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Review: Tomorrow turns out to be a living hell—just like watching Mutant Chronicles
It's hard to recommend The Mutant Chronicles for any reason, but if you're interested at all, it's indisputably best to see it on the big screen. Initially released via Video on Demand, the film is not available in all areas in a widescreen format, and even high-definition digital cable fails to do favors for its already dubious special effects.
Then again, the tradeoff is that at home you and your buddies can all watch for one low price, while at the movies all of you lose money buying individual tickets. Because writ small or large, Simon Hunter's 23rd-century adventure is a disastrous bit of uninspired imagination that reminds genre fans of better films instead of surpassing them, and makes one long for the comparatively straightforward incompetence of filmmakers like Uwe Boll.
Written by Philip Eisner (Event Horizon), The Mutant Chronicles follows Maj. Mitch Hunter (Thomas Jane), a classically cool soldier whose resolve is tested when he is sent on a suicide mission to destroy a machine that is turning Earth's human population into claw-fisted mutants. Collaborating with a ragtag group of warriors and misfits under the watchful eye of Brother Samuel (Ron Perlman), Hunter and company descend into the hellish underworld of the mutants, only to discover that the line between man and monster is thin indeed.
Quite frankly, there are so many clichés written into this story that it's hard to know where to begin deconstructing it. The opening scene, a gritty battle sequence stripped straight from Saving Private Ryan, evokes casual heroism and battlefield regret, both of which undoubtedly become a big part of Hunter's future motivation. From there, Brother Samuel delivers an impassioned speech to convince his bureaucratic superior (a sleepwalking John Malkovich) to allow a small, hand-picked team to make a last-ditch effort to save Earth. It is then disputable whether the multicultural ensemble of soldiers qualifies as lazy tokenism or the film's sole creative inspiration, but rest assured there are at least one woman, black, Latino and Asian among Hunter's gun-toting colleagues.
The remainder of the film essentially plays out like the second and third acts of Aliens, where the soldiers find themselves increasingly encircled by monstrous adversaries, although the mutants never quite seem fearsome enough. Perhaps it's because they are largely silent, or because their only reason for existing is to impale people's faces with those spiky hands of theirs, but they offer little or nothing in the way of a real enemy for our heroes, even when they are occasionally gifted with the power of thought or speech. Meanwhile, the political parallels and cultural metaphors fly fast and easy as we are reminded yet again that mankind is equally if not more destructive than these mutants, and that our wars are irrelevant in the face of more formidable problems—uh, like alien machines that gestate in the earth until they're activated by our cross-continental battles.
That said, the film does have a few satisfyingly crass scene payoffs, including when a kid dies and the ship that he's flying on explodes into a group of waiting refugees. But given the fact that we're supposed to be fretting for humanity's future, it's probably a bad thing that we're gleefully enjoying such wanton, reckless destruction. Then again, those are the film's only moments of originality or invention—not counting its unique distribution model—which is why it's best to take what little enjoyment one can from its mishmash of hackneyed formulas and get out while you still can. Ultimately, The Mutant Chronicles is barely flash and absolutely no substance, full of bad CGI and empty of good ideas, which is why it really doesn't matter where or how you see it, because no matter what the format, presentation or circumstance, it just doesn't work.
By maglore at 7:58 AM ON 04/24/09
I thought they said that they did not use CGI and did it all old school.
I thought it was a good movie.
By maglore at 8:00 AM ON 04/24/09
They didnt use CGI they did it all old school!!
By malohombre at 8:23 AM ON 04/24/09
Why do most sci-fi movie reviews sound like they're being torn apart by the comic book guy from The Simpsons?
By REDante at 10:14 AM ON 04/24/09
Ive saw the movie a looong time ago, last year actually, theres a reason why its been on shelf and then just dumped. Whatever you might think of this review trith is its right. The monsters are all the same and not really scary, everyone of a different race is cliche, the fx cgi or not while they have some cool angles make it look more like a tv movie. The reviewer isnt kidding hes just trying to make you save some money, the only person you like in this movie is ron pearlman, the way Thomas Jane is in this movie makes you wonder he shouldve played in the sequel to the punisher. So if you like the movie cool, but its still not worth seeing inthetres buy the dvd its on sale in europe and free in China.
By Al at 10:40 AM ON 04/24/09
Ouch. Lotta hate for a low budget flick that has been floating around for a while.
I saw this last year and thought it was good for what it was: It's a scifi flick with steampunk overtones, zombie aliens and religious warriors.
You were expecting maybe Star Trek?
By jtarheel at 11:19 AM ON 04/24/09
Never leave up to reviewers whether you will watch a movie or not. I can remember when Stars Wars first came out. A local reviewer panned it. I went to see it anyways and enjoyed it. So did a lot of other people.
By Chachs at 2:29 PM ON 04/24/09
The movie is not at all worth watching.
By Darcseid at 5:07 PM ON 04/24/09
I saw the Preview / Cast at the L.A. Horror CON and if the movie was as bad as the Cast Panel I won't be to surprised. They screened a SciFi movie at a Horror CON knowing no one would ever watch it. Especially bad was a cast member showing up blitzed and making a spectacle of himself and later trying to redeem himself..... The real Punisher would have shot him!!
By REDante at 12:12 AM ON 04/25/09
Ok, this movie could have groups of people digging it but the question is it really worth watch in theatres when you can pay less for the dvd or watch it free? 10 dollars to say, its ok but I couldve waited for the dvd.....so you like it then thats great, if you dont youre not alone, but I just say save your money, wtch it on the internet get the international dvd or just wait a couple of more months. Unless that money is coming from your parents then hey free movie, make sure they pay for the food as well now those prices are scifi....
By shroudedwolf at 2:11 AM ON 04/25/09
Sigh, few people understand anything about this movie apparently... I saw it a while back with no expectations. What a wash of surprise and enjoyment I received when it didn't turn out to be another churned out "big explostion, breasts, CGI!, barely a story" movie. The movie is meant to be stylized, like Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow. The movie is meant to be campy, it's a MUTANT ZOMBIE MOVIE. The story is cohesive from plot point to plot point, the action is fun and brutal, the characters are interesting..... But, oh well. I knew the movie would be a love/hate thing and I'm just happy to be a part of what will undoubtedly become one of those 'cult' followings of it. Cheers!
By xGORDOx at 11:34 AM ON 04/25/09
Ahh Shroudedwolf, still trying to make excuses for this trash huh?
This movie is garbage and even a bad review on SciFi Wire after it's pre release praise won't convince you that it's a terrible film.
Were you on the crew or something? You must be a plant to even speak praise outload for this film.
By Kabir at 3:45 PM ON 04/25/09
Low budget but enjoyed the movie a lot.
By Wofltech at 11:31 PM ON 04/25/09
I played the game years ago, and like the world setting. I think they did ok with the story. It is certainly better than some movies that have come out in the last several years. I enjoyed it. It is a decent B movie and better than 90% of the Saturday night Sci-Fi Channel movies... excuse me... SyFy channel (How moronic is that?).
By Raul at 1:38 PM ON 04/27/09
I appreciated for what it was. I liked the post-apocalyptic/steam punk look of it. Obviously it’s not a big budget movie. I’ll take it over this reality crap that gets shoved down our throats on primetime. The movie took me to another world, that’s all I wanted.
I’ll have another serving….
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Raul:
I appreciated for what it was. I liked the post-apocalyptic/steam punk look of it. Obviously it’s not a big budget ...More »