The Relic (1997)

Director: Peter Hyams

Starring: Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, Linda Hunt

A homicide detective and an anthropologist try to destroy a South American lizard-like god, who’s on a people eating rampage in a Chicago museum.

Ah, don’t we just love those creature features! ‘The Relic’ is very different to most creature features out there, as it doesn’t merely concentrate on the creature. It features captivating characters and an interesting back story.

I also enjoyed the film being an investigative story – with a homicide detective believing he is dealing with a (human) killer. This lends more realism to the story and makes the characters themselves that much more believable. Tom Sizemore stars as Detective Vincent D’Agosta, who is a likeable hero. Him being superstitious, adds depth to the character and the premise, since the museum where the murder is being investigated is about to host their Superstition Expo.

Already from the second act the film prepares us for a disaster at the Expo, keeping the viewer glued to the screen in anticipation. The film’s heroin is Dr Margo Green (Penelope Ann Miller) – an evolutionary biologist – and together with Detective Vincent, she unravels the mystery of horrific goings on at the Museum. Thankfully the film doesn’t bore us with a love interest!

With a blend of horror, fantasy, mystery, drama and disaster, ‘The Relic’ certainly delivers! I found it fascinating. It exceeded all my expectations and blew me away! This film just got better and better as it progressed, and delivered nerve-wrecking action sequences during the final act. The film boasts a good script, good performances, good visuals and an engaging story. The Expo panic scene, by the way, was just awesome! And what a climax!

The only downside, is the fact the film was very dark – and I mean literally. When it should have been ‘Lights! Camera! Action!”, director Peter Hyams opted only for camera and action, it seems. The lighting is really bad during some scenes, leaving them very dark. Even during the Expo when it should have been brightly lit, one could hardly make out some of the actors faces. Such a pity! Apart from that, this was a fantastic production I thoroughly enjoyed. Now that’s entertainment!

‘The Relic’ received nominations for Best Film, Best Horror Film, Best Actress (Penelope Ann Miller), and Favorite Horror Actor (Tom Sizemore).

Would I watch it again? Yes, definitely.