10 Movie Remakes That Ditch Classic Elements

The Dark Universe is a lesson in how not to do an extended universe. Universal promised so much: an Invisible Man, a Wolf Man, a Frankenstein’s Monster.

Those dreams are now dashed, and it’s all largely thanks to their 2017 reimagining of the story first conjured by the Universal Horror film The Mummy (1932). For those of us who only really remember the actually rather loyal 1999 version with Brendan Foster and Rachel Weisz, hearing that there was already going to be another reboot had us thinking, “So soon? For why?”

For why indeed, since this new-fangled version with Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe just felt like another Mission: Impossible film with a supernatural twist. Gone were the period setting, Imhotep and his tragic backstory, even our beloved action hero Rick O’Connell.

Instead, we got a new Mummy in the form of Ahmanet, with a new backstory and new motivations. Imhotep was pretty content just resurrecting his old girlfriend, and maybe having the odd ritual sacrifice here and there. (Sure, The Mummy Returns (2001) had him summoning a dodgy CGI Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to try and conquer the planet, but once his gf had ditched him, he gave up entirely on those plans.)

Ahmanet goes straight in for deity-summoning and world domination. It’s far less of a romp than the Brendan Fraser version, and far less classic horror than the original.

Maybe this complete departure from everything we knew and liked about The Mummy’s plot is what led to its downfall...?