[Reminder: This article contains some spoilers, although I don't think it matters...]
Is change a good thing? Should we admire the courage to endure pain and try to improve, or should we deny the sloppy, nondescript and nondescript?
With this question in mind, I watched the just-released "The New Mummy"... The answer I came to was: the problem is not "change or not" at all, but whether the effect of this change is good or bad.
As Universal's ambitious "Monster Movie Universe" leading work, just by looking at the appearance of "The Mummy", you can know that the "soup" must have been changed. Not only that, the film even changed the entire "medicine". It's another recipe - from the results, it's better to change the soup instead of the medicine.
similar in appearance
Since it is "New Mummy", we must talk about the classic "Old Mummy" first.
Ignoring the old version in 1932 for the moment, most of us remember the two "The Mummy" in 1999 and 2001 (although I prefer the translation of "Tomb"), it is no exaggeration to say that these two films To a large extent, it laid my foundational understanding and benchmark for fantasy adventure commercial blockbusters. At that time, when I was young, I exclaimed, "Wow! It turns out that the movie can be so good!" I watched it many times (what? The third one?) ...
Time passes. Apart from the "time points" that have to be considered, for the audience who have been bombarded by "blockbusters" in the 21st century, it can only be said that it is not bad to watch the classic "The Mummy" again, and it is difficult to conceal the full sense of routine regret.
So, restarting the classic is a very risky thing.
Back to this film, the beginning of the scene seems to be like that. The protagonist Nick Morton and his party accidentally discovered the tomb where the Egyptian princess Amanette was imprisoned in Iraq.
Until Jenny found out that "it's not a mausoleum, it's a prison" and Nick still "released" the coffin without warning, I didn't feel the need to talk about the plot seriously (even if Nick said "I know you want" afterwards. does not help).
"The Mummy" retains many of the classic elements of the original series in its presentation, such as the protagonist must have at least three people in his party, the handsome male protagonist who is strong and capable of driving unparalleled, the beautiful female protagonist who is rich and beautiful, and the joker who will make trouble. Forcing male match-
There seems to be all of them in the film: Nick, the male No. 1 played by Tom, has absolutely nothing to say about his appearance, and his muscles are enough to make people envious; his little friend Weir is timid and greedy for cheap, and he is sloppy. It also qualifies as the best third person; Annabella Wallis's heroine, Jenny, also has the attributes of a scholar, beauty and other attributes, which can be regarded as a winner.
It seems that the responsibility for force, appearance, and humor seem to be there, but the drama just didn't come out. The reason can only be said that this is only superficial.
The reason why the Mummy series is a classic is largely determined by its background: in the first page of the 20th century, human society entered a new era, industrial civilization was advancing rapidly, the world pattern was surging after the First World War, the global colonies set off a wave of independence, and those who had been dormant for thousands of years The ancient evil gods awakened in the troubled times of constant disputes, and the conflict and fusion of old and new civilizations took place in the magnificent modern times. It was both familiar and unfamiliar. All of this in itself was very adventurous and fantastical.
In the new film, the era of the story has been replaced by the present, technology has made great progress, and the protagonist has become an American soldier. The mysterious veil of the original sense of history has long been lifted, and the romanticism is naturally greatly reduced, not to mention Said that Weil, who was supposed to be responsible for the funny, played soy sauce all the way...
Only a few elements have been well preserved. For example, Armanet, who has returned to the world, is still wreaking havoc in the British Empire. The giant face with its mouth open in the sandstorm makes old fans feel more cordial. The bones of the Crusaders are summoned to become The thugs also made me smile—but that's about it.
beyond recognition
In addition to the superficial paradox, the core spirit of the film has been drastically changed, which can be seen first from the choice of the protagonist.
Although Brandon Fraser and Rachel Ryze were newcomers back then, they both had good temperaments, especially the male protagonists, not to mention handsome enough. Guns and ammunition and the unkempt image of a rough guy, no matter how you look at it, are the best choice for an adventure movie.
And what about Tom?
Looking at Tom Cruise's resume, everyone's most impressive works are basically the "Mission Impossible" series, as well as "Minority Report", "World War", "Edge of Tomorrow" and other sci-fi themes... All in all , Most of the characters played or controlled by Tom are contemporary or future characters. The "traditional sense of history" on his body is not strong, and it does not fit well with the "Mummy" series.
Of course, the image and temperament of the protagonist will only make the audience feel a little inconsistent. The real fatal problem of the film is that the genre and emphasis have undergone a fundamental change: it was originally action, adventure, fantasy, and comedy, and the new film is more like fantasy and thriller. , plot, action, comedy and adventure elements are lackluster, so the film loses a lot of blood.
Not to mention the big boss, Princess Amanette, who was actually tied up by the human beings of the "Hakujianbu"...
Ok? Haven't your mummy family always been invulnerable and boundless in mana? Even if he just woke up and his strength is weaker, what does it mean to be ill-tempered by human weapons and techniques?
In fact, as early as the beginning, when Jenny explained the effect of mercury, I had a bad hunch: it is not a good thing to add too many technological elements to a movie that is about "weird power and chaos", and I have no idea. If you are not happy that the technological progress in the film can deal with curses, ghosts and gods, you will only feel that it is nondescript.
Although Armanet still relied on fel energy to get out of trouble, and used his supreme mana to make a scene in London, although the "technology" at the end of the story still didn't work, Nick still relied on ancient methods to complete the curse and defeat powerful enemies... ...but the overall gloomy and dark chaotic story is obviously much more enjoyable, refreshing and enjoyable than a simple and joyful battle between good and evil.
——I think everyone has also discovered that the main colors of the original two "The Mummy" are yellow and gold, while the main color of "The New Mummy" is the dark (gray) color that many blockbusters have been keen on in recent years.
Monster universe?
He tried his best to tell a chaotic story of "The War of the Princesses in Ancient and Modern Times", and abruptly brought out a slightly weird and eye-catching "Bo Jian Department" organization, which also has an awkward position but mysterious identity Dr. Henry...
What the hell is Universal doing this time? It's not the so-called "dark universe", or the "monster movie universe". Next, Universal also plans to bring a series of monsters such as Van Helsing, Dracula, and Frankenstein back to the big screen.
I think normal people would have such a reaction: Universal is jealous of Disney's Marvel universe, and now Warner's DC universe has also put up the air, they are all doing movie series, although their cards are not particularly good, they can be Try hitting it.
Originality is not easy, everyone understands.
However, it is unavoidable that it is tiring to hold on to the original classic brand repeatedly. Not long ago, "King Kong: Skull Island" is the first part of the "Godzilla & King Kong" trilogy jointly created by Legend and Warner. "The New Mummy" is the first in the "Dark Universe" monster series...
I really hope that there will be more fresh blood in the big productions on the big screen. Are all the talents in your place really going to make American dramas? ┑(￣Д ￣)┍
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