Directed by Lee Cronin, an Irish-born filmmaker, who recently directed “Evil Dead Rise” in 2023, Cronin brings his newest film “The Mummy” a new reputation, filmed with unnecessarily graphic and gory content that takes away from the original story of the known horror that is “The Mummy”.
Cronin’s “The Mummy” follows Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor), a television journalist based in Cairo, Egypt with his wife Larissa Cannon (Laia Costa) and their two kids Katie (Natalie Grace) and Sebastian (Shylo Molina). Katie is approached by a mysterious woman known as “The Magician”, but getting too close leaves Katie in an unfortunate kidnapping untouched for years until Detective Dalia Zaki (May Calamawy) finds out the truth about the disappearance.
This brings her back to her family until they realize a change within Katie that causes mayhem.
The original tale of the classic “Mummy” story, follows an Egyptian archeologist that mourns for his lost love Anck-es-en-Amon. When reading from the Scroll of Thoth, he realizes that he has awakened more than his love, but a terrible monster.
For a 1932 film, directors were lucky enough to acquire fake blood on set, a rarity at the time. For the 2026 version, there wasn’t one scene where there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of guts and graphic skin-pulling visuals that make the movie unenjoyable.
There was a “The Exorcist” vibe to the film, where a possessed girl that would constantly hurt herself, a demonic voice took over, religious symbolization and an unnecessary amount of vomiting that felt almost unpleasant to continue.
In “The Mummy”, it seemed that the idea was to practice more with visually graphic content rather than a story line. In the beginning of the film it was overwhelmed by loud noises that felt misplaced in certain scenes that could’ve been left out for more intimate and suspenseful moments.
Moments where head scratching would become a routine while watching the film wondering why there were times where teeth would fall out or coyotes eating people alive. Moments of realization that the plot has been lost due to the oversaturation of gore.
The known story of “The Mummy,” whether it’s the 1932 version or Brandon Frazier’s iconic role, is filled with horror, romance and action, a diverse plot-worth story that can bring different film lovers and appreciators together.
If you are an appreciator of gore and supernatural horror with little to no plot, then this movie is for you.
There were scenes that had connected themes throughout the film that the audience could link together, but oftentimes there would be characters that would become untouched and leave no answer to. If there was a character mentioned, they would either not show up for the rest of the film or die a brutal death.
For an iconic role and story line as “The Mummy” this version felt mocked and childish. If the title wasn’t as iconic as it sounds to Cronin’s version, it would leave many confused on what sort of film this brings. It’s exciting what young and debuting directors bring, especially a classic, but to deliver it in a way where it becomes difficult to follow, it loses the charm.
What’s admirable of new directors is their originality that they bring to make a movie good. The costumes, the acting, the scene settings, the intimacy between characters, romantic or tensel. But for Cronin’s film, the goal seemed to be how long can you last watching this film without vomiting.
The charm and aesthetically pleasing visuals of “The Mummy” are lost in the 2026 version. Brutal deaths are made the star of the film, and it gets dull and boring after a while, losing its purpose as a remake of a classic horror film.
What should be applauded for this film is the culturally-inclined platform that Cronin has included. Egyptian and Hispanic-American culture is included based on the two languages that are featured in this film, Spanish and Arabic.
The diverse involvement that the two cultures have, brings color to the film when it comes to design of the settings such as the Cannons’ houses in New Mexico and Egypt, bringing a sense of safeness and security. Until it is splattered with blood and guts over the wall, leaving the interior design with nothing but a messy canvas.
Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” features a dull, unfinished and gory fear factor that loses the true meaning of classic monsters in film.
