X
- 1997
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
- 1997
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
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)
Directed By: Peter Hyams
- 1997
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
- 1997
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
The Relic
55
7.3
Where to Watch
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)
Directed By: Peter Hyams
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
55
36% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
50% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
55
36% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
50% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Yes, we've seen it all before. But The Relic proves that the hoariest cliches, when stirred together with enough money, shaken vigorously and artfully lighted, can still make the adrenaline surge.
All of this is actually a lot of fun, if you like special effects and gore.
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 76 User Ratings
7.3
67% Positive
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
17% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
16% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 76 User Ratings
7.3
67% Positive
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
17% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
16% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
I love it!! is my childhood!! the people need to understand between the book and the movie always is so different!! I love the soundtrack by John Debney and the cq efects in that time, come on we talk about 10 years ago!!
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But Peter Hyams, who's both director and director of photography, forces us to constantly strain to see what isn't there, until ultimately the screen explodes in welcome light, a cathartic finale in broad visceral terms even if the drama hasn't inspired much emotion.
There's nothing much new going on here (we feel compelled to point out the resemblance to one of the worst-ever episodes of The X-Files, "Teso Los Bichos"), but it's all slickly done, with the requisite big jumps, false leads, weird science and scary trips down dark corridors.
Sizemore ("Heat") and Miller, though saddled with a lot of scientific DNA jargon, are really the only lively people in this dense, gruesome film that stubbornly refuses to break out of its contrived atmosphere.
Much like the DNA-scrambled beast to which the title alludes, this film is a chimerical chop-shop product, consisting mostly of spare parts pulled from Alien, Jurassic Park, and even The Ghost and the Darkness.
As written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, The Relic deserved to be taken off the shelf; as adapted by a quartet of screenwriters and directed by Peter Hyams, it should have been left on one.
It's got the workings of a decent creature-feature. There are even moments that hint at potentially deeper elements than your average B-movie. Unfortunately all of that ends up squandered. The monster still ends up being the most enjoyable part of the movie, and it hardly feels even apart of it at all.
The Relic wastes so much time fleshing out it's characters. This may sound like a stupid complaint, especially since the genre is very commonly criticized for not doing that, but I've never seen so much work go into building up characters this unlikable. So I can respect the movie for trying to make us care about it's characters by actually telling us who they are and letting us in on their little quirks, but I can't praise it for failing to do so.
There are some interesting themes running in the background here. There's lite talk of the balance between science and mythology, superstitions, and peaks into scientific analysis among other things. However these elements are only mentioned in passing. These deeper topics that could have made the film more interesting do not get touched on. They only feel included as references to the themes of the book it's based on.
So what about the actual monster? Well, when it's finally let off of it's leash and really gets to causing mayhem, the movie gets much more entertaining. It's just a shame it takes so long for it to happen.
Things get fun in that B-movie sort of way. There are some gory kills and a really cool looking monster. You definitely wish more of this took place in the light though. Director Peter Hyams leaves the majority of the action in the dark. You still get to see the good stuff though, but the squinting isn't exactly appreciated.
Overall The Relic is a B-horror movie that takes way too long getting to the fun stuff. Before the monster gets on with it's killing spree the movie goes on for way too long trying to flesh out the characters and setting. Neither of which are interesting. It also manages to gloss over the more interesting topics in favor of cheesy humor and goofy moments. There's still some fun to be had here in it's final act when it gets to the stuff you showed up for in the first place. The question is whether or not it's worth wading through the other stuff to get there. It all depends on your attention span. Personally, I recommend skipping this one in favor of the B-flicks that deliver the goods all the way through.
5.8/10
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"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.
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Mostly generic verging on pretty bad. The monster scenes are dark and choppily edited. The backstory is neither out-there crazy nor conceptually interesting enough to pique any demented B-movie fun.
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Production Company
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),
Cloud Nine Entertainment,
H2L Media Group,
Marubeni,
Mutual Film Company,
Pacific Western,
Paramount Pictures,
PolyGram Films (UK),
Polygram Filmed Entertainment,
Tele München Fernseh Produktionsgesellschaft (TMG),
Toho-Towa,
Universal Pictures
Release Date Jan 10, 1997
Duration 1 h 50 m
Rating R
Tagline There are secrets better left unknown, and treasures better left undiscovered. In 1995, a scientific expedition found something that turns myths into nightmares...something that gives shape to fear, and form to evil...something as powerful as it is deadly. They should never have sought it. They should never have touched it. And then, they did the unthinkable...THEY BROUGHT IT BACK.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 2 Nominations
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
• 1 Nomination
Fantasporto
• 1 Nomination
