Entertainment

Now Playing: Lee Cronin’s The Mummy

A demonic possession film re-skinned. Or should I say Mummy-skinned?

Published

April 20, 2026

I had fun with Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. It’s a visceral, unadulterated, gory thrill ride. But is it a good film?

A missing child, Katie, is found after being away for years. Her disappearance has left visible cracks within the family. With unresolved grief and tensions lingering just beneath the surface, Katie returns home. It forces them to confront everything they have long been avoiding – grief, guilt, loss, and a sense of identity. The film unfolds like a haunted house horror. It’s centered on a family fighting to restore normalcy as something darker begins to threaten them.

A hollow myth dressed as horrorFamiliar story, borrowed mythology

Cronin adopts a family-centered narrative to ground its horror. This approach lends the story a sense of universal familiarity and understanding. It anchors the supernatural elements and visceral horror with real and intense emotions. With its overly simplistic – and often overused – storyline, however, it just feels flat.

The characters’ emotional turmoil never fully takes off – much like possessed-Katie levitating in her wheelchair, hovering only a few feet off the ground. It never moves beyond the superficial depth established within the first 30 minutes.

It leans closer in spirit to The Awakening (1980). There, possession and reincarnation rituals functioned as surface-level devices rather than being deeply rooted in a meaningful exploration of Egyptian mythology.

At its core, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy plays less of a mythology-driven monster and more like a possession story dressed in Egyptian iconography.

Mythology without meaning

The filmmakers admit that “the history was reshaped and reality was twisted to accommodate the plot.” It was evident in the film’s scattered use of Egyptian references. This choice of hand-grabbing random Egyptian influences – symbols, language, incantations, and ritualistic imagery – and piecing them together to fit the storyline, rather than allowing them to coalesce into a fully realized mythological system, feels weak at best and a cultural disservice at worst.

As a result, the narrative falls back onto the familiar Western possession logic, rather than anything distinctly Egyptian or genuinely original.

Visually rich, emotionally thin

Cronin’s style is immediately evident even just from the opening scene. The strong domestic-centered storyline, textured and visually striking environment, and composition, as well as detailed set pieces. If anything, the film itself resembles the 3,000-year-old sarcophagus Katie got trapped in. Intricate and aesthetically compelling, yet ultimately hollow inside.

It closely follows the Evil Dead Rise (2023) formula, but Evil Dead has an already established system and identity. Its lore is clear and carries its own magic, appeal, and nostalgia hit. It leaves little need for expansion beyond creating strong, compelling characters. That’s something Cronin’s The Mummy still struggled to deliver.

Between terror and unintentional comedy

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is visceral and gory – which is “fun” to some, myself included. I had fun when Katie’s possession escalates to her digging through the ceiling, crawling upside-down. There’s also mauling whatever and whoever she comes across, while her infected sister was also escalating in her own way, smiling dementedly at their parents with a set of teeth that wasn’t hers. THAT was FUN.

Some moments felt like deliberate dark humor. Like when a scarab beetle attack forces the detective to pinch her vocal cords back together so she can recite a ritual. Her later return, still speaking in a permanently hoarse voice and her snarky demeanor intact after recovering, was both ridiculous and hilarious.

The movie, however, doesn’t fully commit to that tone. At times, I found myself wondering whether these moments were unintentionally funny due to the typical horror logic. Where everyone has to be inexplicably, well, stupid – rather than a deliberate choice.

While certain lines, such as the famous scene with possessed-Katie saying, “Don’t worry, grandma, it’s fun being dead!” suggest an intent to lean into a self-aware campy route. The film’s inconsistent tone renders the execution awkward and forced. Theatre experience reflects this tonal inconsistency; rather than laughter, the audience mostly responded with collective screams during meaningless jump scares.

Fun for some, frustrating for others

Casual viewers and those easily horrified will find the film effective and entertaining. Particularly in a group viewing experience with friends. Its easy-to-understand story has proven to be a widely effective formula. As seen with the widespread success of co-producer James Wan’s The Conjuring and Insidious franchises.

Dedicated horror fans, particularly those who enjoy visceral gore, will find much to appreciate. The film distinguishes itself through a sustained sense of dread. It creates tension as a perpetual baseline, keeping viewers constantly on the edge of their seats. Director Lee Cronin, with his signature brutality, punctures this baseline by masterfully interspersing intense violence, delivering a visceral, almost tactile horror experience. These bursts, along with the escalating violence, reinforce the film’s relentless intensity, creating a physically overwhelming atmosphere. While the first half occasionally leans toward shock value for its own sake, the later escalations serve a crucial narrative function: cathartic release.

The more critical viewers, however, are more likely to find the improperly explored mythology and mish-mashed lore, paired with a lack of narrative depth, ultimately not worth their time.

As for me, I fall somewhere between the critical viewer and the horror fan. While I am filled with disdain for the formulaic narrative and the reskinned possession approach, my love for the genre and for Cronin’s brand of violence keeps me from fully writing this movie off.

Entertaining, but forgettable

Ultimately, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is a visually striking, visceral thrill ride that struggles to justify its own existence beyond surface-level scares.

Its strongest moments stem from Cronin’s command of tension and brutality. While it succeeds in delivering a physically overwhelming experience – turning gore into a form of cathartic release. It falters when asked to sustain emotional depth or offer a coherent mythology.

Yet, despite its tonal inconsistencies and formulaic narrative, the raw energy of its horror moments makes it a flawed but undeniably entertaining ride. One that satisfies on an immediate, sensory level, while offering little that endures beyond. It may not be a masterpiece of the genre, but for those willing to overlook the lack of substance, it offers enough “gory-fun” to satisfy the itch for a good physical scare and visceral release.

This outcome is particularly poignant given Cronin’s own philosophy on the project. Having turned down a sequel to his successful Evil Dead Rise to work on The Mummy and reclaim the horror of the IP, he famously noted, “When you make a movie, you have to take risks because it might be your last chance to do it.” In the end, however, I find that Cronin did not take enough risks with this one.

Entertainment

X-Men ’97 returns to Disney+ for second season

Emmy-nominated series to continue mutant team’s story

Published

May 30, 2026

GadgetMatch

Marvel Animation’s Emmy-nominated X-Men ’97 is returning to Disney+ for a second season, starting July 1.

Along with this announcement, a trailer and poster have been made available. The first season of the animated series was one of the most-watched Disney+ originals, and a hit with fans and critics alike.

Season 2 continues with the heroic mutant team of X-Men, divided and thrown across different eras in time as they struggle to navigate their return home.

Meanwhile, back in the 1990s, suspicious foes and new strains of mutant intolerance are on the rise in the wake of the protagonists’ absence.

The second season will be comprised of nine episodes. The voice cast includes:

Ross Marquand as Professor X
Matthew Waterson as Magneto
Ray Chase as Cyclops
Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey
Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm
Cal Dodd as Wolverine
Lenore Zann as Rogue
George Buza as Beast

The series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, Julia Lewald, Eric Lewald, Larry Houston, and Beau DeMayo.

Jake Castorena serves as the supervising producer. Episodes were written by JB Ballard, Beau DeMayo, Bailey Moore, Antony Sellitti, Brian Ford Sullivan, and Mariah Wilson.

The episodic directors are Emmett Yonemura and Chase Conley.

Entertainment

Now Playing: The Mandalorian and Grogu

This is the way

Published

May 19, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles and Dawn Pangilinan

Image from StarWars.com

It’s been a while since a Star Wars movie made me walk out of a cinema feeling genuinely pumped. Not necessarily emotional nor mind-blown. And not even scrambling to re-evaluate the entire franchise. Just… pumped.

The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a proper Star Wars blockbuster again. The kind built for crowded cinemas, loud reactions, and collective gasps during action sequences. More importantly, it feels approachable in a way the franchise hasn’t always managed to be lately.

As someone whose interest in Star Wars slowly waned after The Rise of Skywalker, this movie felt oddly refreshing.

I watched the film alongside occasional GadgetMatch contributor Dawn, whose relationship with Star Wars sits somewhere adjacent to mine. Familiar with the Skywalker Saga and select spin-offs, but not necessarily deep into every corner of the lore either. Not because it reinvented the wheel. Quite the opposite, actually. It understood exactly what kind of movie it wanted to be.

I came into the film fairly blind. No rewatches, just a little prep work, and no “required viewing” marathons beforehand. And somehow, none of that really mattered.

Even without context from multiple seasons of Disney+ shows, Din Djarin and Grogu’s bond clicks almost immediately. You don’t need a detailed explanation for why these two care deeply about each other. The movie trusts viewers enough to simply accept their connection and move forward.

Grogu also remains ABSOLUTELY THE CUTEST. No further notes.

Well, maybe one more note.

That little guy carries an absurd amount of emotional weight throughout the movie. Whether he’s unintentionally causing chaos, silently reacting to situations, or simply existing onscreen, he consistently draws laughs and reactions from the audience.

There’s one sequence in particular where Grogu takes care of Din that managed to get a few giggles. It’s a small moment, but one that perfectly captures why this duo works. They don’t feel manufactured. They just feel natural.

Safe storytelling done right

One thing we kept coming back to after the screening was how easy the movie was to watch. Not “easy” in a dismissive way. More accessible and comfortable.

It’s the kind of blockbuster that lets you settle into the experience without requiring homework beforehand.

One observation that stood out during our post-movie discussion was describing the film as a “palate cleanser spin-off.” Despite growing up with the Skywalker Saga and several Star Wars spin-offs herself, she appreciated how welcoming the film felt.

“It’s interesting enough to lure you back into the lore and fall back into love with the franchise,” she said.

That really captures the movie’s biggest strength.

The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn’t spend its runtime obsessing over lore density or trying to prove how important it is within the larger Star Wars timeline. Instead, it focuses on delivering a straightforward adventure with familiar emotional beats.

Sometimes, that traditional recipe is enough.

There are definitely moments where the story feels predictable. We found ourselves correctly guessing certain developments well before they happened. But surprisingly, that never hurt the experience.

If anything, the predictability made the movie feel oddly comforting.

The film knows when to slow down for tender scenes, when to ramp things up with explosive action, and when to simply let viewers breathe inside its world. There’s also very little visual fatigue throughout the runtime. The pacing stays clean and the movie rarely overstays its welcome.

One of my favorite sequences involved Rotta the Hutt in a gladiator-like setting that weirdly reminded me of Thor: Ragnarok. It was chaotic, funny, and surprisingly entertaining.

Also, I need it on record that I identified with Rotta look-wise.

That comparison was apparently questionable according to my companion for the screening.

A low-friction way back into Star Wars

More than anything else, The Mandalorian and Grogu reminded me why people fell in love with Star Wars in the first place.

Not through endless callbacks or franchise homework. But through companionship, adventure, and a healthy helping of heart.

Underneath all the sci-fi spectacle and action sequences is a story about choosing to care for people even when it might not be the smartest thing to do in the moment. Din and Grogu’s relationship may often get described online as father-and-son, but honestly, they felt more like disproportionately-sized bros constantly looking out for each other.

And somehow, that dynamic works incredibly well.

By the end of the movie, we arrived at almost the same conclusion. We wanted more.

Not necessarily because this was the greatest Star Wars story ever told. It isn’t trying to be. But it successfully reignited interest in a franchise that can sometimes feel daunting from the outside looking in.

One immediate effect of the movie was successfully convincing my co-viewer to finally start The Mandalorian Season 1 once schedules calm down a bit. In the meantime, Grogu doomscrolling on Instagram will apparently suffice.

Meanwhile, I’m suddenly considering diving back into Star Wars shows I skipped over the years. I might check out The Acolyte. Maybe Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maybe even tap into gaming with the adventures of Cal Kestis if time and workload permit.

That’s probably the biggest compliment I can give this movie. It made me want to care again.

For longtime fans, The Mandalorian and Grogu delivers good, clean Star Wars fun with heart and hype.

For newcomers, it offers a surprisingly low-friction entry point into a universe that can otherwise feel overwhelming.

That might be exactly what Star Wars needed right now.

Entertainment

This Is the Way to the Theater: What to Know Before ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’

Din Djarin and Grogu Primer

Published

May 12, 2026

Pio Garcia

The Mandalorian and Grogu Final Trailer Screenshot

Strap your Beskar tight and warm up the N-1 Starfighter. The galaxy’s favorite father-son duo is finally hitting the big screen! “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will officially trade the small screen for the cinema this coming May 22. The hype is stronger than a Jedi’s grip on a lightsaber. There’s plenty of ground to cover before the opening crawl starts, whether you’re a hardcore dweller of the Outer Rim or just someone who thinks Grogu is the cutest thing since Ewoks.

This isn’t just another mission; it’s a full-on cinematic event directed by Jon Favreau himself. We’ve rounded up five essential things you need to know before you head to the theater to make sure you aren’t more confused than a Stormtrooper in a hallway. From political shifts in the New Republic to some very surprising new faces, here is your ultimate primer for the next chapter of the Star Wars saga.

1. Brush Up on the “Mando-Verse” (Seasons 1–3)

Now is the time to binge if you haven’t seen the Disney+ series. The film is a direct continuation of Din Djarin’s journey from bounty hunter to adoptive father. You’ll want to remember that Season 3 ended with Din officially adopting Grogu and settling into a quiet life on Nevarro—at least until the New Republic came knocking. Think of this movie as “Season 4,” but with a massive theatrical budget and even shinier Beskar.

2. Don’t Skip “The Book of Boba Fett”

It’s the “homework” no one expected, but Episodes 5 and 6 of The Book of Boba Fett are essentially The Mandalorian Season 2.5. This is where Grogu makes the massive choice to leave Luke Skywalker’s training and return to his “Dad-alorian.” You’ll be very confused about why the little green guy is back in the cockpit instead of lifting rocks at a Jedi temple if you skip these episodes. Unfortunately, this is not a Jedi mind trick.

3. Meet the New Boss: Sigourney Weaver

Sci-fi royalty is officially entering the Star Wars universe! Sigourney Weaver joins the cast as Colonel Ward, a leader of the New Republic’s Adelphi Rangers. Since Din Djarin is now working as a “freelance” operative for the New Republic, she’s basically his high-stakes boss. Seeing the woman who faced down Xenomorphs take on the Imperial Remnant is the crossover we didn’t know we needed.

4. There’s a New Hutt in Town

Move over, Jabba! The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is voicing Rotta the Hutt, Jabba’s son (yes, the “Punky Muffin” from The Clone Wars movie). But don’t expect a cute baby slug; Rotta is now a gladiatorial threat who fights in the pits. If the rumors of him twirling twin hand-axes are true, Din and Grogu are going to have their hands full with this “Hutt-onis Creed.”

5. The Return of Fan Favorites

Keep your eyes peeled for Zeb Orrelios! The Lasat hero from Star Wars Rebels (voiced by Steve Blum) is making his big-screen debut after that brief live-action cameo in the series. With Dave Filoni co-writing, the film is packed with deep-cut references for “Filoni-verse” fans. Plus, rumors of a Martin Scorsese cameo as an Ardennian cook might just make this the most legendary Star Wars cast to date.

The Way is clear: catch up on your streaming, grab your popcorn (and maybe some blue milk), and get ready for a cinematic jump to lightspeed. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is about to prove that while the galaxy is big, family is the greatest adventure of all. May the Force be with you!