Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Offers a Grisly if Uneven Update on an Old Myth -

By Luis Zonenberg

Continuing our halfway to Halloween horror-thon, I decided it was time to dive into the main course of the horror buffet. While I had some thrills with the horrors of marriage in The Drama, it proved to be more of a light appetizer than anything else. I was in the mood for a really spicy entrée and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy certainly fit the bill. Coming hot off his critical and box office with Evil Dead Rise, director Lee Cronin decided to follow it up with a much more visceral, gorier take on The Mummy. How does it fare with past adaptations? Well, let’s take a closer look at it and see for ourselves.

The story focuses on journalist Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor) and his wife, Larissa (Laia Costa), trying to cope following the disappearance of their daughter, Katie (Natalie Grace and Emily Mitchell). They have since settled into a new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with their grief affecting the lives of their children, Sebastián (Shylo Molina and Dean Allen Williams) and Maud (Billie Roy). They haven’t had any update since Charlie last saw Katie being abducted by a mysterious woman only known as the Magician (Hayat Kamille) before they disappeared into a sandstorm.

After investigating a mysterious plane crash near the outskirts of Aswan, Egypt, the investigating team over at Cairo finally located Katie. The authorities found her mummified inside a lead-lined sarcophagus, wrapped in old ceremonial garments. Considering how weak and malnourished she is, the doctors have Charlie and Larissa take Katie back home in hopes they can nurse her back to health. They quickly find nothing is as it seems, with Katie becoming more erratic as strange events begin to occur at their family home.

Lee Cronin’s take on The Mummy is a huge departure from the more action-oriented ones from 2017 and 1999, focusing more on the supernatural horror elements this time around. The story is much more grounded and darker, offering a well-intentioned look on the nature of grief and how it can affect a family trying to cope with past trauma. The execution, however, leaves more to be desired, merely scratching the surface of the story’s potential in favor of showcasing some creative gore and body horror elements.

The story itself is lined with numerous plot holes, like the doctor opting for Katie’s family to take care of her despite her constantly inflicting harm on herself and others, not to mention the two other kids Charlie and Larissa have at home. Another baffling story inclusion was having the family grief for over eight years, leaving a huge time gap that makes the characters look more disillusioned and idiotic. While Cronin’s heart is in the right place, he seems more focused on rushing past all this to quickly get to the more terrifying parts of the story.

Needless to say that when the more scarier moments do happen, they are absolutely terrifying to watch. The film contains some of the most brutal and bone-chilling sequences I’ve ever seen in a horror film, with Cronin’s knack for creativity when it comes to sound and body horror really amps up the tension big time! These sequences go a long way, differentiating this movie from the others while still remaining faithful to the DNA of past adaptations; Cronin truly outdid himself on the horror aspect here.

The cast certainly helped elevate the rather uneven script, with Jack Reynor proving to be a charismatic and devoted protagonist. He truly captures the trauma of his character, nailing the more dramatic moments despite his character not making the most logical decisions at times. May Calamawy proved to be a real highlight as Detective Dalia Zaki, with her stern demeanor and gruff personality perfectly complimenting the film’s more grounded tone. Other supporting stars like Laia Costa, Billie Roy, Shylo Molina and Hayat Kamille all proved to be entertaining in their own rights.

The cinematography was simply outstanding from beginning to end! Cronin has a clear talent for creating some gnarly, gut wrenching imagery, which really adds to the horror of the film. The impressive camerawork utilizes a mixture of wide panning shots and intense close-ups that will certainly make audiences wince in the theaters. There are even some impressive wide shots that captured the beautiful landscape of Egypt, making for some grand imagery that amplified the stakes in such a visually impressive way.

Something I do not mention too often is the use of sound, which this film certainly uses to great effect. Just like with Evil Dead Rise, Cronin creates such an unsettling atmosphere with the way he mixes the audio for the film. From the snapping of a pair of scissors to the sound of someone tapping the front of a door, it creates such an immersive experience that places the viewer right in the moment and even leads to some extremely fun jumpscares in the process.

The overall VFX and makeup were quite phenomenal, especially for creating such a decrepit mummy like the one showcased in the film. The way the makeup artists highlighted Katie’s long curved nails or her dry, rubbery skin made her appearance all the more believable and terrifying. The CGI was incorporated incredibly well, blending almost seamlessly with the practical effects and real locations used in the film.

Cronin and company certainly nailed all the technical aspects of this production, but seemed to fall short on his execution of the story. The film really does ask for audiences to suspend their disbelief way too much which contradicts the more darker and grounded tone the filmmaker seemed to be going for. While Lee Cronin’s take on The Mummy will surely thrill horror fans, most audiences probably won’t find themselves getting wrapped up in this story anytime soon.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is now playing in theaters.

Rating: ★★ ½ of five