By Kaylon Coleman

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment,” renowned London based food critic – Anton Ego said in Ratatouille. “We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.”

Both Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (LCTM) and Michael premiered this month with scathing reviews from critics ranging from The New York Times to The Associated Press. At time of writing, LCTM scores a 47% on the Tomatometer and Michael scores a 39%. To that I say: screw what the critics think. I know how that may sound coming from the mouth of a critic, but I’m not from the New York Times — I’m just a humble man sharing my thoughts on a public forum. I implore you to use your own judgment before jumping to conclusions. With that being said, both LCTM and Michael surprised, delighted and exceeded my expectations.

I believe if you hated Michael, you also hate whimsy and joy. There’s plenty of  things wrong with the biopic, I’ll admit it. It’s relatively bland as far as biopics go, there’s no mention of Janet Jackson, it glosses over a lot of topics and the pacing is a bit fast. All valid criticisms, all valid contention points. Is it the best biopic out there? No. But the heart behind the project is what drew me in. 

 Jaafar Jackson does an exemplary job of bringing his uncle to life in the film. Aside from O’Shea Jackson Jr. playing young Ice Cube in the N.W.A. biopic, I can’t think of another instance where a celebrity’s relative has gotten to depict them onscreen – or at least, I haven’t seen any. Jackson brings such a passion to the role that I don’t think anyone else could achieve if they weren’t so directly related. Along with the production from the Jackson brothers, it felt as though this movie served more as a love letter to Michael Jackson wrapped in a bow of nostalgia than a traditional biopic — and I’m all for it. 

I tried to contain myself during the movie, but Broadway Cinema unfortunately faced the brunt of my excitement. When Who’s Lovin’ You came on I nearly turned the theater into a personal karaoke session. The movie had me invested the whole way through. I’m hopeful for part two, especially since they added the “His Story Continues” line at the end of the film after positive screen testing. The movie did feel as if it ended abruptly though; even with a potential part two, I don’t think 30 more minutes of movie could’ve hurt.

Colman Domingo also killed his performance as Joseph Jackson. He has officially entered the niche of black actors who portrayed their villain roles so well people still hate them in real life, like Richard T. Jones in Why Did I Get Married or Blair Underwood in Madea’s Family Reunion. Nia Long played her role well, per usual, but I wish they gave her more to do as Michael’s mom. I feel as though Michael and Joseph were the only characters to have any real depth explored within the film. I give Michael four out of five stars.

Now, let’s talk about the mummy. I’ll be the first to admit I was hating on LCTM before it came out, but it was actually pretty good. I haven’t watched any previous Mummy movies — except for some clips from the Tom Cruise one — so it’s safe to say I walked in with some preconceived notions. I was so ready to tear this film to pieces, but what originated as cynicism quickly turned to intrigue. 

The film follows a family reeling from the disappearance of their daughter in Cairo. Years later, she is found and returned to them, but as a mere shell of who she used to be. Almost immediately, I was locked in to the film. Shoutout journalist representations in movies — yes, I’m biased. 

LCTM does something that most modern horror movies have failed to do for me: it made me feel something other than boredom.  *Cough, cough* Black Phone 2 *cough, cough* Undertone. I was squirming, I was jaw-dropped, I was shocked. This is definitely one of the most gruesome movies I’ve ever seen. I can’t say I was necessarily scared, but this is how you terrify. I think what reels me into horror films is how authentic the characters can be given the circumstances they’re facing.

What I enjoy about this film is how realistic the family dynamic is. Each actor brings something different to the role, but in a way that presents itself as a family reeling from the disappearance and reappearance of their child before the supernatural elements come into full effect. The visuals were also appealing and added to my overall enjoyment. I did start to tune out near the end, as it started to feel a bit gimmicky, but overall, I give the movie a four and a half out of five.

So, if you’re debating where to spend your money on a $5-movie-Tuesday, go to Michael if you want a fun time that’ll leave you mesmerized and go to LCTM if you want a frightening time that’ll leave you mortified.

Kaylon Coleman is a senior journalism major with a concentration in news and a minor in communications. He is the Life & Arts editor for LJ, Marketing and Communications lead for the Umoja Center and a part-time radio DJ and merch manager for KRFH. He can be reached at kc403@humboldt.edu