So the First Review of THE MUMMY Is In, and, Well, It's NOT SO GOOD

Makes me sad. Although I'll reserve my judgement for when I watch it myself. As you well know, I'm very much a classic horror aficionado, but I'm also very easy to please and not a stickler for certain plot devices, structure, storytelling mechanics, and other such devices. Tell the truth, man: you can wax all day about how you love the story of Dracula, but even the strictest human being can point out all sorts of flaws. You can read the first review of THE MUMMY right here.

Undoubtedly, It Doesn't Say Much for What's at Stake at Universal Studios

Have the classic monsters finally gone dead? Are we now that engrossed in anything and everything Marvel/DC/Star Wars that we don't have time for something at the very least different when it comes to the classics we've seen?

The thing is there has to be at least three, or four, or twelve versions of Dracula, Frankenstein, and any of the other classic characters out there in book, TV, or film form, and that does play a role in how you react to any new film. In this case, with THE MUMMY, this is a film facing everything else before it with its back to the wall.

We're talking about three MUMMY films before it (four if you include the cheesy SCORPION KING flick). The Mummy appeared in everything from MONSTER SQUAD to the original B&W, so instantly the brand's recognizable, and that might be the undoing of Cruise's latest adventure, which admittedly even as I have yet to see the film, this seems like a step out of the typecast Cruise usually gets into.

(When was the last time you ever saw a horror film with Tom Cruise in it?)

The Point, Though, Is How We React to the Film Isn't a Full Reflection of Just How Good (or Bad) the Film Really Is

I know people will freak when I say this: but I happened to enjoy "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice." There were some "problems" with it, yes; but that didn't constitute me hating the film, or even saying it was a bad movie. The same opinion may go for THE MUMMY.

This goes without saying that all works of art -- in media, whether with paint, words, or film -- are subjective. You may not like the masterpiece for whatever reason -- but that doesn't mean it isn't a masterpiece. And who knows -- once this whole Dark Universe has gotten into the swing of things and we possibly see Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson go full-on Wolfman, we'll fully appreciate how it all began --

With this sexy mummy lady and the guy who played Maverick in a fighter jet.

On paper, that at least sounds cool!