Lee Cronin's The Mummy Movie Review: This mummy should have stayed buried

Story: A journalist’s daughter disappears in Egypt, only to return home eight years later as someone her family barely recognises. What should have been a happy reunion slowly turns into something deeply unsettling for the family.Review: Lee Cronin’s The Mummy has no interest in bringing back the version people remember. It takes a totally different route and stays with it, even when it doesn’t quite work. This is a horror film, with little room for fun or spectacle. Its only aim is to disturb its viewers, but what stands out more is how uneven it feels. Some moments catch your attention, but they pass too quickly to leave any real impact. The film desperately tries to be intense, but there’s no strong story or depth behind it, and that becomes clearer as the film goes on. It ends up feeling like a film trying hard to say something, but never quite figuring out what that is. Much of it depends on gore and shock to hold your attention.The story follows an American family living in Cairo. Charlie (Jack Reynor) works as a broadcast correspondent, while Larissa (Laia Costa) is a nurse, and they have two children, Seb and Katie. Their lives are shaken when Katie (Natalie Grace/Emily Mitchell) is kidnapped by a magician. The family later moves to the US, trying to move on. Eight years pass before they receive a call from Dalia (May Calamawy), a detective from Cairo, saying Katie has been found alive. Her return should bring relief, but something feels off right away. She seems distant, almost unfamiliar, and it slowly becomes clear that she was turned into a vessel for something dark. As strange incidents begin to follow her, Charlie is forced to face the fear that the girl who came back may not really be his daughter.The biggest problem that plagues this film is the writing. The film leans heavily on familiar possession ideas and doesn’t bring anything new to them. Instead of building tension, it keeps jumping from one disturbing moment to another, hoping that shock will do the job. After a while, this pattern becomes predictable. There is very little emotional depth, so the horror doesn’t land the way it should. There are several moments in the film which could have added weight, but they are just not explored. It often mistakes loud, graphic scenes for real impact, and that weakens the film. The horror ends up feeling amateurish, built more on blood and gore than genuine fear.The performances are not the issue here. Natalie Grace, as Katie, fully commits to the role and delivers some unsettling moments, especially when the film slows down. Jack Reynor as Charlie brings a sense of desperation that works in parts, though the writing doesn’t give him enough to build on. Laia adds some emotional weight as the mother and keeps her performance grounded. Mark Mitchinson as Professor Bixler mostly serves to explain the plot, and his role never feels fully developed. Overall, the cast puts in the effort, but the film doesn’t give them enough to work with.The Mummy feels like a film that had a clear idea but couldn’t shape it properly. A darker, more personal horror story could have worked, but the execution doesn’t hold up. It leans too much on disturbing visuals and blood and not enough on storytelling. The film doesn’t come together satisfyingly. For something that tries so hard to leave an impression, it fades quickly. What stays is a sense of frustration more than fear. It’s not a complete misfire, but it never becomes the reinvention it sets out to be. You walk out remembering bits, not the film as a whole.