Lee Cronin's The Mummy has been scrutinised far more than some horror films, especially after reports that producer James Wan, unimpressed by what he'd seen, walked out of an early screening (that's since been debunked).
Throw in largely negative reports from public test screenings and talk of a title change—it supposedly went by The Resurrected for a time—and the odds have been stacked against this one for a while. Well, the review embargo was finally lifted earlier today, and they're decidedly mixed.
As we first reported on FearHQ.com, Lee Cronin's The Mummy sits at a "Rotten" 59% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. That's based on 46 verdicts, but if it can rise above 60% in the coming day, it will, at least, be in "Fresh" territory.
Most critics appear largely underwhelmed, but it sounds like there's plenty of scares and gore. However, some feel that it relies too much on nastiness, with the result being a fairly unexciting take on The Mummy that breaks little in the way of new ground.
We'll start with the positive reviews, and The Hollywood Reporter, which writes, "Even if it’s overlong, this is remarkably sustained lurid entertainment that offers a fresh take on the mummy myth." Variety adds, "Brashly violent, clattery and pleasingly untied to any direct predecessor, the result is more generic than its braggy auteur claims might promise, but there’s a lot here for gorehounds to feast on."
From there, most of the "Fresh" verdicts come from smaller outlets. However, Slashfilm gave it a fairly decent score despite summarising that, "Cronin and cinematographer Dave Garbett throw enough split diopter shots into this thing to give Brian De Palma an orgasm."
IGN adds, "As ugly as it is amusing, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy takes the kind of tonal swings you rarely see from a Hollywood studio." Empire, meanwhile, concludes, "Domestic chills, body horror, paranormal scares and gore-drenched action combine in a very distinct but rather uneven — and at times contentious — take on a classic monster icon."
The negative reviews tend to be really negative, with Mashable stating, "Lee Cronin's The Mummy ultimately doesn't feel as much like a bold new horror saga as it does a hodgepodge of better films." AV Club also wasn't keen, pointing out, "A good cover band can really hit the spot, but not when the band’s only mastered one emotional register and keeps playing that way for a longer-than-average set."
Deadline concludes, "The film is just not very scary. It is appreciably nasty... But it would’ve been nice if that narrative work and characterization was more readily visible. Instead, too much of the film is hidden away behind layer upon layer of mummification."
"Cronin’s latest is less a reinvention of the Mummy and more a standard possession horror movie with a slight Egyptian twist," adds Bloody Disgusting, before The New York Times bemoans, "Too bad about the one-liners that make fun sequences feel generic, the weaker family dynamics compared to “Evil Dead Rise,” and the film’s climax, a hash of close camera setups."
Finally, IndieWire explains, "Everything Katie does has to be deniable enough for her parents to roll with it, a story choice that defangs Cronin’s ability to let loose. The jolts are muted, the setpieces are drab, and the gore is all too literally kept under wraps."
Lee Cronin's The Mummy stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and Veronica Falcón. The movie is written and directed by Cronin, and produced by James Wan, Jason Blum and John Keville. The executive producers are Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Macdara Kelleher and Lee Cronin.
Cronin is supported behind the camera by a team of sterling film artisans, including director of photography Dave Garbett, production designer Nick Bassett, editor Bryan Shaw, costume designer Joanna Eatwell, music by Stephen McKeon and casting by Terri Taylor and Sarah Domeier Lindo.
Lee Cronin's The Mummy opens in theaters on April 17.