Day of the Mummy (2014)

Day of the Mummy (2014) 💀

⚠️ Content Warning

This is a horror/action film. Expect violence, gunfights, some creepy imagery, and a mix of tones that don’t always agree with each other. Also expect decisions that will make you pause and go, “wait… why would you do that?”

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Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

Because this one is doing that thing again.

You’ve got the dramatic music, the desert, the tomb, the glowing eyes, the whole “ancient evil has been unleashed” line like we’re about to witness something massive.

And I’ll give it this…

At least this one is actually trying to be a mummy movie.

We’re already doing better than The Pyramid just by existing in the correct genre.

But then you start watching it… and you realize very quickly:

👉 okay… we’re in B-movie territory now.

If y’all are wondering why i’m reviewing these now, it’s because we’re getting a new mummy film that just released today by Lee Cronin, so I thought it’d be a perfect time to look back at some niche mummy, movies or egyptian movies.

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Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

So the movie follows a group of thieves—yeah, not archaeologists this time, we’re going full criminal crew—who are hired to retrieve a legendary diamond from an ancient tomb.

And I actually kind of like that setup. It’s simple, it works, and it gives you a reason for these people to go somewhere they absolutely should not be going.

Leading the group is Jack Wells, played by William McNamara, who’s basically your hardened, no-nonsense leader. He’s got that “I’ve done this before” vibe, but unlike the last movie, it actually feels a little more believable here. Not perfect, but at least he fits the role.

And then—you’ve got Danny Glover.

Yes.

Danny Glover is in this movie.

And the entire time you’re watching, you’re kind of like:

👉 “How did we get you here??”

He plays a sort of mentor/overseer role, guiding the mission, bringing some level of presence to the movie. And honestly, he’s probably one of the more grounded parts of the whole thing.

So the crew heads into the tomb, chasing this diamond, thinking it’s just another job.

And of course… it’s not.

Because what they end up dealing with is an ancient mummy tied to the tomb, and once that thing is awake, everything starts going downhill fast.

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Tone & Atmosphere

This movie is actually trying to juggle horror and action at the same time, and for a while… it kind of works?

There are moments where the tomb feels eerie. The lighting is low, the environment feels dangerous, and there’s that sense of “you should not be here.”

And when the mummy shows up, there’s at least an attempt to make it feel threatening. The design is decent, the glowing eyes are there, and it has that classic “unstoppable force” energy… at least on paper.

But then the movie keeps cutting back to gunfights and action scenes, and the tone starts to wobble.

One minute you’re supposed to feel tension, the next minute it feels like a low-budget action movie where everyone suddenly thinks they’re in a completely different film.

So instead of blending those elements smoothly, it ends up feeling uneven.

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Characters

This is where things get a little all over the place.

Jack Wells is probably the most “complete” character here. He feels like he belongs in this kind of movie, even if the writing doesn’t always give him strong material. He’s serious, focused, and at least somewhat believable as the leader of this group.

Danny Glover… honestly, he’s just doing his thing. He brings a level of professionalism that the rest of the movie doesn’t always match, and you can feel it. Every time he’s on screen, it’s like the movie briefly remembers how to act.

The rest of the crew?

They fall into that familiar category of characters who exist to fill space and then get picked off. You don’t get a ton of depth, you don’t get strong personalities, you just get people making decisions that push the story forward.

And some of those decisions…

yeah.

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Final Thoughts

This is one of those movies where I can’t say it’s good… but I also can’t say I was completely bored watching it.

Because at least it knows what it is.

It’s a low-budget mummy movie with some action thrown in, and it sticks to that idea. It doesn’t try to pretend it’s something deeper than it is.

But the problem is, it never rises above that either.

It doesn’t have the writing to make the characters memorable, it doesn’t have the budget to make the action feel big, and it doesn’t fully commit to the horror in a way that makes it stand out.

So what you’re left with is something that’s… fine.

Not great. Not terrible. Just sitting right in the middle.

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Final Rating

5/10

It’s not good… but I didn’t regret watching it.

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SPOILERS

Alright, now let’s get into what actually happens once everything starts falling apart.

So once the crew enters the tomb, the movie builds up this idea that something ancient is protecting it. And when the mummy finally becomes active, this is where the movie should really take off.

And to be fair, the mummy itself is probably the best part of the film. It has that presence, that slow, inevitable danger. It doesn’t rush, it doesn’t panic—it just moves forward, and that works.

But then the movie keeps cutting away from that to focus on the human conflict, the gunfights, the betrayals within the group, and it starts to lose focus.

Because instead of fully leaning into the horror of this unstoppable ancient force, it splits its attention between that and these smaller, less interesting conflicts.

There are moments where characters think they can actually fight this thing like it’s just another enemy, and you’re sitting there like:

👉 “You are not winning this.”

And yet… they keep trying.

The tension never fully builds the way it should, because every time it starts to, the movie interrupts itself with something else.

And then we get to the ending, which feels like it’s trying to wrap everything up quickly instead of delivering a real payoff.

The mummy is dealt with in a way that doesn’t feel as impactful as it should, the characters’ arcs don’t really land, and the whole thing just kind of… ends.

You’re left with that feeling of:

👉 “That was it?”

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And honestly…

This is the kind of movie where you don’t walk away angry.

You just kind of shrug and go:

👉 “Yeah… that happened.” 😭