Dark Universe: 10 Ways The Monster Mash-Up Can Redeem Itself
7. Tell Better Standalone Stories
Dark Universe thus far smacks of desperation, a burning desire to emulate what Marvel Studios has spent years building organically.
The deal The Mummy offered involved selling a long line of sequels to cinemagoers via a baker's dozen of unsubtle easter eggs, a shadowy SHIELD-esque organisation led by Dr. Henry Jekyll and an open ending.
And there lies the issue. No movie should rely on future sequels or tie-ins to offer a complete experience and justify its very existence.
No doubt Russell Crowe's Dr. Jekyll is due to show up in Bride of Frankenstein, but if the movie manages to tell a stronger standalone story with a firm beginning, middle and end, we'll forgive the unabashed world building.