When a film needs a last name, things usually aren’t pointing in the right direction. Even sticking to the main sagas, mummy stories have spawned more than ten films. If we count remakes, spin-offs, and other adaptations, the number easily goes past twenty. So, it’s no surprise that we now get Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (2026), because otherwise there’d be no way to tell which monster we’re dealing with. Cronin delivers a more graphic story, exploring the mummy legend from a different angle and leaning into a harsher kind of horror with touches of gore.
Charlie (Jack Reynor) is an American reporter working in Egypt. He lives there with his wife, Larissa (Laia Costa), and their children, Katie (Natalie Grace) and Sebastián (Shylo Molina). Their routine is shattered when young Katie is kidnapped. The tragedy destroys the family, and they return to the United States to try to rebuild their lives. Eight years later, an unexpected phone call brings shocking news: Katie has been found alive. What should be a joyful reunion quickly turns into a nightmare for the family.
The first thing Lee Cronin’s The Mummy does is pull us away from ancient Egyptian ruins and relocate the horror into a modern setting. The director brings the terror closer, moving away from the legendary pyramids and placing it in a more familiar environment. The film begins like a classic horror story, using all the tricks designed to make the audience jump. As it progresses, it blends genres: detective story, investigation, supernatural horror, gore, and dark humor. Cronin throws a bit of everything into the mix, but the result feels overly ambitious.
When viewed in fragments, some parts work better than others. The introduction is very effective, and the turning point fits well with the rhythm of the first act. However, the core of the story feels scattered, jumping from one place to another without much logic. It’s not until the final sequence that the film regains its narrative strength. In that last act, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy delivers its best moments in terms of staging, successfully combining horror, gore, and dark humor.
Perhaps the film aims to reinvent the myth by grounding it in something more physical and visceral, and at times it succeeds. There’s clear potential in the idea behind Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, but in the end, the result is a highly uneven film.