Nerdly » ‘The Mummy: Resurrection’ Review

21st Dec2022

‘The Mummy: Resurrection’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Chris Bell, Carl Wharton, Marcus Langford, Dawn Butler, Jas Steven Singh, Rare Bird, Raven Lee Melvyn Rawlinson, Sophie Marlowe, Natalie Rayner, Helen White | Written and Directed by Steve Lawson

Leicester-based filmmaker Steve Lawson seems to have struck up quite the partnership with UK distributor High Fliers Films, having had the last half a dozen or so films he’s made released on DVD here in Blighty – distribution that has seen his films hit supermarket shelves across the country. That’s probably because Lawson has recently focused on making genre films based on familiar tropes – Dracula, Jack the Ripper, Jekyll and Hyde; hell Lawson has even tackled the likes of the Musketeers and Dick Turpin!

With The Mummy: Resurrection Lawson tells his version of the all-too-common undead horror icon, turned cliche. And by his version, I mean a film made on the cheap and on as little a number of sets as he can get away with!

The film sees a cursed Egyptian sarcophagus fall into corrupt hands, with the new owner – Everett (Chris Bell) becomes obsessed with the perfectly preserved mummified princess contained within and concocts a scheme to bring her back to life, but to do so requires human blood. Joining up with his medical student cousin Archie (Rafe Bird), the duo undertake horrific experiments that inadvertently unleash pure evil…

Sounds good right? But given my experience with Lawson’s previous work, despite a grandiose plot we probably won’t get a grandiose film. Which isn’t always an issue – just look at how well Lawson told the story of Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing and his take on Jekyll and Hyde on a low budget and under constraints. So I went into The Mummy: Resurrection with an open mind, expecting Lawson’s typical filmmaking style but hoping for an interesting new take on a stereotypical horror trope.

Weirdly though, with his latest film Lawson leans into comedy, with Chris Bell’s Everett being something of a bumbling “villain,” it’s more dark comedy, gallows-humour if you will, but it’s still a change of pace from Lawson’s more straight-laced genre films.

However, LIKE a lot of Lawson’s films, there’s not actually much action taking place either… Lawson tends to focus on the characters in his films, telling his stories through their conversations rather than their actions – in the past I’ve compared his work to stage plays and that certainly applies here. Once we get past the prologue, where the Egyptian sarcophagus is discovered, things turn into a more “talking heads” type affair; mainly discussions between Everett and Archie about their Uncle’s last wishes and each other’s plans for the sarcophagus. Which also includes resurrecting (hence the title) the mummified princess in the sarcophagus, Khenmetptah, to make some easy money!

Speaking of Khenmetptah, whilst we do see the titular mummified princess, her appearances are kept to a minimum – mainly in visions of her in other character’s minds because, it turns out, there’s NOT a curse, it is all in fact in thanks to the psychotropic drugs lacing the outside of the sarcophagus! Eventually, our mummy does turn up – resurrected by Archie – to wreak havoc on the film’s main characters… with FOUR MINUTES(!) of the film left to go! Oh, and it turns out there was a very good reason Khenmetptah was buried in a closed, locked and covered with poison sarcophagus, as we and Everett find out!

Ultimately The Mummy: Resurrection is another “Steve Lawson” film, following all his usual filmmaking tropes – more talk than action, effects work kept to a minimum, and a focus on characters rather than flashy visuals. If you can appreciate that, as I do, then this is another winner from Lawson and his Creative Studios shingle. I’d even be up for the teased sequel!