‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Review: A gruesome reimagining of a classic monster

This ain’t your grandmother’s “Mummy.”

Nearly 100 years after the iconic monster graced the big screen comes a reimagining from New Line Cinema. The starring mummy isn’t an ancient Egyptian high priest. It’s an adolescent girl.

The film follows the Cannon family. Charlie (Jack Reynor), the father, is an American reporter stationed in Cairo, bringing his pregnant wife Larissa (Laia Costa) and their two young children Katie and Sebastian (Emily Mitchell and Dean Allen Williams) for a months-long stint overseas. Tragedy strikes when Katie is kidnapped from the family garden. The police are puzzled by her disappearance and the case immediately goes cold.

Eight years later, the Cannons find themselves settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, staying at the home of Larissa’s religious mother, Carmen (Veronica Falcón). Charlie is now working at a local TV station instead of working at a dream job he was previously offered in New York and with them are teenage Sebastian (Shylo Molina) and 8-year-old Maude (Billie Roy).

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Out of nowhere, Charlie receives a call from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Authorities found Katie alive and mysteriously found in a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus and wrapped like a mummy.

Charlie and Larissa immediately fly to meet Katie (now played by Natalie Grace) in the hospital. Their daughter appears to be in a grim, vegetative state with colorless skin, cracked teeth and nails as thick as clay. They take her home, but it doesn’t take long for her to violently act out. Meanwhile, Cairo Police Detective Dalia Zaki (May Calamawy), who was brought on the case when Katie first disappeared, attempts to seek the truth about what happened to Katie.

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Jack Reynor as Charlie Cannon and Natalie Grace as Katie Cannon in “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.” (Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

This “Mummy” is a departure from the one that we’re used to. That’s likely because Universal has the rights to the long-standing depiction of the movie monster, which is why “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” doesn’t feel much like a “Mummy” movie at all. It actually feels more like an “Exorcist” movie, especially with Natalie Grace’s brilliantly twisted performance as the possessed Katie, rivaling Linda Blair in the Oscar-winning classic.

The aforementioned Lee Cronin, who previously wrote and directed 2023’s “Evil Dead Rise,” brings his creative team back, making “The Mummy” feel like an extension of his horror predecessor, from the striking compositions by cinematographer David Garbett to the dramatic score from composer Stephen McKeon.

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Natalie Grace as Katie Cannon in “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.” (Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

The film, produced by genre heavy hitters James Wan and Jason Blum, falls prey to what many other horror flicks rely on: gross visuals. Shock value has often replaced genuine terror, and this “Mummy” is no different. The physical trauma post-mummy Katie poses on herself and members of her family is quite gruesome, which seems to pass for horror these days.

While Cronin’s “Mummy” keeps viewers engaged despite its lengthy runtime, it really falls apart in the third act. But Veronica Falcón deserves a shoutout, bringing comic relief as the no-nonsense grandma, as does young Billie Roy, who goes from adorable to malicious when under Katie’s control.

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Veronica Falcón as Carmen in “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.” (Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Verdict

“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” displays quality film making in an otherwise fairly forgettable version of a revered Hollywood monster. Horror fans may get their fix, but this is far from a must-see.

★★½ — STREAM IT LATER

“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” is rated R for strong disturbing violent content, gore, language and brief drug use. Running time: 2 hours, 13 minutes. In theaters now.

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