HOLLYWOOD—The last time Hollywood tackled the notion of ‘The Mummy’ we got something goofier, but special effects ladled courtesy of now Oscar-winner Brandon Fraser. I would be amiss, if I didn’t say I was looking for something a bit spookier, intriguing, and I feel like that has been obtained with Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy.” This is not the same movie nearly a 20 plus years ago.
It has some serious darkness and some eerily gross-out moments that leave you unnerved to say the least. At the core, its about possession and evil spirits. This time an evil spirit inhabits the body of a very young Katie (Emily Mitchell), who is kidnapped after chatting with a stranger near her home’s garden. I hate to say it, but I will say it again, “The Mummy” teaches a valuable lesson for parents be vigilant when it comes to your children, especially the young ones. You turn your eyes away for a moment and that is all it takes for guilt to eat you alive.
Katie’s parents, Charlie (Jack Reynor) and Larissa (Laia Costa) are devastated with the disappearance, as Charlie races to catch the mysterious kidnapper, but is prevented because of a sandstorm. Years later, Katie suddenly resurfaces, but she is not the same Katie. She has weird movements, she cannot communicate and she self-mutilates her body in graphic ways that even a fan of horror like me had to turn away. I don’t want to see bleeding flesh, I don’t want to see bloody teeth, and I don’t want to see someone chew up a scorpion, even if I know it’s fake.
Larissa tends to Katie’s every need despite Jack wanting their daughter removed from the home for safety. She knows something is ‘off’ with her daughter, but she doesn’t care. What “The Mummy” does so well is play with the notion of what you would do as a parent if you lost a child and you suddenly get that child back. All that time has gone grieving the child and now you’re coming to grips with the child being back in your orbit. That is not easy to grapple with.
The more Charlie digs the more clues he discovers to this ancient evil that has taken over his daughter’s body and is now tormenting her family. It’s not just Katie that is impacted, but Sebastian and Maud, and that is an unexpected turn that I enjoyed. It proves the evil entity is not just contained to one person as we witness terror start to rip this family apart. The visual effects are a bit tamer than most ‘Mummy’ films I’ve seen, and perhaps that is for the best because Cronin really focuses on the development of these characters and the story.
As a spectator you care about this family, what happens to them and ultimately you want to know what happened to Katie and if the torture she endured can be reversed. In addition to Reynor, Costa and Natalie Grace delivering strong performances, there is also great work from May Calamawy as Detective Dalia Zaki who investigates Katie’s disappearance and attempts to put the puzzle pieces together.
I would not call “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” a slow burn, but it moves at a steady pace and not all the action and mayhem happen at once. It builds, and builds until we reach a very intense, chaotic climax that is quite satisfying to say the least. I had a time watching this movie and its smarter and more intriguing than what you may think.
