Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Review
When Lee Cronin first tried his hand at modern reimaginings with Evil Dead Rise, most people, including myself, didn’t know what to expect. I’ve been so used to watching the most popular takes, like Sam Raimi’s original films and even Ash vs. Evil Dead. However, after watching Cronin’s adaptation, it made me realize his potential in creating his own stories within these horror franchises. Rise’s interconnected story about family, empathy, and love simply resonated with me even with all the blood and guts. This year, Cronin seems to dig deeper into those thematic roots by exploring what it’s like to adapt to new changes through this soft revival.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is separate from the 1930s classics as well as Clive Barker’s popular series. Instead of adventuring into the depths of Egypt, Cronin takes a more modest approach in tackling this terror. Cronin’s film follows Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor), a journalist, and his wife Larissa (Laia Costa), after they lose their oldest daughter Katie (Natalie Grace). But when Katie unexpectedly reappears eight years after she was kidnapped, Charlie and Larissa must navigate their lives with a seemingly possessed Katie.
Much like Rise, Cronin’s The Mummy also retains those familiar familial ideas in order to make you sympathetic to these characters. Reynor’s Charlie deeply cares for his kids as seen in the opening with Katie and her younger brother Sebastián (Shylo Molina), but he’s too focused on finding what made Katie the way she is. It’s made clear in Charlie’s investigative scenes that this is his primary goal, leaving Larissa to take up the caretaking responsibilities with the help of her mother Carmen (Verónica Falcón). Unlike Charlie, Larissa is much more focused on the present and taking care of Katie in the now, which creates this rift between the two parents.
However, both Charlie and Larissa are never too distracted from trying to help Katie, but instead try to keep their emotions under wraps. This is constantly seen throughout the second act as Larissa tends to Katie, whether that be trying to cut a large toenail to comforting the lost girl in her bed. In every moment that Larissa spends with Katie, there’s this uncertainty that Costa brings through Larissa’s actions, like she doesn’t truly think she can move on. As she tries to get closer to her daughter, the hopelessness gradually elevates as Cronin captures her desperation quite well later in that second act.
As for Charlie, his role, after Katie is found, is mostly relegated to moving the narrative forward. His investigation into the phenomena leads him to places and story beats that feel familiar. Particularly, there’s a portion of The Mummy that sees Charlie trying to decipher these mystical binds with the help of a professor. Not only is this shot similar to how Cronin approached the deadite exposition drop in Rise, but also the use of archives. I was honestly expecting Brendan Frasier to cameo similarly to how Bruce Campbell also appeared in Rise, but maybe other viewers will catch it.
Charlie’s investigation also ties into Detective Dalia’s (May Calamawy) story, who’s trying to provide the family with those answers. Most of her scenes are relegated to the usual detective beats, complete with an investigation into the hidden temple and even a good cop-bad cop scene where Dalia interrogates Katie’s “friend”. These scenes mostly just put Dalia to work, but she does have some motivation at that start, that being to get the promotion she’s wanted. By the time that the film’s time-jump happens, it doesn’t really feel like anything’s changed. Fortunately, Dalia gets a lot more involvement in the action-packed climax, which sees everyone going all out against the possessed Katie.
That said, the biggest highlight of The Mummy has to be Grace’s unhinged performance as Katie. Not only do those grotesque prosthetics truly showcase the horror Katie holds within, but Grace’s purposefully crazed mannerisms, enhanced by the auditory blend of demonic voices, makes Katie a terrifying antagonist. Grace also captures Katie’s possessed deviousness with such dedication, it honestly makes you wonder how Cronin captured magic twice regarding killer kids. Plus, those many diopter shots (of which there are a lot) also help in making you feel uneasy about what Katie might do next.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is an unhinged reimagining of a classic franchise that approaches familiar themes that work thanks to Cronin’s hand. The peculiar use of cinematography and the dedicated performances of the main cast make The Mummy work as well as it does. I’ll certainly be interested in what other franchise Cronin wants to take up next, if he’s willing to explore other classic horror movie monsters.
Rating: ★★★⯪☆
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy releases in theaters on April 17.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.