A B-movie nostalgia trip
Is The Mummy a written film? Filmed? Let's just say directed by Lee Cronin. Drawing inspiration from the glory days of low-budget cinema, the director heavy-handedly relied on various tropes to create an atmosphere of excess and gore that takes over in the second half of the movie.
For its first half, the film builds an atmosphere of tension typical of the horror genre, introducing us to a troubled family dealing with a highly unusual household problem.
After the midpoint, you finally uncover the truth. At the same time, the wave of excesses so adored by fans of the genre begins: gross-out imagery, body horror, and an old-school camera style that makes it look like a typical '80s flick. The biggest issue with mimicking the trash aesthetic, however, is the complete absence of plot consistency.
The mix of non-existent set pieces and B-movie aesthetics generates absolutely grotesque and cringeworthy sequences. While they might make some people laugh or fall in love with them, I just found them boring. This boredom isn't caused solely by the scenes and the style itself, but also by another factor: the runtime. The film is far too long and padded out, with a duration usually reserved for more demanding and introspective genres.
Because of this very inconsistency, watching The Mummy proved to be an overly ugly and nostalgic experience, one I can only suggest to those who enjoy this type of cinema.