This vampire yarn is successful because of its unusualness - it has a certain kind of style which stops it becoming boring, even though it's a case of seen-it-all-before. This similar artistry from foreign directors in recent years has also stopped THE FIFTH ELEMENT, LEON, and even ALIEN RESURRECTION from being totally irredeemable. Unfortunately, while CRONOS was made out to be this big, original splash from a previously unheard-of director, it's not as brilliant as you might think, as a lack of originality and thoroughness of ideas make it become fairly average (I found the same to be true with the same director's MIMIC), but still a breath of fresh air for a dead genre.
Guillermo del Toro brings something special to this film, there's no denying that. There's a warmth to the central characters involved which acts like a breath of fresh air, when we see the human spirit shining through the darkness. The idea of the Cronos device is clever, and it's a brilliantly designed little creation, a bit like HELLRAISER's puzzle box but more sophisticated and stylish. Other concepts such as a vampire shedding his skin add to the bizarreness of this film, but ultimately it is the human players who dominate the proceedings.
Luppi is wonderful as the old man who has to struggle with the strange urges filling his body as he becomes addicted to the device. He portrays a mixture of disgust and lust at his actions (the scene where he licks blood off the floor in desperation springs to mind) in a skilled manner. Ron Perlman enjoys himself in a wowzer role as a heavy, making his character funny, human and difficult to dislike. Indeed the other actors involved - Brook as the desperate old man, Isabel as the daughter - do their best to bring their own idiosyncrasies to the proceedings, giving this film an odd and very real edge.
The only flaw is in the climax, which drags things out into an old goodie vs. baddie battle to the death, the likes of which are hardly original. Also I disliked the inconclusive ending which manages to be arty and anti-climatic at the same time. As a recent horror film that doesn't rely on gore (there is little) and captures some of the old magic that Mario Bava and Dario Argento used to fill their films with, this proves to be both thoughtful and interesting - providing you're in the right mood, that is. Ever see a curate's egg? This is the one for you.
Guillermo del Toro brings something special to this film, there's no denying that. There's a warmth to the central characters involved which acts like a breath of fresh air, when we see the human spirit shining through the darkness. The idea of the Cronos device is clever, and it's a brilliantly designed little creation, a bit like HELLRAISER's puzzle box but more sophisticated and stylish. Other concepts such as a vampire shedding his skin add to the bizarreness of this film, but ultimately it is the human players who dominate the proceedings.
Luppi is wonderful as the old man who has to struggle with the strange urges filling his body as he becomes addicted to the device. He portrays a mixture of disgust and lust at his actions (the scene where he licks blood off the floor in desperation springs to mind) in a skilled manner. Ron Perlman enjoys himself in a wowzer role as a heavy, making his character funny, human and difficult to dislike. Indeed the other actors involved - Brook as the desperate old man, Isabel as the daughter - do their best to bring their own idiosyncrasies to the proceedings, giving this film an odd and very real edge.
The only flaw is in the climax, which drags things out into an old goodie vs. baddie battle to the death, the likes of which are hardly original. Also I disliked the inconclusive ending which manages to be arty and anti-climatic at the same time. As a recent horror film that doesn't rely on gore (there is little) and captures some of the old magic that Mario Bava and Dario Argento used to fill their films with, this proves to be both thoughtful and interesting - providing you're in the right mood, that is. Ever see a curate's egg? This is the one for you.