Review of Cronos (1993) by David S — 07 Dec 2010

Guillermo del Toro's first film is impressive for a debut feature but doesn't match the brilliance of his other Spanish films ("Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth"), though it is better than his Hollywood en devours ("Mimic", "Blade II", and "Hellboy").

The performances are strong, especially from Federico Luppi, and the visual design of the picture is luscious with a bevy of symbolisms, excellent makeup effects, and a strong sense of atmosphere. However, where the film falters is the script which does indeed have an original story at its center but its executed in a very typical fashion (though unpredictable at first, it soon slowly descends to a film akin towards "The Fly").

It also ends on a generic fight of fist-n-cuffs on a roof top which is sort of a let down as the film seems to be building up to something more grand. Luckily, everything else about this picture is so strong that one can easily overlook issues in the script department.

I do recommend this to all lovers of horror and fantasy films.