A dead girl wreaks all kinds of undead havoc in Lee Cronin’s new film. Here’s our review of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wants to be clear about what it isn’t: it has nothing to do with the Brendan Fraser-headlined collection of movies – of which there is another one in the ... Lee Cronin’s The Mummy review | Dead or alive?
A dead girl wreaks all kinds of undead havoc in Lee Cronin’s new film. Here’s our review of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wants to be clear about what it isn’t: it has nothing to do with the Brendan Fraser-headlined collection of movies – of which there is another one in the making – and certainly has no connection to the 2017 Tom Cruise feature, either.
As is obvious from the title , this is a Lee Cronin film. If you’re familiar with his previous features, The Hole In The Ground or Evil Dead Rise, you’ll know that Cronin has a love of making things as gnarly as possible, and that’s certainly where his Mummy sits.
Here, your regular American family’s life is devastated when their daughter Katie is kidnapped in Egypt. Eight years later, she’s found in a sarcophagus, miraculously alive, but deeply unwell. The family, led by Jack Reynor’s Charlie, is advised that the best treatment for Katie now is to bring her home and shower her in love. A fool-proof plan.
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. Katie isn’t just traumatised by whatever happened to her in those eight years, but clearly possessed by something supernatural.
The title gives you some idea where this is heading.
From the first moments, The Mummy progresses as you’d expect. It’s Evil Dead Rise all over again, for better or for worse. Fans of that film will likely find plenty to enjoy here, and Cronin certainly makes sure there’s constantly something gory going on to keep us entertained. (At least, if watching the human body violated in multiple ways is your idea of entertainment.)
Cronin once again dives into parental anxieties for the third film running, particularly the inability to keep your children safe or fix them when they’re broken. When The Mummy has the patience to stop for a moment, some of its most affecting moments come when either Charlie or mother Larissa (Laia Costa) are left alone with the near-catatonic Katie, begging for her to show some signs of her former, lively self.
But before you know it, we’re moving on again!
There’s a constant desire to shock us here, and there’s plenty to potentially resurrect your last meal. Gorehounds will surely be satisfied by the constant over the top yuck, but Cronin also finds moments to insert a few laughs here and there. The dash of comedy is welcome, but an occasional treat at best.
Oddly, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy isn’t really a mummy film. If anything, it has more similarities to The Exorcist than the 1932 Mummy, the 1959 Hammer Studios version, or our buddy Brendan’s more recent romps. It’s a choice, but not one that’ll be welcomed by those expecting the Egyptologist’s dream the title suggests.
The performances work. Natalie Grace is particularly impressive as Katie, in a punishingly physical role. The cast around her are bound by what seems to be a fairly unremarkable script, though. There’s a lot of potential, but the constant shock factor is valued over the film’s themes. Jack Reynor and Laia Costa are both fine as Katie’s parents, struggling with their guilt over Katie’s trauma, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of room for them in the film’s bloated 134-minute runtime.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is gruesome for sure, but lacks much in the way of depth, or Evil Dead Rise’s sense of fun. There’s no proper cheese grater moment – if you know, you know – and nothing to put you off using other utensils around your kitchen. Instead, Cronin has crafted a well made film that simply had potential for something more substantial.
Brendan Fraser will not be concerned.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is in cinemas 17th April.
