Relic

In the 1997 monster horror movie “The Relic,” the creature is a bizarre hybrid with bits and pieces of DNA from other animals. That is fitting because the movie is a bizarre hybrid with bits and pieces from other, better horror films. Fortunately, the filmmakers secured the services of veteran director Peter Hyams. The result is no classic but a goofy, watchable selection for those in the mood for something scary.Most of “The Relic” takes place in Chicago’s Field Museum (the movie was filmed on location). A scientific expedition to South America returns with some unusual relics and something far more sinister in one crate. The scientist in charge seems to have disappeared (hint, hint), but the museum is desperate to raise funds, so they put an item on display that’s been cursed by a long-lost tribe (hint, hint, hint). Soon, bad things start to happen, with people losing their heads and having parts of their brains eaten. Scientist Penelope Ann Miller and cop Tom Sizemore have to figure out what’s going on and stop the killings before the big gala opening of the new exhibit with dozens of the city’s elite donors in attendance (hint, hint, hint, hint).“The Relic” is based on a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. In typical Hollywood fashion, the four credited screenwriters jettisoned almost every plot nuance in the novel other than the museum setting (which predates the “Night at the Museum” movies by over a decade) and a simplified version of the book’s backstabbing politicking. The film provides a convoluted pseudo-scientific explanation for the monster, a bizarre genetic hybrid. It makes no sense, but viewers get to hear Tom Sizemore struggle as he pronounces “hypothalamus” several times. Beyond that, the screenplay is a series of cliches. Most notably, minor characters repeatedly call attention to themselves by acting like pompous jerks just seconds before they become monster chow.The movie’s last half hour becomes a literal slog as characters make their way through dark corridors and the sewers beneath the museum, trying to escape. Stan Winston created the monster effects, which are pretty effective for pre-CGI work. Director Hyams keeps the creature offscreen and in the shadows as long as possible, and the audience doesn’t see the monster in the film’s creepiest moments. Despite the R-rating, the film often suggests more gore than it shows.I wish Hyams had shown more originality in staging the attack scenes. The encounter between Penelope Ann Miller and the monster seems a direct cross between similar moments in “Alien” and “Jurassic Park.” For much of the film, Hyams, who also served as the movie’s cinematographer, literally keeps the audience in the dark. Almost every scene is dimly lit, even those set in offices and labs one would expect to have bright lighting. (I wondered if the museum paid its electric bill.) It’s one thing to use darkness to create suspense or terror; it’s another to make the expository scenes difficult to follow.During his heyday in the 1980s and 90s, Peter Hyams cranked out one solid piece of escapist entertainment after another. “The Relic” isn’t as much fun as “Timecop” or “Sudden Death.” but it’s a decent Saturday night viewing for genre fans, especially those who enjoy cheesy, derivative films. I won’t give away the finale, but there’s some spectacular creature imagery during the showdown between it and Miller. A movie like “The Relic” being made today would offer more elaborate CGI imagery, but it probably wouldn’t be as much fun to watch. I’d give this movie a 3.5-star rating if I could, but I’m rounding it up to four stars for genre fans. This is a relic of an earlier era of horror filmmaking, but a fun, albeit scary, night at the museum.

It’s pretty clear, especially for an older movie.

I really like this movie bput the picture is too dark. They did it to make it scarier and it almost works.but that's all the fault l can find.

… except that it was a bit silly with the screaming, running and falling of people during some of the scenes and it was hard to follow with the dark film/pictures. The monster was terrific, what I saw of it. There were a lot of changes from Preston & Child’s fantastic book — Aloysius Pendergast wasn’t in the film.

BOTTOM LINE: Is this film perfect? Nope. Is it a faithful word-for-word adaption of the novel? Not even close. Is it an entertaining, turn down the lights & jump at stuff that leaps out at you popcorn flick? Absolutely. Fans of the Preston & Child novel loathe the many changes but for mainstream monster movie fans this one’s bloody good. 4 STARSTHE STORY: Researcher from Chicago Museum of Natural History ships back a strange cargo from the deep Amazon jungle whose contents provide more questions than answers. A cute, quirky museum scientist & a hard-nosed Windy City homicide cop must quickly piece together the cryptic clues... before they’re ripped to pieces, along with the rest of the museum staff and half the ChiTown PD.THOUGHTS: I’ve loved this movie ever since catching it in a snow-covered theater back in January of 1997. I knew nothing of the source material, only the film’s two stars: Tom Sizemore & Penelope Ann Miller. (Plus, I have a big soft spot for James Whitmore, ever since I first saw THEM! decades ago.) I enjoyed THE RELIC tremendously and I’ve watched it numerous times over the years. Fans of the novel have by & large torn this movie a new one, due to the many changes. I didn’t get around to actually reading the novel until almost 20 years later, after already having seen & enjoyed the film several times. It is indeed very different from the movie. However, if you divorce the film from the book you’ll be OK. Otherwise, you walk in with a massive chip on your shoulder and will probably just hate the movie to death. I think the film, for what it is, is a lot of silly, scary, rollercoaster ride-styled fun. Sure there are plot holes, gaps in logic and whatnot, but 99% of all horror films, by necessity, have these shortcomings. Movie viewers must maintain the ability to suspend disbelief and go with whatever preposterous flubdubbery the writers & directors are throwing at us. In the real world, these kinds of situations would almost certainly never be solved as quickly & efficiently as they are in the movies and on TV. In fact, these fantastical events obviously don't happen in the real world at all, so you have to take things at face value. Sure, this movie could've been better, but even as it is I think it's got a lot of great things going for it. And speaking of that… legendary creature F/X wizard Stan Winston gives us one of the coolest, most original movie monsters in decades. The Kathoga alone makes this film a keeper for me. The practical stuff looks amazing, and while the CGI isn’t as polished as today’s digital product his lethal Kathoga creation is nonetheless one of moviedom’s slickest killer creatures. Plus I really enjoy the performances of all the actors in the cast, from the main stars right down to the bit players.THE BLU-RAY: A pretty pedestrian hi-def release from Lionsgate, who licensed the film from Paramount. The improvements in both audio & video, compared to the tepid DVD version of THE RELIC, more than make it worth the double dip. But be aware that there’s no new bonus material, just the on-camera interview with director Peter Hyams & his full-length audio commentary, both ported over from the standard-def release. Still, if you’ve never seen the film, this is the best looking format of it so far and, short of a frame-by-frame restoration, this is likely as good as we’ll get for this enjoyable creature feature.

Suspend any belief you may have in Biology, and the plot might not annoy you. Having said that, the movie was an enjoyable thriller, that remained with several action sequences, moving along the same time frame. Plenty of gore, but nothing unbearably offensive. Not a waste of time, but not particularly memorable either.

Great film I saw it when it first came out. However this copy is too dark and I understand most DVD copies have the same fault. In fact they shouldn't sell them because you can barely see what's happening . Great pity because this is a really good film.

I really like this film. It's not a classic in any of the well-worn traditions and it does contain its share of fairly obvious horror monster movie moments that those in the know will see coming long before they arrive.I think the strength of the movie is in the casting of Penelope Ann Miller in the lead role. She is a terrific actress, who should have lots more screen time than she's received - and she's not your typical scream queen. She starts out as a very believable forensic anthropologist and her reactions when she sees the carnage the creature has left are totally believable. And the ending, where she employs her scientific prowess to fight to the last, is great (though her last line is a bit 'get away from her you b*tch' from Alien 2.The monster is also good, and never quite shown in full, which makes it all the more scary. You think you know what it looks like, then it changes a little and you mostly see glimpses rather than the whole thing.Tom Sizemore also does a good job as a slightly jaded cop, who really doesn't want the job, but goes along with it. He's the Joe Public to whom all the stuff about DNA, strange leaves and the whole monstery thing needs explaining. He even has a lucky bullet.But despite its origins in ordinary horror movie cliche, it does excite, baffle and make you think a bit, which is more than most do. And it has Linda Hunt in it. What more could you want?

The Relic Blue-Ray. I'm slowly replacing my collection of redundant VHS tapes...The Relic was recently on TV so this prompted us to buy a Blue-Ray copy. We thing the film is great so we was looking forward to watching it in HD. We were disappointed, the original film is shot mostly in the dark (just that type of film) but our copy was so dark we had to crank the brightness on the TV full on. there was also drop outs in the sound. I will keep it but nor too happy.

Always liked this film and still do. My complaint is about the PQ on this BD . It's far to dark compared to other versions . Compared the BD to a version available on BBC iplayer. Iplayer version is 720p but has the correct balance between bright and dark scenes. The BD is dark all the way through the film. Shame, so four stars for the movie , two stars for the Disc

Good film, had it on dvd brought the blu ray for much sharper picture and better sound, the Relic looks the best I ever seen on blu ray. As for the creature, the star of the film, looks really good on blu ray too. I would say this film is like Alien in a museum and the creature was designed by Stan Winston, who created the Predator!! And is one of the best monster design after Giger's Alien.