Lee Cronin’s The Mummy appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. A native 4K product, the Dolby Vision image looked very good.
Overall sharpness worked well. Some low-light interiors veered a smidgen toward the soft side, but they remained in the minority during this largely accurate presentation.
I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to become an issue.
In terms of palette, Mummy went with a palette that emphasized a standard form of amber and teal. The disc reproduced these as intended, and the disc’s HDR added impact and power to the tones.
Blacks looked dark and deep, while shadows seemed smooth and concise. HDR gave whites and contrast extra punch. I felt happy with this high-quality presentation.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack added involvement to the proceedings. The channels used music in an involving manner, and various effects also broadened the soundscape in a winning way.
While not a film packed with action, Mummy came to life enough to work the speakers well. Various horror elements related to the thrills moved around the room in a convincing pattern to contribute life to the tale.
Audio quality worked nicely. Speech seemed concise and distinctive, while effects appeared accurate and natural. Louder moments boasted fine punch.
Music was warm and full, with a good level of punch from percussive elements. All of this left us with a satisfactory “B+” soundtrack.
As we shift to extras, we begin with an audio commentary from writer/director Lee Cronin. He provides a running, screen-specific look at the cold open, story/characters/themes, music, sets and locations, cast and performances, effects, inspirations, and related domains.
This becomes a decent but erratic chat, largely because Cronin narrates the movie more often than I’d like. While we learn a fair amount about the production, the ups and downs mean we don’t get a consistently strong track.
Three featurettes follow, and The Making of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy goes for 10 minutes, 57 seconds. It brings remarks from Cronin, director of photography Dave Garbett, and actors Jack Reynor, Shylo Molina, Natalie Grace, Billie Roy, Verónica Falcón and Laia Costa.
This reel looks at story and characters, cast and performances, effects and the atmosphere on the set. A few decent notes emerge but don't expect much substance.
A Bloody and Grotesque Spectacle spans seven minutes, 47 seconds. It features Cronin, Reynor, Grace, Falcón, special effects supervisor Terry Palmer and prosthetics designer Matthew Smith.
Here we learn a little more about the film's effects and character design. Too much fluff emerges but the reel comes with some good notes about these domains.
Finally, Producing Possession and Ancient Demons lasts five minutes, 41 seconds. Here we get notes from Cronin, Grace, Roy, Molina, production designer Nick Bassett, and actor May Calamawy.
"Demons" examines mythology and the movie's take on these areas as well as characters, stunts and set design. This delivers another combination of worthwhile insights and happy talk.
Seven Deleted Scenes occupy a total of 10 minutes, three seconds. These tend toward fairly minor character beats, and since the final film already runs too long, I can’t claim any of them would’ve made Mummy a better movie.
As an attempt to reinvent a particular horror genre, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy flops. Too long, too predictable and too reliant on cinematic clichés, it never threatens to connect. The 4K UHD offers solid picture and audio along with a mix of supplements. Expect a tedious stab at a scary movie here.
