because it's an awkward, misshapen mess. It's also because it finds the last classic movie star giving up and giving in.
In other movie news, here are the best movies and TV streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and HBO in June.
