The Mummy Review: 4 Ups & 7 Downs

2. Russell Crowe (Briefly) Steals The Show

Russell Crowe appears in the movie as Dr. Henry Jerkyll (that's not a spoiler, by the way), an ambiguous figure who is essentially earmarked as the Nick Fury of the prospective Dark Universe.

He's clearly going to be the connective tissue that binds the movies together, and gives a gloriously over-the-top, scene-stealing performance as the iconic character, sharing a highly entertaining lore dump sequence with Tom Cruise that has a welcome sting in its tail at the end.

Some critics have pilloried Crowe's performance for being too hammy, but to be honest, he's one of the few actors in the movie who really seems to embrace just how silly it all is. If he's a mainstay of this series moving forward, assuming the Dark Universe even happens after this, then that's no bad thing.