Rank: 3.5/5

Director Alex Kurtzman’s 2017 remake of the monster known as “The Mummy” flopped with critics over its opening weekend because of the weak plot and flawed character dynamic.

Critics said the film was a mess with its plot and that leading actor Tom Cruise stumbled through the motions of the film.

The film’s titular character, played by Sophia Boutella, is also its main villain. The plot is thin in the beginning of the film and becomes more complex as the movie continues.

Cruise and Boutella’s character dynamic is strange because he attempts to escape from the mummy even though he is essentially possessed by it. He makes note of this a couple times in the film but never explicitly develops a solid plan to rid himself of it.

Overall, there are some logic gaps and plot holes in terms of time, but it is entertaining for a Friday night out. While the film is not likely to be nominated for anything, it introduces a new collection of films that Universal Studios has dubbed the “Dark Universe.”

Kurtzman said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that he has intentions of expanding the Dark Universe with films like “Frankenstein,” “The Bride of Frankenstein” and “The Invisible Man,” to name a few.

“I’ll be working with [screenwriters] Chris Morgan and Chris McQuarrie and David Koepp to think globally about the Universe and produce the films and work with the directors that we hire. And we’ll see — I’m kind of open to whatever’s best for Dark Universe,” Kurtzman said.

So it seems that Kurtzman and Universal fully intend to bring the monsters to life in a modern-day, more contemporary setting. This may not be a bad thing, even with “The Mummy’s” lack of critical acclaim because it offers up a new type of film that isn’t seen much in Hollywood.

“The Mummy” was meant to be an introduction to the Dark Universe, while still remaking a film that audiences would be interested in. The concept has existed since the early 20th century, from the original 1932 film to the 1999, 2001 and 2008 Brendan Fraser films.

With superhero action movies ruling the box office these days, it’ll be interesting to see where Dark Universe goes. Weaving together multiple monster storylines will be difficult, since they aren’t tailor-made to be intertwined, like the Marvel and DC Comics universes.

It is a good introduction to a new idea and brand of films, but has technical errors, making it a film that cannot be taken seriously.