Okay, let's get a few things out of the way.
First: I really, really loved Evil Dead Rise. I thought it was just great. It's the only thing I know Lee Cronin from, but it's a good one. So no ill will towards Lee Cronin going into this.
Second: This isn't really a mummy movie. Like... it doesn't have much of anything to do with mummies in way that people think of what a mummy is. I don't fault them for doing something different. In fact, I think that was probably the right move, if only because honestly, the idea behind mummies is kind of like... loaded, you know? It's a little problematic. Taking something from someone's culture and making it into a goofy boogieman is iffy. I get that there are other kinds of mummies besides Egyptian mummies, and I'm open to exploring the entire rainbow of mummies.
So yes, doing something different is good. I just wish they'd something other than what they did. Which was make into a demonic possession movie and call it a mummy movie.
Third: I'm not a particularly into demonic possession movies. I feel like there are two OGs that are the standard bearer, and everything else except for those two entities have been mostly derivative and bad. Those two movies are The Exorcist, of course, and the Evil Dead movies. The Exoricist knock offs are always predicated on the idea that to save the person possessed, they have to have faith in god or whatever. Puke. I don't like that. I don't want to see movies about people in crises of faith. It's boring to me.
Don't get me wrong, The Exorcist is great, and it's a movie that gets a pass in an otherwise really hoaky subgenre. The Evil Dead movies get a pass because they're completely their own thing, and when someone tries to do something that is inspired by Evil Dead, it's really, really obvious.
Especially when that someone is the director of the previous Evil Dead movie. Like, he turned down Evil Dead Burn so he could make an Evil Dead knock-off movie. I'm disappointed more than anything.
It's not that the movie was a poorly made movie. For the kind of movie it was, it hit the right notes and wasn't written badly or directed incompetently... it was just that it was another friggin generic demonic possession movie, like so many knock offs of The Exorcist and Evil Dead. Not a bad one, but not a good one either.
At first, it was a little interesting. It touched on some really seemingly deeply personal feelings about grief and guilt that I think were poignant. It was clear that this was written from a place of pain and honestly, a lot of anger. It was a very angry movie, even mean at times. There were moments where I was uncomfortable, because it felt like the movie was actively trying to torture these people by weaponizing their grief against them.
Here's some good stuff. The kids in the movie are really good actors. They were written intelligently and realistically, and were all likable in a kid way. The parents were both fine. It was the dude from Midsommar and I didn't know the actress who played the mom. I could look it up, but I'm not gonna. She was fine. Midsommar guy was good.
As a possession movie, it was a pretty decent. I'll give it that. I don't know why it needed to have anything to with with a mummy, because it's obvious that Lee Cronin likes making Evil Dead movies, even when he's not.
I have to admit, at around two thirds of the way through the movie I started asking myself if I wanted to even finish it. That's the truth. I almost bailed. I'm glad I didn't, just because then I can have an informed opinion about it. But yeah, I don't think I really gained a lot of extra entertainment by staying for the final third. I got pretty much what I needed from the first chunk.
It's not a movie I plan on watching again, though I didn't hate it. I just didn't like it either.
2.5 stars.