The Relic (1997)

Do yourself a favor: pick up a copy of Alien, Ridley Scott's brilliant sci-fi/horror masterpiece, instead of wasting your time on The Relic. This patent rip-off of just about every other worthy horror and/or disaster flick certainly looks good in the packaging: a sturdy cast led by Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, and Oscar-winner Linda Hunt; a reliable director (Peter Hyams); and a creepy enough setting--Chicago's Museum of Natural History, where an anticipated exhibition about tribal artifacts called "Superstition" is about to debut. OK. So far, so good. But some of the pieces scheduled for show have crossed customs even though the freighter that has hauled them north is found adrift and empty--its crew the victims of a mysterious creature that is soon on the rampage in the museum.

The Relic relies on huge leaps of faith to engage the viewer, and finally offers nothing to elevate what could have been good fun--poking here and there at several different movie genres--to a higher level . Ultimately, the film suffers most from its own self-consciousness--it knows it's a carbon copy of better predecessors, and its awkwardness is apparent. The otherwise glossy production is so dimly lit that it's a struggle to tell what's going on, and everything in this tepid formula piece about genetic mutation gone awry is further marred by cheesy special effects. It's almost as if the movie is trying to run away from itself and hide. Try as they may, the cast is saddled with dull, wishy-washy characters who are predictably doomed or saved, depending on their place in the food chain. While the trick in any good sci-fi film is to make the monster as smart--or smarter--than its pursuers, The Relic relegates its mutated horror to less than brainy turf and the war between good and evil is never much of a war at all--just a noisy, bloody, borrowed mess. --Paula Nechak Amazon.com

"B" Horror movie

There's nothing wrong with "B" horror movies-I like some (The Unnamable, Pumpkin Head, etc etc), but this was not memorable. There were some scary scenes, but overall, it was 2 hours I'll never get back. September 30, 2008

The Relic

May not have made it to the big screen but is really a good movie even with no name actors, thrilling from start to finish, leaves you wondering what is going to happen next September 14, 2008

An unwelcome brain sucker that might not be worth your time

The Relic seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies about which I always seem to be sitting on the fence. It's a frustrating treat for the eyes of horror, but one hopes for a little bit more.

Penelope Anne Miller stars as Dr. Margo Green, an evolutionary biologist at the Chicago Natural History Museum (no such thing, I imagine; this was filmed at the Field Museum), and Tom Sizemore is here too as a cop investigating some deaths there and outside the museum, nasty deaths, too. I think Hyams does a great job setting up a doom-choked mood; acting as his own cinematographer, he gives the film a dark and dusty look which is appropriate to being set in a museum. I'd have preferred a little more light so that we could see a little more of the museum and what makes it such a wonderfully creepy setting for a horror film, but still, it works, and besides, seeing this on VHS, maybe I should be giving this movie the benefit of the doubt when things are, I trust, a little clearer on DVD. Unfortunately he's got this incredibly annoying habit of framing close-ups way too close. I don't know if the version on video is pan-n-scanned or simply unmated, so I don't know if it would have looked better, or worse, on the big screen. But these close-ups happen a lot and are a bit annoying.

Stan Winston's creature, the Kothoga, is just great. At the time of this film's release, he said frequently that this was the best creature he'd yet created. It's kind of hard to describe, like a cross between a lion and a beetle, but it's big, it's nasty, and it's exceptionally well realized with animatronics and CGI (unusually good CGI for a creature that's hairy; hairy animals are much more difficult to create with computers than scaly ones). This movie's almost worth a rental just for one incredible shot of the Kothoga chasing down one unlucky guy, grabbing him, and ripping off his head, all in one flawless shot.

Sad to say, the story surrounding this monster is ordinary, courtesy of four screenwriters. The central problem with the story is the character of Dr. Green, who has to be one of the most irritating big-screen heroines I've seen in my lifetime. The story itself, problem has no great shakes other, with the obligatory False Scare By Cat happening no more than ten minutes in, followed up later on by a False Scare By Cleaning Lady. There's a lot going for this movie, but it needed a lot more work in the creative department before being shot, not to mention Hyams needing a good, stern lecture about his use of close-ups. Beside that if you haven't seen this then I would recommend this to monster-movie enthusiasts, but most others won't get a lot out of this one.

September 8, 2008

Relic Review

This product was delivered quickly and in good condition. If you like monster movies--critter flicks--this is one of the best. The film is better than the book, which was good but in need of streamlining--a minor flaw corrected in the screenplay. The Relic critter is awesome, the FX crew doing a terrific job in creating a credible monster. Only (minor) complaint I have is the use of a few off-the-shelf sterotype characters. This is a foundation flick for the monster buff. July 19, 2008

Worth multiple viewings

I don't know what it is about this movie that keeps me coming back. I've watched it 20 or 30 times and never get tired of it. It's sort of a horror/thriller with a classic B-movie premise, yet the story feels somewhat original, and is pretty interesting. On top if this, the creators were able to get the atmosphere just right (a phenomenon where the visuals, sound, and acting seem to come together in perfect harmony, allowing the viewer to feel like their experiencing something more than just a movie).

Atmosphere is how I separate the great movies from the just good, and The Relic has it. The slow reveal of the monster is perfect and the lighting sets the perfect mood for the story (most of it takes place in near darkness). The sound is quite good also, highlighted by the monster again, which creates some pretty hair-raising noises. The dialogue is sharp and is delivered by some great actors. The leads Penelope Ann Miller and Tom Sizemore are flawless and have good chemistry. Tom is able to use some of his sarcastic wit and Penelope comes off kind of hot in a sexy librarian sort of way.

At least rent this movie if you haven't seen it and please watch it again if maybe you saw it back when it first came out, but sort of forgot about it. It's worth a second viewing.
July 3, 2008

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