A strong opening entry for the Dark Universe franchise, The Mummy effectively blends CGI action thrills with old school horror chills to make for an entertaining blockbuster spin on a classic title.

The “Universal Monsters” series is more than just a part of movie history. It is movie lore. Through the filmmaking contributions of Tod Browning (Dracula) and James Whale (Frankenstein), along with the iconic performances of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, the Universal Monsters series set the key corner stones for horror filmmaking, with its rich iconography and ingenuity still making an impact today.

When news hit that Universal are all in on bringing back their famed monsters, eyes certainly rolled. Why? Well, because they’ve tried to do this before. The Stephen Sommers directed Mummy trilogy made box-office business, yet eventually spun off into straight to DVD hell. The Wolfman gave us the sight of Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins in beast mode, yet its bite couldn’t back its bark. And Dracula Untold? Well, best if we leave that one alone.

Yet this time a retooled franchise unleashed its ultimate secret weapon: Tom mutha flipin’ Cruise. The box office king and three time Oscar nominee leads the charge with The Mummy, the first in a series of films from the Dark Universe franchise that, thanks to the strong work of its debut, will no doubt take centre stage amongst this “era of the franchise” populated with super-hero fare. The Mummy does a good job matching up against such competition, while also establishing itself as an entertaining action thriller slick in its filmmaking and pulsating with the charisma of its star talent.

Cruise stars as Nick Morton, a soldier of fortune whose treasure hunting, tomb raiding days catches up with him when he unwittingly unleashes an evil force in the form of disgraced Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), who quickly eyes Nick as the perfect host for the darkest of evil entities. On the run with nowhere to go, Nick turns to mysterious organisation the Prodigium led by Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe) in hopes to be rid of a curse that will bring an end to mankind.

Directed by Alex Kurtzman (who along with writing partner Robert Orci scripted Star Trek and Transformers), The Mummy is a well-paced and performed high-grade genre piece that delivers on its promise of thrills and chills, while also establishing its credentials as a rather good action movie with many heart pounding scenes throughout. Of particular mention is an airplane crash scene that is breathtaking in its execution, as its large-scale scope fills the screen (the bigger the better) and immerses the viewer into an action sequence that utilises the best of visual, sound, and (unbelievably) practical effects, with the scene shot in zero gravity through the use of an Airbus supplied by NoveSpace.

Cruise is much fun playing both the prey and the reluctant hero, bringing humour and his patented action chops to a role that although different to his usual fare, brims with that Cruise charisma and intensity. Likewise Crowe is solid in the Nick Fury-esque role of Dr. Jekyll, although his Mr. Hyde needed a little more grit and terror to truly make its mark. Yet the real standout is Sofia Boutella as the title character, as the Algerian born actress commands the screen with her striking look and kick-ass action chops. Building upon her heralded turns in The Kingsman and Star Trek: Beyond, Boutella is sure to break through in a big way with The Mummy.

While there is little case to be made that this new version of the Universal Monsters series will have the same impact as its classic predecessor, The Mummy at the very least proves that the Dark Universe has more than it takes to stand tall amongst a crowded marketplace of franchise properties. With a blockbuster season this dour, The Mummy is indeed a heaven send for film fans who like their action big and their stars shinning.