On Netflix: The film that destroyed a million-dollar universe of fantasy and horror – and is one of Tom Cruise’s biggest failures – Cinema News

A franchise made up of monsters from global folklore was ended after this setback.

Combining Tom Cruise and failure in the same sentence seems unthinkable, but believe me, it has happened – and more than once. On his resume, the star has widely acclaimed blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick, but when he tried to lead a cinematic universe full of monsters, the result was disastrous.

In 2017, Cruise starred The Mummy, a kind of reboot of the franchise led by Brendan Fraser. The film was directed by Alex Kurtzman and led by names like Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis and Russell Crowe, but in the end, all that was left was criticism.

In the plot, in Mesopotamia, centuries ago, Ahmanet’s plans are interrupted just when he is about to evoke Set, the god of death, so that together they can rule the world. Mummified, she is imprisoned inside a tomb, until she is discovered, in the present day, by two looters of artifacts.

Alongside researcher Jenny Halsey, they investigate the newly discovered tomb and accidentally awaken Ahmanet. The entity soon chooses Nick as its chosen one and, from then on, seeks Set’s dagger so that it can evoke him in the boy’s body.

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PREMATURE END OF A CINEMATOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

Despite having grossed 409 million dollars worldwide, with a budget of 125 million, The Mummy (in the original) was completely destroyed by critics, also failing to win over the public. On Rotten Tomatoes, the production has 15% approval from experts, with a consensus that it lacks emotion and remains forced fun.

Universal Pictures, the studio behind the project, planned to bring to life what they called Dark Universe, a shared cinematic world where various monsters from world folklore would be the protagonists. The company even shared a photo with the actors who would bring these entities to life, with names such as Johnny Depp (Invisible Man), Javier Bardem (Frankenstein) and others participating.

Faced with this negative scenario, the studio decided not to proceed with Dark Universe, making a 180º turn in its strategy. Instead, the idea was to continue releasing “monster films”, but only one of them came to fruition: The Invisible Man (2020).

In this way, the plot was changed to something less fantasy and more in the scope of science fiction, even replacing Depp with Oliver Jackson-Cohen. Elisabeth Moss completed the main cast, giving life to a production that was duly acclaimed by audiences and critics.

For those who want to check it out for themselves, The Mummy is available for streaming on Netflix, while The Invisible Man can be found on Prime Video.

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