‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Review: Could Be Attributed to Anyone Else

Lee Cronin’s reimagining of The Mummy plays everything safe.

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Hi I’m Connor. My life has always revolved around art—films especially. I see them as crucial reflections of the world we live in, as universal truths. Films have allowed me to become more open in the perspectives I see around me–as they reflect situations I have been in and cultures outside my background. Art has enriched my life. I found out I was autistic only recently at the age of 30. With this diagnosis, I hope to become a public figure that those on the spectrum can look towards. As for my writing? I have been featured on sites such as Dread Central, Film Cred, Next Best Picture and published within Layered Butter’s Seventh Volume themed around the work of Stanley Kubrick. Where my writing takes me, I don’t know? But I hope to create some works of my own, or at least contribute towards others in a creative capacity. I look forward to introducing myself to you through Cinema On The Spectrum and beyond.

July 18, 2026

3–5 minutes

After originating in 1932, the Mummy franchise has entertained audiences across decades through a range of genres. What was first a horror series with Boris Karloff starring in the titular role continued on as a horror series by Hammer films. Most moviegoers will remember the series as an action franchise starring Brendan Fraser. In 2017, Universal Studios previously attempted to relaunch the Mummy series in the model of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an instalment of their Dark Universe. It failed after two poorly received films with audiences rejecting the reboot and being unable to live up to the nostalgia of the Brendan Fraser series. But now the newest chapter in the franchise’s history begins with Lee Cronin’s take on the iconic movie monster, fresh from Evil Dead Rise.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor) a journalist working in Cairo while his daughter goes missing. The film is half horror, half police procedural with Charlie working with the Egyptian Police force in trying to find his daughter, the second half quickly pivoting to fighting possession once his daughter returns. As a result, the narrative never feels fully formed. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy centers on family and how bonds can break when faced with tragedy. But ultimately, there are so many topics that the film tries to address that it comes across as messy despite its best efforts.

The cinematography stands out as Lee Cronin has a solid visual eye and I did love the transitions and framing. The over-use of the split diopter, however, ultimately renders some shots tedious and tiring. I was looking forward to this having enjoyed Rise, but a lot of this film feels out of place amongst the franchise’s canon. It doesn’t carry a hint of the original films; it’s ultimately about possession and becomes a film so similar to Evil Dead, I worry about how much originality Cronin has in him.

The main problem with this film is it does not seem to know what it wants to be. While Cronin does not have a large resume this operates in a similar manner to Evil Dead Rise, often to its detriment as it feels like a sequel idea for Evil Dead turned into a Mummy reboot instead. The police procedural elements are interesting but don’t amount to much within the film. The characters feel thin and artificial as we only encounter certain characters very briefly before being separated by a time jump within the narrative. The film would be more interesting if it centered on May Calamawy’s character as Detective Dalia Zaki as I felt the police procedural elements meshed better with what the film is going for. This additionally would help the film feel more unique from his previous film and showcase the broader range he is capable of having.

Another obstacle this film faces is how attached audiences are to the Brendan Fraser films. The ongoing popularity of that trilogy forced the film to put Lee Cronin’s name front and center to help differentiate this film from the others after test screen audiences confused the film for being within the same franchise. Despite this film being more horror-oriented, it does not resemble the spirit of the original all that much.

While I’d love a new Mummy film, marrying the action of the Fraser films with the horror of the titular monster makes me feel it’s no longer feasible. The pyramids in Egypt have a rich history and I wished Lee utilized horror to really dig into the past and how the past has ways of shaping the future. Instead, Lee clings to what is familiar to him, becoming trapped by the past instead of using it to fuel the potential of this narrative. The low budget may have been a factor towards its limited location use but there’s a lot the film could have condensed. The mystery of where Katie had vanished to, could have been more interesting if it was from the detective’s point of view. Maybe the best course of action was to leave them in the dark, even if only momentarily. The best Lee Cronin’s The Mummy does is make you wish you were just watching a leaner, meaner Evil Dead movie instead.

Watch the trailer right here.

All images via Warner Bros. Discovery.

Directed by Lee Cronin
Screenplay by Lee Cronin
Produced by James Wan, Jason Blum, John Keville
Starring Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, Verónica Falcón, Hayat Kamille
Premiere Date: April 9, 2026
Running time: 132 minutes