The Relic
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Metascore
55 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore
  • Summary: Come in-if you dare. The opening-night gala for a new exhibit at Chicago's natural history museum is under way. But be advised: something terrifying wants to make sure no one ever leaves. (Paramount)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Empire
    Reviewed by: Kim Newman
    80
    Unpretentiously and likeable Peter Hyams is one of the few hacks still working at this budget level, and he relishes the chance to make an audience jump, not only with some neat monster effects and a pile of mutilated corpses but also with some subtleties of editing and lighting, plus one of the loudest jump-out-of-your-seat soundtracks in a recent memory.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    60
    Hyams the director ("Sudden Death," "Timecop," "The Star Chamber") operates at too much of a fevered pitch for things not to eventually get out of hand -- accelerating violence and horror eventually hit maximum velocity and warp into nonsense, no matter how erudite the script.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    58
    If you can stagger around the plot holes (how'd a Brazilian cargo ship with a dead crew get to Lake Michigan?), the last 30 minutes are pure, dumb monster-movie fun.
  4. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Barbara Shulgasser
    25
    It took four people to write the screenplay for The Relic. All I can say is that I hope these people have not quit their day jobs.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. NickB.
    8
    Not bad for another "large inherently nasty predator that eats scientists" movie. Not a perfect translation of the book....where is Penderghast, for example? But far better than I expected, and superior to recent efforts in the same genre such as "The Cave." The cinematography, clever lighting, and surprisingly robust score add to the experience of a movie that could have been very, very bad in different hands. Just forget it's based on the book and enjoy for its own merits.… Expand
  2. GregE
    6
    Yes, another monster-in-the-hallway horror movie. You saw it in 'Alien' and countless (fun) ripoffs thereof since, and here it is again, with whiz-bang CG effects, high-polish production values and Stan Winston creature design. While true that some who haven't read the book thought this movie was just "fine", those who know the book, myself included, are most assuredly disappointed by the marginalization of the nastiness, adventure and suspense, in favour of simply "showing off" the monster effects. Peter Hyams may know how to make a fun thriller, but there is ZERO scare factor here -- something the novel had oodles of... too bad, because if this film had been scary (good) enough, there could have been a sequel, like the book had.… Expand
  3. WriteFilmLive21
    4
    "The Relic" certainly had potential in concept, but in its overall execution, it is something of a failure. Most of the movie is very visually dark, leaving you only barely understanding what's going on, and the great creature effects are thus mostly hidden in shadow and given few opportunities to shine. The acting is okay, and in terms of suspense and attack scenes it's decent. But the poor lighting really hurts the film, and the ultimate demise of the creature is cliched and exaggerated. This movie might have been better had it focused more on the transformative nature of the creature - as is, however, it's fairly missable with only moderate entertainment value.… Expand

See all 4 User Reviews

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