In the year 1157 A.D., a group of crusader knights holds a solemn ceremony, burying one of their own with a precious jewel grasped tightly in his hands. Fast-forward to the present day, where the catacombs beneath London unveil the tombs of many crusaders. Enter Dr. Henry Jekyll, portrayed by Russell Crowe, who investigates the site and stumbles upon a crypt inscribed with hieroglyphs that signal a troubling history.
Through a series of flashbacks, Jekyll recounts the tale of Princess Ahmanet, a fierce warrior played by Sofia Boutella. Ahmanet, eager to ascend the throne from her father, Pharaoh Menehptre (portrayed by Selva Rasalingam), finds her ambition shattered when her father's second wife bears a son. In a desperate bid for power, she makes a dark pact with Set, the god of death, relinquishing her soul for sinister strength. In a fit of rage, she murders her father, along with his wife and newborn babe. Preparing a dark ritual on her beloved using a special dagger to grant Set a physical form, her scheme is thwarted by the Pharaoh's priests, who ultimately mummify her alive and entomb her in the depths of a faraway land, shrouded from discovery.
Transitioning to the present in Mesopotamia, U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton, played by Tom Cruise, and his companion, Corporal Chris Vail, portrayed by Jake M. Johnson, navigate the treacherous landscape. As they engage insurgents, the duo inadvertently triggers an airstrike that opens a chasm in the earth, revealing Ahmanet’s tomb. Immediately after, their commanding officer, Colonel Greenway, played by Courtney B. Vance, arrives by helicopter, chastising them for their reckless adventure. Soon after, archaeologist Jenny Halsey, portrayed by Annabelle Wallis, confronts Nick, furious over his theft of a crucial map they had used during a recent night of intimacy.
As they descend into the tomb, Jenny observes the eerie arrangement of watchful statues facing inward and chains submerged in mercury, meant to subdue potent evil. When Nick, driven by curiosity, shoots a chain, he unwittingly sets Ahmanet’s sarcophagus free and begins to experience haunting visions of the princess. The situation escalates when venomous camel spiders descend upon them, leading to Vail’s unpredictable behavior after being bitten.
The aftermath of their tomb exploration takes a terrifying turn when they are on a plane headed home. Vail’s condition deteriorates, culminating in a shocking act of violence where he kills Colonel Greenway before Nick is forced to eliminate him. The flight ends catastrophically, crashing and leaving Nick inexplicably alive, awakening in a morgue with Vail's ghost haunting his every move. After Jenny is faced with the shocking revelation of Nick's survival, the story spirals into a harrowing encounter with Ahmanet, who revives from her tomb and reanimates her own undead minions.
Amidst their trials, Nick and Jenny uncover the jewel needed to complete Ahmanet’s dark ritual, but they are soon pursued by her relentless undead army. Their fight for survival drives them to Prodigium, a secret facility led by Jekyll and designed to battle dark forces. Through a dramatic twist, Ahmanet escapes her chains, recruiting more souls to her side, while Nick grapples with Jekyll’s transformation into the monstrous Edward Hyde.
As the climax unfurls, Nick finds himself facing Ahmanet once again, making a sacrificial choice that binds his fate with Set. In a fierce final showdown, he must navigate his own humanity while defeating the ancient evil that has corrupted the land. Nick ultimately chooses to save Jenny despite his newfound darkness, leaving behind a legacy intertwined with that of a monster.
As the dust settles, Jenny confronts the reality of Nick's transformation, while a newfound adventure takes shape in the desert where he rides alongside Vail, resurrected, hinting at impending challenges as a storm brews on the horizon.
