Lee Cronin’s The Mummy
Review by Mark Woodring
Why is it the only mummy movies that have had any measure of success in the last 30 years are the (first two) ones starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz?
Let’s not even bring up that one a certain MI agent starred in….
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen or watch as he and Ryan discuss the film in more depth. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
134 Minutes, Rated R
Written and Directed by Lee Cronin
Synopsis:
The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.
New year, new attempt to reboot the classic movie monsters. Universal hit with The Invisible Man, while Wolf Man from last year didn’t do as well.
Dracula is a strange beast, as his movies have tended to have just as many hits as misses.
Enter writer/director Lee Cronin, who recently gave us the latest entry in the Evil Dead franchise with 2023’s Evil Dead Rise. How did he do with this venerable monster tale?
Well, for started, he kind of removed the mummy from the Mummy franchise. I mean, sure, there’s hieroglyphics, a sarcophagus, and it starts in Egypt, but the “mummy” isn’t really what you think it is.
And, practically speaking, that’s an okay twist as the film explains it. But…
Some people are going to complain about that and base their entire reaction to that. I won’t.
I love Cronin’s visual style. I loved it in Evil Dead Rise, and he continues to craft some great and creepy shots here. Yes, I can’t deny that this film is highly influenced by his time in the Evil Dead universe, but if you’re going to evoke a franchise, Evil Dead is a pretty good one to do.
The film is a bit overlong, about 15 minutes or so for my taste, but the high creep factor and body horror elements are fully engaging when they are the center of the film’s attention.
Speaking of the body horror, the practical effects are top-notch. Seriously gross in the best possible way. The cast is solid, though the script probably could have benefited from an additional pass by either Cronin or another writer to tighten things up.
All in all, I found Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to be a solid entry in the horror genre.
f you’re a fan of Cronin or horror in general, check this one out.
Lee Cronin’s the Mummy is in theaters now and stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Shylo Molina, Billie Roy, Veronica Falcon, Hayat Kamille, Emily Mitchell, and Natalie Grace.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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