Mutant Chronicles (2008) Review
Written by: BlackTequilaKiss
Watching this movie right now so my review can be pretty damn detailed. Hehe.
Plot~
I really don't want to go into too much detail lol so this is all you will get from me!
Major Mitch Hunter leads a charge of fighters into an all out war against an army of underworld Necromutants in the 23rd century.
Straight away I love the use of cinematography. The emphasis on colours is in a different strand to most movies of nowadays. The fact I already have a slight affection for it from the opening scene speaks volumes for me.
The lack of colours is a nice little stroke and is quite unique for the film. It definitely adds more character to the movie as an whole. Use of machinery is very artistically compiled and the fire sparks merged against the dark canvas is visually stunning as is the following explosions.
Sean Pertwee acts fantastically in this as he always does in films and plays a character I once again love. Hard faced but trying to do right he acts the role of Capt. Nathan Hooker beautifully.
What to say of Thomas Jane. He was wonderful in The Mist and he is even better in this. I think he is a wonderful actor who can elevate movies to a much higher degree. Characterisation of his character Mitch is strong, funny and strong willed from the start never losing the essential components that make his character work so well as well as this you get to see the much tender side to his character as the movie moves on. Kudos Jane, kudos.
Ron Perlman as Brother Samuel, I am lost (to an extent) for words. He as played some notable characters especially that of Hellboy. Yet in this he plays a very different role. Still he is as strong as in previous roles and acting even more in this you take his plight seriously. I just got to love the stamina and adrenaline of this guy. He is in a nutshell amazing to watch.
Bloodshed from the beginning how wonderful is this! The mutants look decidedly creepy and damn they are fast to boot. Weaponry they use, absolute fantastic and I sure as heck wouldn't want to be on the end of some of it. Some of the death scenes are beautiful to watch and given that the blood is against a barren background, the red hue looks deeper and erotic in context to the movie's shade. Nothing pales.
There is one snow background look absolutely beautiful and is stunning to look at, in the quieter moment it is bliss to look at.
I will be the first to admit that the scenes reliant on talking can drag but barely do they and they always move at a nice pace, getting back to the action very quickly. It is a little gripe but does not take away from the undertone of the movie.
The Lighting in this movie is stunning, well and truly.
In one particular scene with everyone in a room. The gritty colour of the bricks against a bleak background merged with the hue of candlelight, WOW! It looked soft, gentle and tender. Passion went into the colours merged together and it shows through much of the film.
By the way, be aware this movie might make you feel dizzy as some camera moments are admittedly shaky!
This movie has a lot going for it. Blood right at the beginning (nice!), some great explosions (wicked!!) and even body parts flying over places (awesome!!) if you like any of these things you will be in movie paradise!
I love THOMAS JANE in this lol I have said my piece on him but as the movie swings into action he just gets better and better!!
For this film I would say you have to imagine a merge of Sin City's visual backing, 28 days fast running zombies and Pitch Black and you are halfway there. Truth be told until I read other sources tonight I had no idea it was based on a role-playing franchise which is why I love it so. Having to compare a movie to a source is hard for me so being in the dark helped me reached a conclusion that is true to my beliefs.
This is not anything new or special but it is entertaining. It gives a good amount of gore, it has explosions, it has body parts blown away and it does have some very beautiful women which helps. The other thing going for this film is all the characters work well together, there was great chemistry among much of the cast and it showed.
I am to admit I went into this movie not knowing what to expect and was genuinely surprised. By the way I will not say what happens but what becomes of one of the main stars will truly surprise you!! Trust me! This is no holds barred entertainment that doesn't stick to a ready made formula.
For me to highly rate a movie I need three things from it:
- Visual effects that work the movie
- A good cast &
- A decent storyline, this had all three!
Watch this at least one time, it will not change your life but it will make a nice break for an hour and 49 minutes.
Pure adrenaline packed fun, you will enjoy it no doubt! Watch it, it is truly fantastic with an awesome ending to boot!