There are two things you must understand about director Lee Cronin before watching his take on the classic “Mummy” story. Firstly, he doesn’t seem to care about the original Universal “Mummy” movies from the ’40s and ’50s. Secondly, he REALLY loves the first “Evil Dead.” If you’ve seen “Evil Dead Rise,” the second point is already clear. And if you have seen that movie, you’ve seen his vision for “The Mummy.”
Perhaps that’s a bit harsh. Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” is not without merit. There’s enough gore and gross-out moments to sicken a sideshow geek. From the interviews I’ve seen, Cronin’s primary mission was to rework the venerable monster movie into something better suited to his taste. Without a doubt, Cronin succeeded. The result is as far removed from any previous incarnation of “The Mummy.” It has far more in common with “The Exorcist” than anything from the Universal library.
I have no issues with remakes, reboots, or whatever term you prefer. In fact, I welcome them. Stories are meant to be retold and kept alive. But when you refuse to work with even the basic elements of the story you’re given, maybe someone else should tell the tale. Cronenberg’s “The Fly” honored the tragic love at the center of the original. Carpenter’s “The Thing” was more faithful to the “Who Goes There” novella than the 1951 adaptation. Brian De Palma’s whacked-out “Phantom of the Paradise” covered themes and scenes from all previous versions of “Phantom of the Opera.” No matter how gross or weird or personal your reworking of a classic is, that story must still be recognizable.
Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” shares gauze and Egypt with the earlier films. That’s about it. Had he done something wholly original with the material, I may have been more forgiving. Instead, it hits all of the notable hallmarks of a modern fright film. Possession, creepy kids, jaunty pop tunes used ironically, lullabies sung menacingly, and the rest of your favorites are here. They are mostly used effectively. But they don’t compensate for the lack of Mummy in this Mummy movie.
The Universal Monsters mean the world to me. Those characters are my superheroes, so seeing what has become of them is, frankly, disheartening. Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” is just another in a series of in-name-only remakes of Universal Horror stories released by Blumhouse. While certainly talented, the directors behind these movies have openly discussed their indifference towards the material. From what I gathered, Blumhouse offers them a title, and they do whatever they want with it. At a screening of his version of “The Invisible Man” (the first of these), director Leigh Whannell (who has done fine work and seems like a lovely fellow) admitted that he has no real love for the story. That becomes apparent once you watch the movie, which is a wonderful little thriller that owes practically nothing to H.G. Wells, James Whale, or Claude Rains.
“The Mummy,” “The Invisible Man,” and all the other great monster movies will always have fans. Despite being nearly 100 years old, these classics have stood the test of time. If Blumhouse wants to reboot them and capitalize on their names, they should hire people who genuinely love these stories. The way to reach a new generation of film-goers is not to chase trends but to show them why these monsters became iconic in the first place. “Obsession,” the critically acclaimed box-office smash, succeeded by being essentially a straightforward “Monkey’s Paw” yarn. Old stories can be made fresh without compromise.
I did not intend for this review to be so negative. Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” is a decent chiller about a little girl taken over by a demon. You’ve seen many such movies, but it’s not bad and has some great barf-bag moments. When it came time to write this piece, I realized just how tired I am of these Universal Monster movies that are ashamed of what they are. “The Mummy” from 1932 is a darkly atmospheric fairytale. Its sequels are amiably dumb adventure movies that also serve as proto-slashers. A filmmaker could have drawn from either of those (1999’s is a little of both with a generous amount of “Indiana Jones” thrown in), but Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” ignores everything. Cronin loves “Evil Dead,” so he made another “Evil Dead.” After this and the 2017 Marvel-lite reboot, will we ever get an actual “Mummy” movie?
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