Cronos
During Bravo's "Top 100 Scariest Moments" (should've been "Movies" instead) countdown, I happened to catch the sequence about this particular film. It looked pretty damn good, so I set myself out to see it. It's directed by the man best known now for "Hellboy" and "Blade." Rather than being action-packed, violent, and bloody, it's actually simply a dark and unusual horror film. And, one of the more refreshingly original plots I've seen in some time.
The film centers around an old man who owns an antique shop in Mexico who stumbles upon a small, gold, mechanical object. The object was created 400 years prior by an alchemist seeking immortality--and as such, the device grants that most sought-after of gifts. By violently piercing the flesh of whoever activates it and delivering immense pain. Well, there is someone else--a very rich and very dying man who has sought the device for a large portion of his life. His nephew is played by human gorilla, Ron "Hellboy" Perlman--and he is simply the old man's caretaker and go-to guy. Well, as it turns out, the antique store owner, named Jesus, finds out in the most unpleasant of ways that the Cronos device has a set of rules meant for its use--and only the rich old dying bastard knows them--and he will only trade the rules for the device.
Here's the breakdown:
The Good:
--The more I see Ron Perlman in movies, the more I like him--he's a very versatile actor. Especially if you take into account that he's made films in France, Mexico, and America, has spoken French, English, and some Spanish; and went from this to "City of Lost Children" to "Enemy At the Gates" (as a Russian soldier) to "Hellboy." His role is plenty entertaining here.
--The acting is quite good.
--The story is really unique, fresh, and original.
--The special effects are very nice--not a drop of CG anywhere in the film. The mechanical workings of the Cronos device and the insect inside are really cool.
--Good music.
--Good atmosphere and some excellent bizarre and creepy scenes that really hold attention.
Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:
--Unfortunately, the film never states what those rules are for successful use of the Cronos device--only a little bit is hinted at or discovered and it felt like there were actually a lot of guidelines to the device.
--Somewhat slower pace--but it's used as a tension builder.
--Pretty good sets.
The Bad:
--Not enough scares--but then, this is a slower movie made to build up a creepy story. Not a scare-a-minute-shocker.
The Ugly:
--Somewhat clumsy opening scene that has some unanswered questions about it. I was a little confused about exactly how the old man came to know or believe that Jesus had the device.
--It also would've been nice to have a little more background story on the Cronos gadget, it's maker, and exactly how the sickly old man that Perlman watches over came to know about it as well as what started his search for it.
Memorable Scene:
--Jesus (the character, not the Bible-guy) licking blood off the floor of a men's room.
--Also, Ron Perlman's character obsessing about getting a nose job--and he gets punched in the nose twice.
A Note About The DVD:
--For some reason, getting the proper sound/subtitles mix was a real hassle--it didn't like to be set up ahead of time for some reason. Maybe I just had a DVD with some errors or something, but I selected Spanish with English Subtitles and ended up with an Audio Commentary--in Spanish! I eventually had to restart the film and just change everything as it played. I went through the opening sequence about five times and I think I still ended up with subtitles for the deaf or hard-of-hearing--because even Ron Perlman was subtitled and he spoke English through most of the film!
Acting: 8/10 Story: 10/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Character Development: 7/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10 Nudity/Sexuality: 0/10 Violence/Gore: 6/10 (Very little gore, and only mild violence--all decent quality) Sets/Backgrounds: 7/10 Dialogue: 9/10 Music: 8/10 Writing: 8/10 Direction: 9/10
Cheesiness: 1/10 Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
Overall, I think this deserves an 8, maybe a 7, but I settled with what I thought it deserved. It's not the best horror film out there, but it's quite good and very original. Recommended to all Horror fans. People with a passing interest in horror should check it out, too. Not too dark, violent, or gory for the squeamish. A Mexican gem.
www.ResidentHazard.com
During Bravo's "Top 100 Scariest Moments" (should've been "Movies" instead) countdown, I happened to catch the sequence about this particular film. It looked pretty damn good, so I set myself out to see it. It's directed by the man best known now for "Hellboy" and "Blade." Rather than being action-packed, violent, and bloody, it's actually simply a dark and unusual horror film. And, one of the more refreshingly original plots I've seen in some time.
The film centers around an old man who owns an antique shop in Mexico who stumbles upon a small, gold, mechanical object. The object was created 400 years prior by an alchemist seeking immortality--and as such, the device grants that most sought-after of gifts. By violently piercing the flesh of whoever activates it and delivering immense pain. Well, there is someone else--a very rich and very dying man who has sought the device for a large portion of his life. His nephew is played by human gorilla, Ron "Hellboy" Perlman--and he is simply the old man's caretaker and go-to guy. Well, as it turns out, the antique store owner, named Jesus, finds out in the most unpleasant of ways that the Cronos device has a set of rules meant for its use--and only the rich old dying bastard knows them--and he will only trade the rules for the device.
Here's the breakdown:
The Good:
--The more I see Ron Perlman in movies, the more I like him--he's a very versatile actor. Especially if you take into account that he's made films in France, Mexico, and America, has spoken French, English, and some Spanish; and went from this to "City of Lost Children" to "Enemy At the Gates" (as a Russian soldier) to "Hellboy." His role is plenty entertaining here.
--The acting is quite good.
--The story is really unique, fresh, and original.
--The special effects are very nice--not a drop of CG anywhere in the film. The mechanical workings of the Cronos device and the insect inside are really cool.
--Good music.
--Good atmosphere and some excellent bizarre and creepy scenes that really hold attention.
Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:
--Unfortunately, the film never states what those rules are for successful use of the Cronos device--only a little bit is hinted at or discovered and it felt like there were actually a lot of guidelines to the device.
--Somewhat slower pace--but it's used as a tension builder.
--Pretty good sets.
The Bad:
--Not enough scares--but then, this is a slower movie made to build up a creepy story. Not a scare-a-minute-shocker.
The Ugly:
--Somewhat clumsy opening scene that has some unanswered questions about it. I was a little confused about exactly how the old man came to know or believe that Jesus had the device.
--It also would've been nice to have a little more background story on the Cronos gadget, it's maker, and exactly how the sickly old man that Perlman watches over came to know about it as well as what started his search for it.
Memorable Scene:
--Jesus (the character, not the Bible-guy) licking blood off the floor of a men's room.
--Also, Ron Perlman's character obsessing about getting a nose job--and he gets punched in the nose twice.
A Note About The DVD:
--For some reason, getting the proper sound/subtitles mix was a real hassle--it didn't like to be set up ahead of time for some reason. Maybe I just had a DVD with some errors or something, but I selected Spanish with English Subtitles and ended up with an Audio Commentary--in Spanish! I eventually had to restart the film and just change everything as it played. I went through the opening sequence about five times and I think I still ended up with subtitles for the deaf or hard-of-hearing--because even Ron Perlman was subtitled and he spoke English through most of the film!
Acting: 8/10 Story: 10/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Character Development: 7/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10 Nudity/Sexuality: 0/10 Violence/Gore: 6/10 (Very little gore, and only mild violence--all decent quality) Sets/Backgrounds: 7/10 Dialogue: 9/10 Music: 8/10 Writing: 8/10 Direction: 9/10
Cheesiness: 1/10 Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
Overall, I think this deserves an 8, maybe a 7, but I settled with what I thought it deserved. It's not the best horror film out there, but it's quite good and very original. Recommended to all Horror fans. People with a passing interest in horror should check it out, too. Not too dark, violent, or gory for the squeamish. A Mexican gem.
www.ResidentHazard.com