‘I’m not taking the fall for this fiasco, I can tell you that…’
I’ve never much liked monster movies. Godzilla does nothing for me. King Kong leaves me cold. Heck, and I know this is outrageous, but I actually think Jaws is a little overrated. That being said, I do love the Alien franchise and anything related to Predator, and just like Species, ’90s monster movie sci-fi mash-up The Relic feels closer to Alien than it does to anything else…
Lt. Vincent D’Agosta (Tom Sizemore) rampages through Chicago on the trail of a mysterious killer. Meanwhile, a cynical and world-weary anthropologist (Penelope Ann Miller) also attempts to solve the increasingly labyrinthine mystery of the ever-increasing dead.
Now, if I’m being honest, there are two reasons to watch The Relic. The first is the monster effects. Despite being wisely kept in shadow for much of the movie, when the monster is finally revealed at the end it doesn’t disappoint. The second is Tom Sizemore. I mainly know Sizemore from Saving Private Ryan (in which he is also excellent) but I don’t understand after watching this film how he doesn’t have a long and storied career as a leading man. He’s hilarious. He sells the hell out of some pretty dodgy dialogue. The camera loves him. It’s a truly great performance. Aside from the aforementioned and a solid performance from Miller, there is little going on here to recommend The Relic.
Fans of Alien and its various rip-offs will find plenty to enjoy here. General cinema fans will no doubt appreciate Sizemore as I did. Other than that this is one that it’s ok to miss.