THE TOMB — Marvel has changed the movie game as of late with its Marvel Cinematic Universe. All of Marvel’s movies are intertwined with crossing storylines and everyone living in the same universe.

DC and Warner Bros. have jumped on board with its DC Extended Universe and “Wonder Woman” marks its fourth film and the fifth is headed to theaters in November in the form of “Justice League.“

Universal doesn’t want to be left out of the cinematic universe cash cow and has decided to take the same approach with all of its classic movie monsters. The inaugural film in the recently titled Dark Universe is “The Mummy” and it’s creeping into theaters this weekend.

The Tom Cruise-led film isn’t exactly a “good” movie, but it is a bit of a guilty pleasure and has me looking forward to what else the Dark Universe has up its sleeve.

Here are some reasons “The Mummy” is a solid kickoff to the Dark Universe:

The cast

As of late, I have been really happy with Cruise’s movies. I should mention I have yet to see “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” which I hear was not very good, but the ones I have seen, I’ve really enjoyed. Titles like “Jack Reacher,”“Oblivion,”“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” and “Edge of Tomorrow” are downright watchable and entertaining movies and much of that credit goes to Cruise himself and his performances.

It is more of the same with “The Mummy,” as Cruise lays on the charm and starts out a scoundrel and overall unlikable character. Thankfully, Cruise also has some solid support around him in the form of Jake Johnson, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella and Russell Crowe.

I’m not saying any of the performances will be garnering any awards, but the chemistry amongst the cast is solid and keeps the movie enjoyable.

Right mix of horror, adventure and humor

When the 1999 version of “The Mummy” was released, no one went on singing its praises for the important piece of film it was or how it was going to change the face of society because of its deep and meaningful insights. Instead, it was seen as a fun adventure flick with a few jumps and a few laughs. The 2017 film is much the same.

It should be noted that these two movies are in no way related to one another, other than the fact they’re both called “The Mummy” and include a malevolent Egyptian corpse wreaking havoc on the world. The 2017 version is a standalone film, but their tones are strikingly similar.

The 2017 movie has a great mix of scares, laughs and adventure that makes for some great summer fare. I found myself smiling for much of the movie, cringing with anticipation on occasion and laughing out loud two or three times.

Summertime is meant for movies that make us walk out of the theater with a smile and that’s what “The Mummy” did.

Effects

When fellow KSL critic Dave Clyde and I walked out of the theater, we had a similar thought, “Visual effects in movies are getting better and better.”

Director Alex Kurtzman did a lot in-camera, meaning he went for practical effects over a computer when he could and when he couldn’t he still married the two, which makes for a believable and often seamless look on the screen.

There is a particular scene involving a plane crash that Kurtzman actually shot in the famed Vomit Comet to make sure he could get as much real action as possible, and it makes for a truly exhilarating and eye-popping scene.

Conclusion

Don’t think that this movie is going to be the best movie you see this summer — compared to “Wonder Woman,” this movie isn’t really in the same league. But between all of the missteps “The Mummy” takes throughout its course, the movie is just a lot of fun, making it a great guilty pleasure for the 2017 summer-movie season.

“The Mummy” is rated PG-13 for violence, action and scary images and for some suggestive content and partial nudity.

For a full breakdown of the film’s content, make sure to check out Dave Clyde’s parent’s guide of the film on Friday.

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