On R List of Movie Reviews

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The Relic (1997)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 5/24

Relic
5/24: What an idiot Peter Hyam is.

He's the one who handled the photography of The Relic. I could never see anything much, not even anyone's face clear enough. The percentage of blackness must have vacillated between seventy and one hundred. Afterwards, I checked out the trailer, and the lighting looked perfect. So, what gives?

The creature turns out to be dinosaur-like. Here's the problem: if something like that can be cultivated in South America, how come there isn't at least one roaming around the jungle? Halfway through the film, I'm shown the room that houses the museum's extensive surveillance system. Hence, there should be a video recording of the creature, especially when it killed the black security guard during his bathroom break. So, why didn't Lieutenant D'Agosta check that out?

The collective star power may be weak on paper, but the cast isn't the issue. Tom Sizemore and Penelope Ann Miller do what they can do. Having the latter threatened by the creature is a big mistake as it suddenly reminded me of the famous movie moment with Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. The script isn't bad, but the tunnels make no sense. It's not often I'm shown people getting decapitated, but kudos to The Relic for that.

All in all, my rating for The Relic would've been one or two points higher if it had proper lighting.