Well-written and well-executed
This re-imagining of a classic franchise has a different tone which served it well in a lot of ways
As much as I enjoyed The Mummy films that featured Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz growing up, nothing it was clear from the teasers that Lee Cronin's The Mummy is nothing like those movies in the 90s and early 2000s.
It's more terrifying and opens up a whole new universe that can be further expanded should this movie perform well.
Written and directed by Lee Cronin, this generation's The Mummy looks and feels more apt. Anyone who sees a movie title like this will immediately think of the supernatural; of something dark and terrifying. It sets the expectations.
The Mummy from two decades ago lacked the horror element. While it tackled some supernatural themes, the kind of horror that's more primal and that guttural terror that makes it hard to continue watching because you can feel it crawling up your skin.
That's why Lee Cronin's The Mummy is a more effective supernatural horror than its predecessors.
The movie is well-written and executed. It's one of the few horror movies that look so polished. The cinematography and editing here are more impressive than some of the horror movies I've seen before. The makeup is gross (which means it's done well). And the production design really sets the mood well.
Lee Cronin really does excel in horror. But it's not really surprising after his work with Evil Dead Rise and The Hole in the Ground.
In the movie, a young girl (Natalie Grace) in Cairo goes missing. After eight years, she is found inside an ancient sarcophagus. Relieved that their daughter is still alive, Charlie (Jack Reynor) and Larissa (Laia Costa) Cannon takes her home. Still in the dark about what happened to their daughter, the couple soon realizes that Katie's return isn't exactly the restart their family needs. Her past ordeal is tied to ancient secrets that carry horrific consequences to the entire family.
Cronin did an impressive job in taking the lore and infusing it with his own interpretation. Here, he created a story of a family dealing with tragedy and seamlessly integrated the mythology of mummification. The script offered layers that all worked well in weaving a compelling story that isn't just one-dimensional. There are no loopholes here; everything is tied up at the end. Every single event was established well and paid off by the time the end credits rolled.
He was able to build a compelling backstory without using too much exposition. And the way he introduced elements that seemed mundane at first and would eventually turn out relevant for moving the plot forward in a plausible manner. (Which is also why it's important to pay attention to everything happening on the screen.)
Watching the whole thing unfold, you are most likely to notice how everything feels calculated—every single element you see on the screen has been put there for a reason—and serves a purpose. It could be as trivial as a simple game Katie and her dad Charlie plays early in the movie or a random conversation between Detective Zaki (May Calamawy) and her superior when the Cannons sought out their help after Katie went missing.
The dialogue is straightforward. Everything each character says suited their personalities, which effectively reflects their motivations and explains why they acted a certain way.
Here, the plot moves forward as a result of the characters' individual choices. In other movies that tackle the same theme, some of the major story milestones are stimulated by external factors—something that can be risky because it feels disjointed and forced. Audiences can pick up on such as convenient (and forced) ways to propel the story forward.
Cronin doesn't make that mistake in this movie. And that's why the whole story is engrossing. It keeps audiences bracing for the next time something scary (or gross) happens.
Speaking of gross, there is no shortage of that in this movie. There are bodily fluids and bits and pieces that may not be for someone with a weak stomach. What's good about these is, they're not plastered in the script for the sake of having something audiences can groan at collectively. They are essential parts of the story. (I keep saying this because I find it a rare quality in most horror movies.)
And they are not just there to gross you out. These skin-crawling bits serve a purpose that pays off towards the end.
One thing I particularly enjoyed and appreciated is that once we get to the climax, it's still unsure how these characters are going to get out of the mess they're in. At one point, I was resigned to the fact that this will end badly for everyone. I liked how it veered away from the usual formula where by the time the third act rolls in, the protagonists have already figured out, usually with the help of someone, how to solve their problems.
That's not the case here. But the way everything is wrapped up is so clever it came naturally to the characters involved. It's impressive how it didn't require the usual confrontation and Eureka! moments to realize how to kill the baddie. Since the characters were built up effectively throughout the entire movie, the rationale just clicks. And, as an audience, you realize that it is the most logical way to tie everything up without any hint of contrivance.
Lee Cronin's The Mummy is now showing in cinemas.
Photos and videos by Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamay, Natalie Grace, Veronica Falcon, Shylo Molina, Billie Roy
Directed by Lee Cronin
Written by Lee Cronin
Run time: 134 minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
MTRCB rating: R-16
