Mummies are a classic element in the horror genre, just like vampires and zombies, though certainly not as popular as the former classes of monsters.
The first mummy film, I know of, is from 1932, starring Boris Karloff, actor mostly known for his role as Frankenstein’s Monster. More films followed in the 40s, 50s and 60s and then, for a while, the subgenre seemed forgotten, until being revived in 1999 with Steven Sommers’ The Mummy, which, as it has become normal in this century to ride a horse until its death, had quite a number of sequels and spin offs.
When I heard a couple of weeks ago about a new mummy film being released, I wasn’t too excited, and yet: A couple of positive reviews and an existing inclination towards horrors in general, brought us into the cinema.
Lee Cronin’s new film is certainly one of the better, if not the best, specimens within the bandage category, though not without flaws. Its main characters, the members of the family that gets to experience terrible horrors inflicted upon them, are credible and well-acted. For me, the most horrifying moments are those in which their characters change as they fall under the creature’s spell.
The backstory doesn’t take too much room and absolutely makes sense for what we are seeing.
The introdution is great and there are several scenes of subtle horror which gave me the creeps.
Still, for my personal taste, the film tries too hard to shock the audience with repulsive imagery, lot’s of goo, blood and slime and borrows too much from “The Exorcist” in its actual horror effects. This is okay, but it feels a bit like the director couldn’t actually decide which kind of story he wanted to eventually tell. This also shows in the end, where he felt the need to give us another one after the first one.
If I was asked to give people who are filming or writing an advice, it would be: Don’t try to tell too many stories in one. Shorter is often better than longer. This applies to the whole film: 134 minutes are a few too many for the story.
Final verdict: As long as horror is your cup of tea and you can deal with repulsive imaginary, you can’t go too wrong with this one.
3/5 stars
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