The Mummy: Alex Kurtzman “The Mummy is above all a love story”

sivertime — Sat, 17 Jun 2017 18:34:32 +0000

If The Mummy is back at the cinema, it is to the director Alex Kurtzman that we must say thank you. On the occasion of the release of the film, discover our excluded interview!
85 years old (yes, you heard) after the original film starring Boris Karloff and nearly ten years after the remake with Brendan Fraser, The Mummy returns to life with Alex Kurtzman , the director of People Like Us . For this new version with Tom Cruise, the filmmaker decided to shake the basic story by opting for a female Mummy (Sofia Boutella) and choosing to bring it into the world today; And no longer in the 1930s. The Mummy is no longer Imhotep but Ahmanet, a former power-hungry princess of Egypt who, to become queen, killed her own father, wife and son, and made a pact With Seth, the god of evil and darkness. But if the latter is more frightening than the previous Mummy, it is also more touching . A dimension that was important for Alex Kurtzman, he entrusted us during his passage in Paris for the promotion of the film. Why ? Find out below in our exclusive interview !
The original film The Mummy begins to date now. What did it mean to you before you made this new version?
I grew up with Universal’s monsters. And the more I watched this kind of movies, the more I realized that I felt two different things for these monsters: on the one hand they were really scary and on the other hand, I found them nice and I could manage Connect to these characters. I find it really special. This is completely different from horror movies in general. Universal’s monsters are full-fledged characters, with a real story, and you can feel empathy for them. And finally, if we look at The Mummy in particular, from that of Boris Karloff to the more recent, it is a love story. The Mummy simply wants to find her love forever. And so I absolutely wanted to find it for my film, while offering a new version of the story.
This is the first time you’ve made a fantastic horror movie. What was your first approach? Are you inspired by other films?
I was inspired by many movies. Of course, the original monsters of Universal were an integral part of my work. But for the horrifying side, I also looked a lot at The Exorcist, The Shining, or even Evil Dead. Evil Dead has a perfect balance between humor and horror. The idea of being able to hold the hearing in suspense and free them from this suspense by making them laugh was important to me. I also watched a lot of Hitchcock’s films, from Birds to Vertigo, to see how he played with suspense and learn from it. I hope I have succeeded!
What was your biggest challenge on the set for La Momie?
Action scenes. In particular, we filmed a scene in weightlessness, in a plane crashing. We did it in a real plane, in full flight, with no green background. The actors really found themselves experiencing weightlessness. The plane first climbed high into the sky, then it dropped into freefall for 22 seconds and so there was no gravity and for 22 seconds, the cameras were filming. And it’s great, because it’s real, it really happens like that.
Sofia Boutella really steals the show at Tom Cruise in the film. Why did you choose this actress to play The Mummy?
Sofia is really special. I saw her dancing, I saw her also in Kingsman. His physical abilities are incredible. She has an incredible control of her body and I knew that to play a princess of 5000 years ago, who has a certain royal presence, you need someone who is that kind of control. But the true gift of Sofia is in her eyes, they express all the emotions. And I wanted the audience to be afraid of the Mummy but they also understand her story and feel something for her. So Sofia was an obvious choice for me.
Speaking of the Mummy, why did you choose to make it a woman?
I was looking for an original way of telling this story. It was always men and we developed several scenarios where The Mummy was also a man, but they were not interesting enough, not quite different. They did not really deserve to make a new version of the film. And at the same time, a voice in my head kept telling me to make a female Mummy and when we finally opened up to this idea, a whole new story took shape before us. I like the idea that she grew up thinking that she would take the lead of Egypt and that suddenly her father took away this dream. The man she trusted most had betrayed him. It’s a hard story. And I knew that no matter how bad it gets during the movie, We would think of her story and somewhere we would understand why she did this and feel pity for her. And that was important to me.
Universal announced its Dark Universe, with several films in project on the mythical monsters of the cinema. Which of them excites you the most?
The next thing they do is Frankenstein’s Bride and I’m really excited! Because if we look at the original film about Frankenstein’s Bride, it is a very strange film. The Bride does not appear until the last few minutes of the film and it is really made for Frankenstein. She opens her eyes and roars with terror at the Monster. Desperate and mad with rage, he destroyed the whole laboratory, burying himself with the companion destined to him and it is the end of the film. She has no dialogue. It is a very strange film but this image of her with her hair and her white curls has remained. There is something really powerful about this picture. This is going to be realized by Bill Condon, who just made La Belle et la Bête but who mainly directed one of my favorite films, Gods and Monsters, On the last days of James Whale, the director of Frankenstein. So I’m all the more excited!

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The Mummy: 3 good reasons to see the movie!

sivertime — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:49:09 +0000

Get ready, The Mummy is back today in theaters with Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella! And here are 3 good reasons to go see the film.
Not far from ten years after the trilogy with Brendan Fraser, La Momie resumes today in cinemas. Except that this time, The Mummy, is Sofia Boutella and the hero, Tom Cruise. He plays Nick Morton, an American soldier who plundered antiques in his spare time. On one of his missions, he will come across a very ancient tomb: that of a princess of ancient Egypt, Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella). But Nick and his sidekicks, Jenny (Annabelle Wallis) and Chris (Jake Johnson), soon discover that there was a very good reason why this grave was so well hidden and they will very soon regret having released it. Does it make you want to go see this film directed by Alex Kurtzman? Here are 3 other good reasons that might end up convincing you !
The beginnings of the Dark Universe
In case you did not know yet, Universal decided to launch its Dark Universe . Somewhat the same genre as Marvel and DC Comics with their Avengers and Justice League, but in version mythical monsters of the cinema . It starts with The Mummy , but there will also be a film about the Invisible Man, with Johnny Depp in the title role, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, or The Strange Creature of the Black Lake. And the common point is none other than Dr. Jekyll (& Mr Hyde)! A bit like Nick Fury in the Marvels, he will be the link between all these monsters and he has already started putting all that in place in The Mummy , in the guise of Russell Crowe !
A film that is both terrifying and touching
We are not going to lie, The Mummy is above all a horrific adventure film . And this is the case when La Mumie wakes up. Disgusting, she clearly flips and anyone running away in front of her. His zombie henchmen too. But then, as it gradually resumes its human form – always gray, but less repugnant – we discovered another facet: that of an old princess who was wounded . One would almost feel pity! Well, almost, because it is still threatening, ready to do anything to get revenge.
Sofia Boutella, the real star of the film
From dancer to super Hollywood star, there is only one step. From Kingsman: Secrets Services , then Star Trek: Beyond , the French actress begins to build a good reputation in the small medium of the cinema. And his role in The Mummy might well open all the doors to him. At once terrifying and touching , she completely steals the show at Tom Cruise. In her way of moving, speaking or even in her eyes, Sofia Boutella is more than convincing as an Egyptian princess returned from the dead. So these three reasons convinced you?

The post The Mummy: 3 good reasons to see the movie! first appeared on The Siver Times.

Alex Kurtzman | The Siver Times

The Mummy: Alex Kurtzman “The Mummy is above all a love story”

The Mummy: 3 good reasons to see the movie!