Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe

[ToxicLove]

The only upside of this embarrassing failure of a cynical cash grab is the reissues of the classic Universal monster fare on bluray.

[The One and Only]

THE MUMMY is getting a 16-bit video game tie-in where you get to play a member of Prodigium, the organization we were introduced to in the flick. Where you take the fight to the dreaded Princess Ahmanet.
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/253546 ... -game-tie/

[SteveIrwinFan96]

"Bride of Frankenstein" has been postponed, but Jolie and Bardem will stay on for the time being: https://www.comicbookmovie.com/horror/b ... erm=162974
Bill Condon suggests Gal Gadot as a possible replacement for Jolie as the Bride if she exits: https://www.thewrap.com/bride-frankenst ... jolie/amp/.

[GodzillaFan1990's]

That's no surprise considering how The Mummy turned out being mediocre at best. The Dark Universe is suffering the same problems as the DCEU is. The Dark Universe is trying to copy the MCU and the DCEU (Which has finally been using levity since Wonder Woman) is rushing things to catch up with the MCU.

[TheSecondComing]

Writer/producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan have left the Dark Universe, seeming to leave the franchise (temporarily?) dead.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-v ... se-1055854

[GodzillaFan1990's]

I'm not surprised. The biggest issue was trying to be like the MCU when it should've just been its own thing like the MonsterVerse is doing hence why its been successful. Focus on the horror, not the action. This was lot of missed potential if you ask me since this cinematic universe should've been like its original predecessor, take Frankenstein meets The Wolf Man and House of Frankenstein/House of Dracula/Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein for example.

[Godzillian]

Maybe Universal should have tried to make quality movies instead of rushing out whatever product they got to meet a deadline so they can try to replicate Marvels success

[eabaker]

These characters never should be part of a pre-conceived cinematic universe. To whatever degree the classic Universal crossover flicks worked (and, let's be honest, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula may be entertaining for fans, but they're not especially good movies), it was because they weren't beholden to any strong continuity, so for each movie the writers could move the pieces around however they saw fit.

[Godzillian]

These characters never should be part of a pre-conceived cinematic universe. To whatever degree the classic Universal crossover flicks worked (and, let's be honest, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula may be entertaining for fans, but they're not especially good movies), it was because they weren't beholden to any strong continuity, so for each movie the writers could move the pieces around however they saw fit.

Def agree man. It would have been better to reboot each monster individual and then do retconns as needed for a crossover film

[Pkmatrix]

I saw The Mummy recently and, while it definitely has problems, I enjoyed it. It felt like they poorly smushed together three very different ideas: a light-hearted Action-Adventure romance along the lines of 1999's The Mummy, an actual Horror film, and what felt like a really lazily roped-in copy of the MCU's SHIELD as an extended set-up for their cinematic universe. The Action-Adventure parts I really enjoyed and, for me, were the best parts of the movie. The Horror parts were, surprising, also really well-done - not GREAT (they get hurt by the PG-13) - but showed promise. It'd be best if they'd picked one or the other, but maybe with a few further rewrites they might've found the right balance between the two.

What kills the movie, though, is the "Prodigium" - their attempt at a SHIELD expy - and the extended setup for the Dark Universe. It literally stops the movie dead, feels entirely superfluous and like a waste of time, and feels ENTIRELY out of place. It's a shame because Russel Crowe is actually really fun as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. But...it's like, you're left with all kinds of questions that don't get answered and feel like weren't SUPPOSED to be the questions I was to be left with. Like, who are these people? Scientists? Government agents? Are they some independent secret organization? Part of the British Museum, somehow? Who funds them, 'cause they have a ton of what looks like expensive equipment in a secret base? If they're just scientists, why are they so heavily armed? Who ARE these people?

Frankly, the movie would've been better served had...

Spoiler:

...instead of the Prodigium appearing to save Morton and Halsey, it was just Dr. Jekyll by himself using some handwavium - I dunno, some mystical relic he had - to chase the Mummy off. Set him up more as a lone Professor Van Helsing sort, maybe working in a small office with a few interns or something. The "Prodigium" could have, instead being a SHIELD expy, been more like a secret society of scientists and doctors (which would, honestly, be a little more in spirit like the MonsterVerse's Monarch - which I feel like is what they intended). Hell, they could even have the same mission statement. You could eliminate the whole ridiculous imprisoned Mummy subplot that really went nowhere, while still accomplishing much of the same (and, in the meantime, maybe just have the Mummy go around wreaking more havoc while searching for Morton). You can have the scene with Morton properly meeting Jekyll, you could have the scene with Morton communing with the Mummy (maybe have Jekyll put him into a trance in the hopes of locating it), you could even have the fight scene with Mr. Hyde and the sandstorm as they head for the crusaders' tomb.

Like, geez, what's so frustrating about that element of the movie is that it was so EASY to fix.

[MandaSaurus]

Writer/producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan have left the Dark Universe, seeming to leave the franchise (temporarily?) dead.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-v ... se-1055854

Aw, Hell! There was so much potential in Dark Universe...

[GodzillaFan1990's]

Aw, Hell! There was so much potential in Dark Universe...

What potential? Other then it was trying to copy Marvel rather then be its own thing which the MonsterVerse did?

That was the issue and reason why it failed. It should've focused on the horror, not the action as the classic Universal Monsters had done.

[LamangoKaijura]

Why do people say Marvel is the 'start of cinematic crossovers', that shit's been happening for eons.

[Pkmatrix]

Why do people say Marvel is the 'start of cinematic crossovers', that shit's been happening for eons.

It's the start of the modern wave of pre-planned shared universes, which is something relatively new. Stuff like the old Universal Monsters and Toho universes emerged naturally over time, Marvel and what's followed has attempted to plan it all out in advance which is proving significantly more complicated. It's rather telling that the most successful shared universes post-Avengers have NOT been pre-planned but ad hoc like the old-school ones (The Conjuring universe and the MonsterVerse) whereas attempts to more directly copy the MCU have generally fallen flat (the DCEU, the first attempt at the Spider-Verse, Dark Universe). The people who made The Conjuring and G'14 didn't set out to create shared universes, they just wanted to make good monster movies, and the rest has flowed naturally from that original spring.

[miguelnuva]

Why do people say Marvel is the 'start of cinematic crossovers', that Hedorah's been happening for eons.

No one rembers the showa universe or the original monster universe.

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Why do people say Marvel is the 'start of cinematic crossovers', that Hedorah's been happening for eons.

No one rembers the show universe or the original monster universe.

That still doesn't mean Marvel started the whole "cinematic universe" schmuck.

[miguelnuva]

Why do people say Marvel is the 'start of cinematic crossovers', that Hedorah's been happening for eons.

No one rembers the show universe or the original monster universe.

That still doesn't mean Marvel started the whole "cinematic universe" schmuck.

If Marvel is the first thing people remember they'll thank they started it.

[CyberZilla]

But as most of us know, cinematic universes have been happening. Obviously the Showa era would be an example of an early cinematic "universe" since a lot of the kaiju-centric films were connected (take Mothra being merged into the Godzilla mythos for one example, or Rodan). I can see why Universal wanted to make a cinematic universe, but they forgot the core essence of starting one: make the first films stand on their own. Hell, every cinematic universe should have films that stand on their own. Don't try building up stuff in that first film- put a reference or two into expanding the universe in the story, but don't overthrow a plot in favor of cinematic universe building. That's the fatal flaw of both the Dark universe (which is probably going to falter before it even gets a second film out) as well as the DCEU.

[GodzillaFan1990's]

Or MAYBE alive.

https://screenrant.com/bride-frankenste ... boot-crew/

[eabaker]

A Bill Condon take on The Bride of Frankenstein is pretty much the only aspect of the UMCU that has interested me at any point. I do hope that happens.