Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is currently sitting at 60% on Rotten Tomatoes as reviews go live ahead of the movie’s April 17 theatrical release.
The score puts it well below Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, which holds an 85% critics score, and suggests the new Mummy movie is proving a lot more divisive with critics.
As of now, the reaction looks split between reviewers who are buying into the gore, body horror, and gross-out chaos, and those who think Cronin leaned too hard on familiar possession and Exorcist-style ideas instead of delivering a stronger Mummy movie. The fan score becomes available later this weekend.
What the reviews say
The general takeaway is pretty clear.
Critics who liked the movie are praising Cronin for going nasty, weird, and full-force with the horror.
They say the film delivers on atmosphere, practical disgust, and brutal imagery, while also putting a new spin on the monster through family trauma and body horror.
The critics who didn’t like it mostly argue the movie is more of a possession film with Egyptian dressing than a true Mummy reinvention, and several say it borrows too heavily from better horror movies without matching their tension or originality.
The Negative
The harshest reviews say The Mummy has a big identity problem.
A common complaint is that Cronin’s movie is called The Mummy but often plays more like The Exorcist, with demonic possession, family breakdown, and familiar horror beats doing most of the heavy lifting.
Some critics also say it is not very scary, even when it is violent and nasty, and argue the story, dialogue, and character work are weaker than what Cronin pulled off with Evil Dead Rise.
That lines up with several of the negative blurbs now posted on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mashable said the film feels like “a hodgepodge of better films,” Deadline said it is “not very scary,” IndieWire criticized the muted jolts and drab set pieces, and the Associated Press flat-out said Cronin still hasn’t delivered a truly terrifying Mummy movie.
Even some mixed-positive takes admit the movie resembles other horror films more than a classic Mummy story.
The Positive
The positive reviews are hitting a different angle.
They are giving Cronin credit for fully committing to the gross, disturbing side of the material.
A lot of the praise centers on the body horror, the practical nastiness, the sound design, and Cronin’s visual style.
Several critics also say the movie earns points for not trying to do a safe, nostalgic retread and instead going for something uglier, meaner, and more horror-driven.
IGN called it a multiplex horror movie with “some semblance of a soul” and praised how boldly repugnant it is. The Hollywood Reporter said it offers a fresh take on the mummy myth even if it runs long.
Variety said it gives gorehounds a lot to feast on. Other positive notices from critics at TheWrap, Inverse, Screen Rant, and Heaven of Horror all point to the same thing: Cronin may not have made a universally loved Mummy movie, but he did make one critics aren’t calling bland.
Release Info
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy opens in North America on April 17, 2026, with international release beginning April 15, and it is playing in theaters and IMAX through Warner Bros. Pictures.
The film is written and directed by Lee Cronin, who previously broke out with Evil Dead Rise. James Wan, Jason Blum, and John Keville are producing, which gives the movie a pretty strong modern horror team behind it.
The cast includes Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and Veronica Falcón. The official plot centers on the young daughter of a journalist who disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, she is returned to her devastated family, but what should have been a reunion quickly turns into a nightmare.
