Cronos

I bought Cronos without having seen it because it had some great reviews and because I'd enjoyed director Guillermo del Toro's film The Devil's Backbone, I thought Hellboy was okay, and I was in preparation for Pan's Labyrinth. It also had a pretty cool DVD cover.

In short, this film tells the story of an age-old device that is designed to give eternal life to whoever owns it. The device is shaped like an ornate scarab, which "bites" into its owner. When rediscovered some 400 years later, this mechanism -- moreover, its power -- is sought by a handful of people.

I expected big things for this debut feature from one of fantasy film-making's hottest directors, but I must say I was disappointed. Sure there were some good bits; and it was squirm-inducing once or twice along the way. It also had a good amount of "atmosphere". But overall the film left me cold: it just never really went anywhere very interesting. It wasn't terrible or a complete waste of time, but it just didn't move me in any way.

By the way, the cool cover, with a hot chick bleeding after being bitten by the scarab, is not a scene from the film! Guess they call that "artistic licence"!

Acting: 13
Story: 12
Direction: 14
Enjoyment: 12
Involvement: 12
Total: 63