The Relic

Plot synopsis:
Somewhere in the Brazilian rain forest, Anthropologist John Whitney (Lewis Van Bergen) witnesses an Aboriginal tribal ritual, performed by dancing men in a state of trance. He drinks a kind of potion, concocted by the tribe's witch (Montrose Hughes) using leaves with a kind of red fungal growth on them. After drinking it, he becomes hysterical at the sight of a native, dressed in a costume and wearing face-paint. Whitney says to himself: "Oh my God! It's Kathoga!"Later, Whitney shows up at a commercial dock, where a cargo ship named the Santos Morales, is ready to depart. Locating the ship's captain (Santos Morales), Whitney pleads with him to unload his crates, destined for the Chicago Natural History Museum. Refusing to help, the captain boards the ship. Stowing away on board, Whitney locates the ship cargo hold and pries open one of the wooden crates. Finding only rugs inside, he breaks down and screams in despair. As the ship sails away, several more crates sit on the dock, labeled: "John Whitney - Chicago Natural History Museum".A title card reads: "Six Weeks Later", as the same cargo ship arrives in Chicago. The dock is cordoned off by police and we meet Lt. Vincent D'Agosta (Tom Sizemore) as he boards the ship with Detective Hollingsworth (Clayton Rohner). There are bloodstains everywhere, and the crew appear to be all gone. Searching the cargo hold, D'Agosta finds several of the crew in the bilge - their heads severed from their bodies. D'Agosta is very superstitious and carries a "lucky bullet" for protection.Meanwhile, the Museum of Natural History in Chicago is busy preparing for the grand opening of a new exhibit which explores the origins of superstition. As Dr. Margo Green (Penelope Ann Miller), an evolutionary biologist, arrives at work, the museum curator, Dr. Ann Cuthbert (Linda Hunt) tells Margo she is in competition for a grant, which she needs to continue her research at the museum. To her chagrin, Margo's colleague, Greg Lee (Chi Muoi Lo), has applied for the same grant. The grant is provided by wealthy Museum benefactors, the Blaisedales (Constance Towers & Francis X. McCarthy), who will attend the upcoming gala to open the new exhibit.Stopping by the office of Dr Albert Frock (James Whitmore), a colleague of John Whitney, Margo is intrigued by the contents of several crates, recently sent by airfreight from Brazil (the crates left behind by the ship). The remnants of a stone artifact are wrapped in the green leaves used in the potion. Margo takes some of the leaves to analyze them, while the remainder are incinerated in the basement of the museum.As a school group on an excursion enters the museum, two boys, skipping school for the day, sneak into the museum unnoticed, and hide. Alone in the museum after closing, they notice a bad smell in a basement stairwell, and discover the body of a Security Guard (Jophery C. Brown), which alerts the authorities to a killer on the loose. The guard has been beheaded and his brain removed by the killer.While an investigation gets underway, led by Lt. Vincent D'Agosta, the stone artifact found inside the crates is gradually restored by a technician (Lynn A. Henderson), for the new "Superstition" exhibit. It is revealed later to be a depiction of the mythical "Kathoga". As Albert Frock explains, Kathoga was a Chimera - a mythical creature that combined various animals into one.The coroner Dr. Zwiezic (Audra Lindley) examines the beheaded corpse of the Security Guard, with D'Agosta present, and discovers the victim's brain weighs less than it should. It appears to be missing the hypothalamus and pituitary glands. D'Agosta later finds out the beheaded victims on board the cargo ship were also missing the same parts of their brains.As police continue to search the museum for the killer, a homeless man, living in the cavernous basement, is shot and killed by accident. When he turns out to be a convicted rapist and felon, the museum's head of security is satisfied. But D'Agosta isn't convinced. There is still no explanation for the missing hypothalamuses, or, the deaths aboard the cargo ship. But with the Mayor of Chicago (Robert Lesser) and his wife (Diane Robin) due to attend the opening night gala as guests of honor, D'Agosta bows to pressure and lets the event go ahead, but insists on heavy police presence.As the gala gets underway, Margo analyzes the leaves and discovers a link between the substance on them and the human hypothalamus. The red substance contains a concentrated dose of the same hormones secreted by the hypothalamus, enough to cause rapid mutation in animals or insects that feed on it. When a beetle gets inside the container where the leaves are stored, it grows to the size of a rat, overnight. Margo shows her findings to Dr Albert Frock, who assists with her analysis of the beetle's DNA. He subscribes to a theory called the "Calysto Effect" - a sudden jump in evolution which results in an aberrant species.Meanwhile, D'Agosta orders a search of the subterranean tunnels and old sewage system under the museum, which links up with the docks. Something in the tunnel kills a search dog and his handler, so D'Agosta orders Detective Hollingsworth back to the museum to evacuate the guests. But it's too late.As the VIPs finally enter the Superstition exhibit, the killer strikes again, setting off a panic. The security system locks down the museum, trapping almost everyone inside. While police try to break in and helicopters lower a SWAT Team onto the roof, D'Agosta orders the remaining guests into the tunnels, which lead to the outside.The Blaisedales elect to stay behind in the museum's main exhibit hall, along with the ambitious Greg Lee and the head of security. But they soon become victims of the Kathoga, which finally reveals itself. As the SWAT Team drops into the hall, they too are killed by the beast, which climbs walls and uses giant pincers to sever their heads.Locked in another wing of the museum, Margo and Dr Albert Frock discover the origin of the beast, which is a hybrid of insect, reptile and various other animals, including one human being - the missing John Whitney. As the Kathoga, he must consume huge quantities of the hormones found in the human hypothalamus, to survive.Finding Margo alive and Dr Frock dead, D'Agosta asks Margo how to kill the beast. They try unsuccessfully to freeze it in the tunnel, using liquid nitrogen, then flee back to the lab. D'Agosta orders Margo to lock herself in, while he goes after the beast, but the Kathoga outwits them and drops through the roof of the lab. While D'Agosta is locked on the other side of a metal door, Margo incinerates the Kathoga when she blows up her lab, using flammable chemicals as fuel, while hiding inside a metal container filled with water.

Tags: violence

Review:
It sets things up nicely before the chase, it doesn't throw in a romantic angle just for the sake of throwing it in, the two leads, Penelope Ann Miller(remember when she was in big movies?) and Tom Sizemore, are both good, and once the chase starts, it's gripping.
Admittedly, there are some flaws; having read the novel first, I knew how the creature came to be, which robbed some suspense(and while I appreciate that they had to take a shortcut to explain things, this was a little TOO short), while the photography needed to be dark, it was too dark at times, and Miller's colleague Greg(I forget the actor's name) veered uncomfortably close to stereotype.
Peter Hyam's "The relic" is a atmospheric, sinister, dark horror movie that scared the hell out of me!
It had some cheesiness - including the computer junk - so it doesn't rate a ten, but it was certainly a pretty darn good horror flick.One great thing about it is that they knew where and how to end it.
When the same `evolution' attacks during the gala setting off the security alarms and locking down the museum it becomes a fight for survival and escape.When this came out in the cinema I felt that that was not the best place to see a film like this and decided to wait for video or TV.
However as a video you perhaps have a lower expectation and then this film is a nice little surprise.It is without it's own style or ideas but it is an effective monster movie which, in a nutshell, is really what it is.
The film follows the traditional formula of all these types of things  monster loose, location sealed or remote, characters separated and picked off in the order you expect until the hero gets the better of it.
How long do you think he'll last!?Despite this and other clichés the film is good enough to watch as long as you know what you are getting  it is certainly better than a lot of the creature feature movies you can get at your video store and the mood produced by the director in all that darkness helps it along nicely.
The story is awesome and imaginative, like the ancient relic and the lost tribe that makes a drink with some leaves that further in the film we see that those leaves carry a red fungus that contain lots of different animal hormones.
I wouldn't say that the film offers intelligent acting or dialogue, but in truth, not many B-movies do, so if you are like me, you will let it slip and enjoy the film for what it is, a deliciously eerie, and slick monster flick..
Tom Sizemore and Penelope Ann Miller are great together in THE RELIC, a must-see for all fans of horror and action adventures.Linda Hunt and James Whitmore are also good as supporting cast members.
This movie is one of the better horror films of the last five years as it is very original, taking a traditional plot and giving it a new touch.
Director Peter Hyams (the guy behind END OF DAYS) has done well, creating a masterpiece of modern horror that is liable to stay within your memory long after you are done watching it.THE RELIC: 5/5..
With some of the dire, drab and boring horror movies which are getting good credit and reviews it was nice to jump in a time machine, thanks to terrestrial television (and the Horror Channel), and see how horror should be done.This was a breath of fresh air especially after watching The Babadook.Though there's a lot of action in the film and a smidgen of science fiction there's more elements of horror.
The scene where the beast catches a member of the S W A T team while he's running away and pulls his head off his body is awesome; this would have been spectacular to see on the big screen and one of the reasons I prefer wet-work over CGI in effects.Though there are no big name actors in the film they still give credible performances.
The only one that partially hams it up is Chi Muoi Lo, who plays Dr Grant Lee, his character is meant to be annoying but Lo does tend to go over the top; luckily enough he's not in the movie much.This is an enjoyable horror film which romps away joyously in the action sequences and slows to a creepier pace in the suspenseful scenes.
This film speaks to more than just horror movie fans and I would definitely recommend this to everyone to watch just once..
I have never read the book - although I am planning to once I get a spare minute - but from what I see here it should be one hell of a read!From the outset, The Relic appears like any other monster movie.
Although much of the jargon is probably a mess to any big scientist, here it works well and gives the whole movie a very sophisticated edge that too regularly monster thrillers decide to throw to the ground in favour of multiple deaths.A perfect balance of character development and full-on horror is evident in The Relic.
Penelope Anne Miller, like so many of today's horror movie heroines, created an incredibly smart and instantly likeable woman who is sensible but fun - do I sense a touch of Laurie Strode in her?
With her, Tom Sizemore (who looks like something of a cheap George Clooney replacement!) is great with his pithy and quick-as-a-whip remarks, and his superstition is a pretty cool aspect which adds depth and feeling to his role as well as the film.It's surprising that The Relic has as much clever characterisation as it does, as it is set - excepting the opening sequence - entirely in the Chicago Natural History Museum.
And the final twist of the movie is one that jumps at the audience in such a right-field manner that it makes an excellent final shock which leads to a breath-taking climax.VERDICT A clever, quick-witted monster-chiller with a great lead and some dazzling special effects.
This party is the film's climax and involves Frock, D'Agosta and Green trying to kill the monster while Dr. Cuthbert, the Mayor and several guests and police attempt to wade through chest deep water in dark tunnels under the museum in order to escape (but of course there's something in the water).
This just might be the best monster movie I have ever seen, with a believable and action-packed story, good acting and thrilling special effects - thrilling because they bring something thrilling to life; the monster.
Released in 1997, "The Relic" stars Penelope Ann Miller and Tom Sizemore as a biologist and detective in Chicago who team up after a series of brutal deaths at the Chicago museum where the former works.
James Whitmore, Linda Hunt and Chi Muoi Lo co-star as scientists at the museum.This is a gory monster movie made with a whopping budget and an intriguing sci-fi concept concerning the creature, but it's hindered by bad lighting and bland characters.
Nevertheless, there are some legitimate scares, the kills are utterly savage and the monster, location and sets are good.The film runs 110 minutes and was shot at the awesome Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, with interior/studio work done in Los Angeles.GRADE: C+.
The monster is best as unseen growls and shadows for the first half of the movie.It's a creature from the great Stan Winston.
A homicide detective (Tom Sizemore) and an anthropologist (Penelope Ann Miller) try to destroy a South American lizard-like god, who is on a people eating rampage in a Chicago museum.I love this film because it is humorous and there is some bizarre obsession with various kinds of coffee (mocha, espresso and latte all get mentioned at different times).
And that is before it turns into a monster movie.Ebert said it "combines the conventions of the horror and disaster genres" and "is actually a lot of fun, if you like special effects and gore." Siskel called it "surprisingly entertaining", and even Leonard Maltin had to say the monster "is especially impressive." Yet, the film allegedly cost 60 million and only made 33 million at the box office, making it a flop.
For what the special effects technology lacked in those days, the actual murder scenes showing the remains of dead persons (and there aren't that many in this movie) are not realistic or scary.
Also I stayed on to the end because the main characters were interesting to watch - they all had like very distinct, strong personalities - not always likable or pleasant people, but a bit eccentric, quirky, rude, irritating at times.
It is well shot, in a museum of all places, by Peter Hyams who keeps the monster well hidden through dark corridors and mood lighting (in fact pretty much the whole film is set in the dark).
Sizemore is the best part of the film, Miller is okay and Hunt is okay but the effects are the best part of the movie, mostly because it gave me a vision of the monster.
Much like gimmicky camera tricks or abuse of slow-motion (I'm looking at you John Woo) can ruin a movie, the overly dark nature of so many shots just leaves you sitting there wish you could tell what the hell was going on.I will say, possibly watching it on a larger screen, or a better quality television (mine is a 32" Sony LCD, nothing fancy) might mitigate lighting issues a bit, I don't know.Overall, its an OK movie for the genre that is partially ruined by not being able to tell what the hell is going on..
D'Agosta and Green make this discovery a bit late; the gala has begun and there's something lurking in the coal tunnels beneath the museum.That sounds like a recipe for a decent, derivative monster movie, doesn't it?
I remember to see this in 1997 in video rental and like it a lot,The movie is extremely entertainment,great special effects (even now look awesome),great cast, and of course a great director.One of the things that i like it is that the movie don't spend time looking for explanations of where the monsters come from o why is a monster,The movie is about to get out of there alive.That's why the movie works very well because is not spend time in stupid things,like love story or background of the characters.The cast is good:Tom sizemore like always a great actor,Penelope ann miller beautiful and very convincing actress.But of course the one who steal the movie is the monster.Master of special effects Stan Winston (R.I.P.)make another great work give us a very incredible monster.See it don't ask questions!
Tough cop Lt. Vincent D'Agosta (Tom Sizemore) and beautiful evolutionary biologist Dr. Margo Green (Penelope Ann Miller) risk their thalami and hypothalami to do battle with the beast.The Relic is a formulaic monster-on-the-loose movie full of stereotypical characters, predictable plot developments, and scientific gobbledygook (the exposition might have made sense in the novel, but it is rather sketchy here), but despite the over familiarity of the material, the film still has enough going for it to make it a blast for avid creature feature fans.
Peter Hyams handles the direction in his usual technically proficient manner, making good use of his creepy setting (some reviewers complain that the film is poorly lit, but I had no problem with that), delivering plenty of atmosphere, tension, excitement, and well staged scares along the way.
Top notch effects also add immensely to the overall enjoyment factor: designed by Stan Winston, the creature is an impressive creation brought to life with practical models and limited use of CGI (which still holds up pretty well), and, once the film kicks into top gear, the gore is graphic and frequent, not a lot of time going by without someone having their head ripped from their body.
I quite enjoyed this movie, although it was a bit dark, there could've been more lighting.Aside from that, I found the story to be rather good, nice and scary, etc.
This movie, like any I've ever seen by director Peter Hyams, isn't an always-to-be-remembered classic, but the ride is fun for the time you stay on it.
The cliches are all in place:Hero and heroineLots of victimsWeird genetical mutation hybrid let loose in a confined areaAll hell breaks looseIt might sound like ALIEN and I think that's the point.Tom Sizmore, as always, is great.The special effects at the end are rather shoddy, but it retains the feel of those cheesy "classic" B-movies, with a slightly larger budget, set in modern times.Not a great film, but a good B-movie homage with some good scenes, tense action, decent acting (given the sort of film this is) and just plain fun stuff to be enjoyed by anyone looking for brainless "popcorn entertainment."Recommended, surprisingly.3/5.
The actors in the film are Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, Linda Hunt and James Whitmore.The non-human star is created by Oscar-winner:Stan Winston is a impressive mix of live action and CGI.
The story did seem to be original, but at the end it works out as any "monster loose in a closed/survival film".It does have action and does in a way entertain the audience.
The monster effects are horrifying, Linda Hunt is in good form in a solid performance, the script is better then usual, and the director gives the film a handsome look and always manages to keep things tight, fast paced and scary.Rated R; Extreme Violence & Profanity..
However this is the horror movie I was most entertained by and the one I like to watch numerous times.
But "The Relic" does kill time easily enough, and should be adequately entertaining for creature feature junkies.The description ""Alien" in a museum" is apt, as the story deals with an enormous, continuously evolving form of life that makes its home in the bowels of the Natural History Museum in Chicago.
Can superstitious cop Lt. Vincent D'Agosta (Sizemore) and evolutionary biologist Dr. Margo Green (Miller) get to the bottom of the mystery before it's too late?.One from the bunch of creature feature movies that surfaced in the 1990s, The Relic may not win prizes for originality of plotting, but it scores high for tension and gloopy fun.
Tom Sizemore and Penelope Ann Miller star in this feature of a mutant monster that goes on a killing rampage in Chicago's Natural History Museum, then disappears in the shadows of the museum's underground chambers and tunnels, lying in wait as rescue parties search for a way out of the building to safety.
"The Relic" is for me the most coolest monster movie I've ever seen.Penelope Ann Miller did a great job as the leading star of the movie, Tom Sizemore did an excellent job as the co-lead and Clayton Rohner did very good as another co-lead.
In addition I also liked James Whitmore, who also starred in one of my favorite horror classic movies of all time, THEM.
What i saw in this film was something others do not it just has something that other B-horror movies out there it rushes though like nothing has done before.
I was disappointed, as I was expecting a good sci-fi horror movie, when all I ended up seeing was a bunch of people mingling around with no real plot.
This movie was a waste of time to watch and only at the end did you see the monster, which could have been Godzilla for all I know because the lighting effects were very dark and you couldn't see the monster or the characters very well at times.
Possibly, that was a good thing.Read the book for a great story and then rent the movie for a great disappointment..
In case you thought this film was good - read this: The Relic is BAD..
Very graphic too.The Relic is a great time of a monster horror movie..
The predator has eaten a special leave that grows in South America, and is evolving on its own while eating away all the people it comes in contact with.It's one of those movies that thing happens mostly in the dark, and you don't see the monster.
Nothing beats a big bad monster chopping off museum-guest heads and eating up their brains.The movie is filled with a couple of good moments and the right sort of dark atmosphere but just when the movie heats up, it's already over again.
It's not a flawless film by any means, and it's not as intelligent or as engrossing as the book by authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, but it's a decent monster movie with some very good special effects.
Despite this one, admittedly major gripe, the film was serviceable enough and a fun b-movie creature-feature IF you haven't read the far superior book before hand.
This movie was filmed in the dark because the special effects crew could not be bothered to do a decent job on the Kothoga.
it really not too bad of a movie, so long as you've never read the book, both books are excellent, I had great hopes for the movie, the effects were wonderfully done, though wrong, the acting was good, though whom ever scripted the movie changed way too much, to the point it would be impossible to do the second book, but all in all it is a decent movie, watch it, then read the book, if you read the book first you're not going to like the movie, sad really, the monster was well done, though absolutely like nothing it was supposed to be, there were several key scenes from the book that were missing, and the second most important person in both books was missing all together, I would like to see this movie remade, maybe they'll get it right this time....
The main characters(Penelope Ann Miller and Tom Sizemore) really spoil the movie.