“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” follows a broken family whose young daughter is returned to them eight years after disappearing into the desert without a trace. However, the joyful reunion quickly turns into a living nightmare.
If you don’t know who the writer-director is, it’s literally in the title. That may be a bit pretentious, but at least it helps distinguish this from Stephen Sommers’ original entries. Which makes sense, because this is very different. The new iteration of “The Mummy” proves to be a similar approach to Cronin’s most recent entry, 2023’s “Evil Dead Rise.”
You’ll likely be wincing. You may even have to look away. “The Mummy” goes for it in terms of gore. But… at what cost?
The work from the makeup department, alongside the special effects and visual effects teams, is front and center here. “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” is disgusting. That’s a compliment. This is body horror at its finest, and it’s not always over the top. Simple things like tooth extractions or ripped toenails are just as disturbing as peeled-back flesh and pure cannibalism.
The bone-chilling effects are constant, which is one of its biggest problems. Rather than generating true scares, “The Mummy” really only manages to provide gross-out moments. The movie ends up lacking a true sense of suspense because of this. It can be described as “horrifying,” sure, but “scary,” no.
Still, the visuals are undoubtedly a strength. Director of photography David Garbett manages to add life to mundane environments. Despite most of the movie taking place inside a generic house, the setting remains full of motion. Escalating camerawork, including Dutch angles and split diopter shots, gives intense moments room to breathe.
In a way, “The Mummy” is also a globe-trotting experience, set in both Egypt and New Mexico. While filmed in different locations, these settings still give the movie a “large-scale” focus. Especially in IMAX, the visuals are immersive at every turn.
Sound design is key here as well. With gruesome imagery also comes unsettling audio. Over and over, “The Mummy” barrages the audience with shrieks of pain, distorted dialogue and loud bangs. Noises in the distance always creep in, putting viewers directly in the shoes of the characters. Stephen McKeon’s score is just as loud. The sound design and music choices complement what is already effective imagery.
With that being said, “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” can’t pick a lane. This is clearly evident in the hefty 133-minute runtime. As previously mentioned, bloodshed is the film’s central priority. But there’s also more — like investigatory subplots, lore drops and family drama. The editing of these separate storylines sends the movie in a compilation-esque direction, rather than forming an actual narrative. As the plot progresses, it becomes more like a collection of scenes instead of a compelling tale.
And with that, the film also becomes redundant. There are only so many times that characters can allow madness to ensue. But instead of acting realistically, the onscreen individuals continue to make illogical decisions. “The Mummy” requires viewers to suspend large amounts of disbelief, as the outside world seems completely non-existent as events unfold.
Within the family drama aspects, however, there are powerful moments surrounding grief and trauma. Amid all the insanity, “The Mummy” takes a surprising amount of time lingering on the effects of having a child taken away from you. This makes the opening act especially riveting, before the true terrors unfold.
Jack Reynor (Charlie Cannon) and Laia Costa (Larissa Cannon) star in the film. Of the duo, Reynor brings the more intense, physical presence, while Costa adds depth and emotion. With their characters placed in such an obtuse situation, their contrasting deliveries succeed in developing conflict. Both leads do their jobs well, but they’re likely not who the audience will remember most — that’s Natalie Grace (Katie Cannon). Grace is silent for large durations of the movie, but she still delivers subtle cues and movements through large amounts of prosthetics. As the stakes grow larger, it’s inevitably entertaining to see her range continue to expand. Rounding out the central cast are May Calamawy (Detective Dalia Zaki), Shylo Molina (Sebastián), Billie Roy (Maud), Veronica Falcón (Carmen Santiago) and Hayat Kamille (The Magician).
“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” doesn’t hold back on the horrors. It’s overindulgent in every way, yet remains captivating by incessantly upping the stakes.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
