One of the biggest blockbusters to come out in the summer of 1999 was an Egypt-set action thriller starring Brendan Fraser. While the film was pretty campy and over-the-top, it worked well and resonated with audiences. Fast-forward 18 years and we have a film of the same title - 'The Mummy' - only starring Tom Cruise in the role of Nick Morton, a treasure hunting renegade who stumbles upon a 5,000-year curse.

The only problem is, this film is far inferior to the original. Whether it's Cruise's schtick not jiving with the plot, or the lackluster CGI, or the wooden script, it's hard to say. There's really nothing thrilling about 'Mummy,' as everything feels borrowed, used or broken - nothing is shiny and new. Even fresh faces like Jake Johnson and Sofia Boutella aren't enough to up the excitement factor, and vets like Russell Crowe come off as looking to be in need of a paycheck rather than delivering a performance to be happy with. The action sequences are boring, the "comic relief" is far from funny and the acting itself is nothing to marvel at.

Cruise can usually find a way to make his films at least somewhat entertaining, but he fails here. There is no chemistry between any of the characters, including Nick and his love interest, Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis),so the onus is really on Cruise to shoulder everything. In this case, it's an insurmountable task.

'The Mummy' is a half-hearted attempt to revive a franchise that started strong and has since faded, so it's likely it will be put back in a sarcophagus.

Despite concerns (such as whether Tom Cruise would fit),'The Mummy' did have potential. Some of the previous 'Mummy' films, particularly the instalments with Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee and the 1999 film, wasn't crazy about a few of the Lon Chaney entries and 'Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' was a mess. Unfortunately, so is 2017's 'The Mummy'.

Before anybody jumps down my throat and accuses me of following the crowd, an accusation that is becoming tiresome and ridiculous and says more about the person making the accusation than the people they're attacking, as said 'The Mummy' did have potential and personally really wanted it to work. This is also coming from somebody who does find herself many times agreeing with critics, but has just as many times gone against the grain, thinking that negatively received films are not that bad while acknowledging their faults and also thinking that acclaimed films are not that good while acknowledging the things it does right. Usually am very encouraging and try to be perceptive, do not take pleasure in bashing films that don't do anything for me.

'The Mummy' is such an occasion where to me the critics are on point. Not irredeemable but is lacking in almost every department. Its best things are two good performances. The best performance comes from an imperiously chilling Sofia Boutella, doing such a good job with what she's given to work with, and Annabelle Wallis does decently with relatively little. Some of the scenery is striking and some of the photography is slick and stylish.

Sadly the rest of the cast do not work. Tom Cruise is embarrassingly miscast in a role that both doesn't suit him and is long in the tooth for, he also feels out of kilter in the setting. Russell Crowe phones in his performance here, looking miserable and awkward and not making anything of his lines. Cruise and Wallis' chemistry is non-existent. Then we have Jake Johnson providing irritating and very poorly placed comic relief.

Not everything works visually either. The way 'The Mummy' is photographed and edited can be too frenetic and the special effects veer on the cheap. The music is generic at best and Alex Kurtzman's direction is muddled and without any kind of soul or a sense that he knew what to do with the film's tone.

One of the worst aspects of 'The Mummy' is the dialogue, full of clunky exposition, unfunny and childish humour and often a clichéd shambles it's laughably bad. The story is dull, disjointed and confused, while also tonally a complete mess. It tries to be comedy, action and horror, too many elements, and fails at all three. The comedy is sporadic and none of it is remotely amusing let alone funny. The action is completely lacking in excitement and choreographed in a scattershot and leaden way. The horror elements have none of the chills and scare factors, hurt by its predictability and being unintentionally funny. The ending is one big anti-climax.

In summary, a complete mess that fails in almost every department apart from moments of good visuals and two above serviceable performances. 2/10 Bethany Cox

Having Tom Cruise head the cast of The Mummy in its latest incarnation certainly guaranteed some box office. Still this 21st century version of one of Universal's classic monster genres is nothing to write home about. The Mummy even gets a sex change.

It's the princess who was the object of Boris Karloff's affection back in 1932 that is our Mummy here. For dabbling in the black arts this royal person was buried alive and they took her way over to Mesopotamia to bury her.

Now it's Iraq war soldier Tom Cruise who discovers the tomb while fighting whomever in Iraq, literally falls through. So Annabella Wallis the archeologist is sent for.

For all his disturbing of the dead Tom Cruise gets a big old curse put on him by the ancient princess Sofia Boutella. Not someone you want to disturb while she slumbers.

As a very big fan of the original Mummy that Boris Karloff with those classically trained tones gave us that incredibly sad and powerful portrait of Im-Ho-Tep down to Tom Cruises's All American smirk. Face it Tom, you just didn't belong here.

Russell Crowe is in this one too. I'm strill trying to figure out what his role exactly was.

Leave this Mummy Unwrapped.