Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Relic Blu-ray Movie Review

The adult version of Night at the Museum arrives on Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner April 18, 2010

The Relic is a 1997 film adaptation of a 1995 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Directed by Peter Hyams (2010, End of Days, The Presidio), the film struggled to make a profit during its initial theatrical run, despite similarities to sci-fi themed hits such as Alien and The Thing. For anyone unfamiliar with Hyams’ other work, he’s well known in Hollywood for his unorthodox span of control over the actual filming of his productions, often serving as both director and cinematographer. In many ways, this style would seem quite natural in the delivery of a final product that closely resembles the director’s vision, but it still runs contrary to the typical practice on most film crews. I’d imagine the majority of young cinematographers hope the Hyams model of filmmaking never gains traction.

Anyone interested in some pickled chicken legs?

The Relic begins with the discovery of an ancient artifact in the jungles of Brazil. Assuming the statue will attract large crowds at an upcoming “Superstition” exhibit at the Museum of Natural History in Chicago, a researcher transports the statue and a ship full of other artifacts to the museum curator. Upon its arrival in Chicago harbor, the police board the drifting cargo ship and find corridors drenched in blood. When a search for the crew reveals zero signs of life, Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta (Tom Sizemore) is put on the case. Meanwhile, at the museum located a short stretch inland from the harbor, Dr. Margo Green (Penelope Ann Miller) stumbles onto a crate that happened to miss the boat with the rest of the artifacts. Specializing in DNA research, the doctor begins experimenting with the packing leaves located in the crate, and discovers tiny circular specimens covering the leaves. The following morning, havoc spreads through the normally quiet interior of the museum, when a headless security guard turns up in the men’s bathroom, and a pair of delinquent boys trapped overnight in the museum insist they were chased by something or someone. Believing the circumstances in the museum could be linked to the fate of the crewmembers aboard the ship in the harbor, D’Agosta is called in to investigate the gruesome murder. Teaming up with Dr. Margo Green, he soon discovers a link between their individual investigations, and follows a trail of breadcrumbs leading to a horrific discovery.

As entertaining as The Relic may be, it will always remain a flawed film in my eyes. The basic premise is certainly entertaining, and there are multiple elements that make it a pleasure to watch every now and again, but there are a handful of negatives lying just below the surface to remind us exactly how inferior the film truly is. I’ll dig into the problematic areas later, but I’d like to begin by mentioning several reasons you should watch the film. First, the acting by Tom Sizemore and Penelope Ann Miller is much better than you’d expect from a horror film. The rest of the cast performs admirably as well, but the two leading roles are given a significant amount of screen time that’s never wasted. Second, any fan will tell you the creature effects courtesy of the late Stan Winston are nearly flawless in their design and incorporation. Despite not showing the main star of the film until the final 30 minute stretch (more on that later), the wait is well worth it once the beast finally emerges from the shadows. The third positive element worth mentioning is the overall storyline explaining the appearance of the creature. Though I’ve never read the original novel, the idea behind the utilization of the creature in ancient tribal superstition, and the manner in which it resurfaces is a fantastic basis for a monster film. That doesn’t necessarily mean the story is handled well within the construct of the film’s screenplay, but at least there’s more than a superfluous explanation for the events that transpire.

As much as I’d like to endorse The Relic as a rousing edge-of-your-seat thriller, breaking down the positives and negatives simply don’t add up. Most horror fans have come to expect a delayed introduction of the main antagonist in an effort to build continuous suspense. I have no problem endorsing a belief that the unknown is often more frightening than what you can see, but that theory doesn’t hold water in this particular circumstance. Part of the problem should likely be pinned on the relatively low body count through the first half of the film, but even when the kills ratchet up a notch, they only generate a moderate degree of tension. Another key flaw in the film is the plodding nature of the story elements, which often emphasize elements of little importance and gloss over the profound twists in the plot. Anytime you see four writing credits attached to the screenplay, it sends up enough red flags to cause concern, and could indicate a lack of cohesion between the multiple writers. If you watch The Relic and pay close attention to the storyline as it unfolds, you’ll begin to notice plenty of missed opportunities in leaving a lasting impact on the viewer. Perhaps the novel suffers a similar fate and I’m being unfair to the writing team behind the screenplay, but I can’t get past the nagging feeling that something was lost during the adaptation.

Finally, there’s one aspect of the film with tremendous potential to divide viewers. As you can tell from the screenshots throughout this review, The Relic is probably the darkest film in the history of the medium. Some people don’t mind this stylistic approach from Hyams, since it helps maintain sufficient intensity during the latter half of the film. However, if you intend to watch The Relic during daytime hours in a room that lacks adequate light control, there’s a good chance the best segments of the film will remain nearly impossible to make out. Therefore, I’d suggest you carefully evaluate the proficiency of your display or viewing area, and consider your threshold for dark cinema prior to making a purchase decision.

The Relic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 18Mbps), The Relic is destined to remain a victim of director/cinematographer Peter Hyams stylistic trappings. A large portion of the film was captured with little more than a single indirect light, leaving many scenes shrouded in absolute darkness. This may seem a touch off-putting to a certain segment of the viewing population, but I was thrilled by the lack of artificial brightness-boosting within the image, and the resulting decision to leave Hyam's original vision intact. If you're still concerned about the overly-dark nature of the film, I'd encourage you to focus on the depth of blacks and the subtle differentiation in the dark shades of the film. Furthermore, with a film of this nature one would expect the occasional presence of black crush in large patches of similar shading. Thankfully, this is never an issue on The Relic, demonstrating a high level of proficiency in avoiding transfer-related shortcomings not present in the original source material. Unfortunately, my gushing assessment of the release must end here. Digging into other aspects of the transfer, we're given varying levels of fine object detail, with distance shots often faring the worst. Coloring is vibrant when given the chance to shine, but since the majority of the film is drenched in a cloak of darkness, expect black to be the dominant color. Lastly, I noticed a couple of off-putting shots around the five minute mark of the film, during the nighttime harbor scene. If you look to the left side of your screen, you'll notice distinct blurring in every detail. I'm not sure if this was present on the prior DVD release (I don't own a copy for comparison), but whether it's a problem in the source elements or the transfer, the issue is worth pointing out.

The Relic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Regardless of how you feel regarding the visual style of the film, the lossless 7.1 audio track leaves little room for complaint. With a film like The Relic, it's inevitable we'll eventually be treated to a healthy dose of monster mayhem, so putting up with the dialog-heavy set-up merely paves the way for what's to come. Once the big reveal finally takes place, the audio mix transforms into an assault on your eardrums with a take-no-prisoners approach. From the subtlety of the creature wheezing in the darkness, to the bombastic rumble of its every footstep, you'll find yourself sitting in the heart of the action, with walls crumbling and glass crashing all around you. Fortunately, the sound effects in the mix aren't the only element with impressive sound design. The dialog is replicated with excellent clarity, and the musical score is used sparingly to enhance mounting tension. Every element is accurately balanced with one another, and I never detected unintentional hiss, pop, or crackle in the source elements. In the end, this is one of the more enjoyable audio tracks I've heard in recent months, and continues Lionsgate's growing push toward offering an additional two channels on budget-busting catalog releases.

The Relic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Filmmaker's Lens: An Interview with Peter Hyams (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 10:10 min): This thought-provoking interview with the director of The Relic provides an interesting perspective on becoming a filmmaker and the intricacies of working with actors, while adding thoughts on the use of shadows/darkness to create suspense during a horror film.

Rounding out the extras, we have a standard definition theatrical trailer for The Relic, a preview of other Blu-ray releases from Lionsgate, and a feature-length audio commentary with Peter Hyams. The newly recorded commentary track is extremely interesting from a technical perspective, since Hyams spends the majority of the runtime commenting on subjects such as the effects of lighting on audience emotions, difficulties in capturing specific shots, and the themes he incorporated throughout the film.

The Relic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're able to move past the mediocrity of the overall production, and make it long enough to enjoy the fleeting moments of visceral entertainment in the closing minutes of the film, there's a good chance The Relic will make a nice addition to your collection. For those who've remained long-time fans of the film and simply need a recommendation on the quality improvements offered on the Blu-ray version, I'm pleased to report this is a worthy upgrade over the prior DVD release, and looks fantastic on a well-calibrated display. Just be sure to warn your neighbors before the audio effects rattle your walls.