Distributed by

Cert:

Cat.no: 903 569 9

Running time: 105 minutes

Year: 1997

Pressing: 2002

Region(s): 2, 4 (UK PAL)

Chapters: 19 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: English

Subtitles: English for the hard of hearing, Dutch

Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Panavision)

16:9-enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: DVD 9

Price: £17.99

Extras: Trailers

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Director:

Peter Hyams (2010, Capricorn One, End of Days, Outland, The Musketeer, Narrow Margin, The Presidio, The Relic, Running Scared, The Star Chamber, Stay Tuned, Sudden Death, Timecop, TV: Amazing Stories)

Producers:

Gale Anne Hurd and Sam Mercer

Screenplay:

Amy Holden Jones, John Raffo, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver

Original Score :

John Debney

Cast :

Dr. Margo Green: Penelope Ann Miller
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta: Tom Sizemore
Dr. Ann Cuthbert: Linda Hunt
Dr. Albert Frock: James Whitmore
Detective Hollingsworth: Clayton Rohner
Greg Lee: Chi Moui Lo
Parkinson: Thomas Ryan
Mayor Owen: Robert Lesser

The Relic is one of those nonsense horror films where cast members get bumped off one by one until there's just a handful of the principal ones left, but the killer here is something that can't be defined.

There's not a massive amount of characterisation put in here or required and the leads, evolutionary biologist Dr. Margo Green (Penelope Ann Miller) and embittered superstitious divorce-suffering cop Lt. Vincent D'Agosta (Tom Sizemore) as they go on the trail of a creature that no-one could ever have imagined - other than in the mind of special effects guru Stan Winston - but which has a tendancy to break open the heads of its victims and strip out the hypothalamus, the adrenaline gland leading to the brain.

The problems begin when a couple of crates come over from Brazil. One contains a bizarre religious relic and the other appears to be empty when it's discovered, but what could it have stored beforehand? It won't take long until you find out, but director Peter Hyams does a great job of building up the suspense in the meantime leading The Relic to become a rather underestimated film because it's one that never gets talked about despite being a very worthy one with great special FX and an explosive finale.

First up, the film is presented in the original 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio which is essential. It's just not a film you can watch in any kind of a cropped image because you wouldn't have the slightest idea what's going on otherwise. Also, most scenes in the film are very dark, even down to a few of the outdoor ones which seem a little unnaturally dark, such as when Dr. Green arrives at the museum early on. The DVD does an admirable job of coping with this but sadly the print used is a little on the soft side and it shows up from time to time.

No problms with the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack which grunts and groans whenever the creature is onscreen, filling the auditorium with the appropriate noises whenever it's hinted at and especially when we finally get to see it.

Elsewhere on the disc there's not a great deal to shout about. 19 chapters, 2 subtitled languages (English and Dutch), static and silent menus and the only extra is a 2-minute trailer in 15:9.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2002.