Cronos Details

Cronos

Being the huge fan of del Toro that I am, this was required viewing. Del Toro started out in film at the tender age of 8, having already devoted his life to horror, he started filming homemade horror films. From this firm foundation he moved into special effects for the horror films/programs being made in the area. He eventually moved into directing TV programs, and from here he moved to his first feature length film, Cronos.

Cronos is the story of an aging antique seller, Jes?s Gris, who one day finds an ancient amulet within one of his antiques. It doesn't take long for curiosity to get the best of him and he begins to take a closer look at the amulet, what he finds begins to send his life into a whole new direction.

With Cronos, Del Toro strips down the idea of Vampires and takes it down to its bare bones, no sexiness, all blood. With this stripped down take on vampires, it allows for a slow paced horror film to take place, leaving the viewer to unravel whats taking place, rather than have shoved down their throat with nudity and pointless scenes.

Del Toro's direction here is refreshing, taking in the surroundings of the characters and setting the scene without slowing the pace of the film down too much. This is not only Del Toro's first film, but its also a very early work of the highly regarded Director of Photography, Guillermo Navarro, who manages to take this film to another level with some beautiful shots.

My only real gripe about this film is that its characters seem a little out of place and, well, for want of a better term, stereotypical. Perlman plays the muscle, as usual, and though he is great as Angel, he seems to be just thrown into the blender with the other characters.

Overall, the films vision and slight uniqueness pulls it through, but, its really no match for Del Toro's later film, The Devil's Backbone.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Cronos

Having seen Pans Labyrinth I was curious to see more work by this director. I was recommended Cronos, this is his first feature. I loved it! I think it is the story that is so captivating and the homage to some classic horror genre films. A mix of horror and beauty...my only criticism was the soundtrack but perhaps that was deliberately ironic?

Not as slick as Pans Labyrinth but earlier work is often more affecting that larger budget pieces as in this case. Its the story that is so strong together with some great acting.

A must to watch!