Apr 19, 2026 4:27pm IST
‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Review: Bury Any Thoughts Of Nostalgia If You Want To Enjoy This Haunting Tale
No Brendan Fraser fans were harmed during the making of "The Mummy." That disclaimer may be missing, but it’s worth stating upfront: This 2026 reboot has no connection to the beloved Fraser-led franchise. What Lee Cronin delivers instead is a grim, full-bodied horror film that leans far away from swashbuckling adventure and into something far more unsettling.
Think "Evil Dead" meets "National Treasure," only darker, nastier, and far more intense once it hits its stride.
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Journalist Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor) is shattered when his daughter Katie (Emily Mitchell) is abducted by a local woman in Cairo. His wife (Laia Costa) is left traumatised, not just by the disappearance, but by what returns years later when their daughter is finally found. What follows is a string of eerie, escalating incidents that build a pervasive sense of dread. Katie’s return feels less like a reunion and more like the arrival of an omen, something apocalyptic waiting to unfold.
Cronin leans heavily into body horror, making it clear early on that his influences sit closer to "The Exorcist" than any nostalgia-driven callback. By the film’s midpoint, any lingering hope of reconnecting with the earlier "Mummy" films evaporates. This is a punishingly dark, often gruelling watch, and at 134 minutes, it frequently tests your patience. Cronin, at times, appears unsure of how to steer his own premise, caught between psychological horror and visceral spectacle.
If you’re expecting a breezy, adventure-filled theatrical outing, the kind defined by earlier "Mummy" films, this will be a rude shock. Cronin’s vision operates firmly in Sam Raimi territory, with tight close-ups, grotesque body horror, and blood-curdling violence dominating the screen. Where the film falters is in its emotional core. The family dynamic never fully lands, and the potential tragedy of what their daughter has become is underexplored. Instead, Cronin seems more invested in stacking up brutal set pieces than grounding them in emotional stakes.
This 2026 iteration of "The Mummy" works, but only if you abandon expectations and resist comparisons to the original franchise.
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