This is one wacko horror movie. Guillermo Del Toro, who has now become one of our greatest directors, made this unnoticed masterpiece without much hoopla. It is the story of Jesus Gris and his family. He is a kindly grandpa who runs a curio shop. Inside one of the angel statues is a metal scarab which has magical powers. The beginning of the film tells of an alchemist who discovered a way to immortality. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay to keep the body going. There are incredible images in this film. Cronos, of course, is the god (sometimes known as Saturn) of time. There are images of time all over this. Even the turning of the gears like in a watch whenever the scarab fixes itself is an image of time. And, of course, time is the enemy of us all and is the enemy of the adversaries in this film. Ron Perlman is the scene stealer her in all of his craziness, playing a sociopath who cottons to everything his master does (his master is terminally ill) hoping to receive his master's wealth eventually. There are touching scenes with the little girl, Aurora and Mercedes, the wife. But all in all this is something that once seen will never be forgotten. I wonder if it started out as a nightmare.

This is apparently Guillermo del Toro's first full-length film and while it's a bit rough, it also is highly creative and different. However, because it is so visceral, bloody and violent, it is NOT a film for everyone.

"Cronos" begins with an odd prologue. It seems that centuries ago an alchemist came up with some strange device--and it was able to bestow eternal life.

The film now switches to the present. An old man and his granddaughter have found a weird metal device--the same one created by this alchemist. However, they have no idea what its purpose is and how to make it work. By accident, the old man is able to activate it-and it pierces him--causing a lot of pain and blood. Oddly, however, he soon begins to feel better and look younger--and feels a strong need to try the device again.

In the meantime, a rich and nasty old sick guy has somehow found out about the device the old man's discovery--and he's sent his sociopathic nephew (Ron Perlman) to get that device.

There is LOTS more to the story than this---and it gets really weird, violent and bloody. However, I saw it described as a 'vampire' movie and this really is a MAJOR over-simplification. There's a lot more to it than this--and you just have to see it to understand. I won't say more--you'll have to see it...really.

The film is wildly creative and cool, but as I said, it's not for everyone. It's not exactly a horror film in the traditional sense and it is excellent.

By the way, what's with Ron Perlman? He's carved out an interesting niche appearing in the oddest assortment of international films. Now I am NOT complaining--just marveling at his film projects as they are so incredibly varied. Here, he's in a Mexican film but he's also done French films ("City of Lost Children"),films about the Russo-German conflict in WWII ("Enemy at the Gates")...and the Hellboy films! Talk about a man of multi-talents!

This vampire yarn is successful because of its unusualness - it has a certain kind of style which stops it becoming boring, even though it's a case of seen-it-all-before. This similar artistry from foreign directors in recent years has also stopped THE FIFTH ELEMENT, LEON, and even ALIEN RESURRECTION from being totally irredeemable. Unfortunately, while CRONOS was made out to be this big, original splash from a previously unheard-of director, it's not as brilliant as you might think, as a lack of originality and thoroughness of ideas make it become fairly average (I found the same to be true with the same director's MIMIC),but still a breath of fresh air for a dead genre.

Guillermo del Toro brings something special to this film, there's no denying that. There's a warmth to the central characters involved which acts like a breath of fresh air, when we see the human spirit shining through the darkness. The idea of the Cronos device is clever, and it's a brilliantly designed little creation, a bit like HELLRAISER's puzzle box but more sophisticated and stylish. Other concepts such as a vampire shedding his skin add to the bizarreness of this film, but ultimately it is the human players who dominate the proceedings.

Luppi is wonderful as the old man who has to struggle with the strange urges filling his body as he becomes addicted to the device. He portrays a mixture of disgust and lust at his actions (the scene where he licks blood off the floor in desperation springs to mind) in a skilled manner. Ron Perlman enjoys himself in a wowzer role as a heavy, making his character funny, human and difficult to dislike. Indeed the other actors involved - Brook as the desperate old man, Isabel as the daughter - do their best to bring their own idiosyncrasies to the proceedings, giving this film an odd and very real edge.

The only flaw is in the climax, which drags things out into an old goodie vs. baddie battle to the death, the likes of which are hardly original. Also I disliked the inconclusive ending which manages to be arty and anti-climatic at the same time. As a recent horror film that doesn't rely on gore (there is little) and captures some of the old magic that Mario Bava and Dario Argento used to fill their films with, this proves to be both thoughtful and interesting - providing you're in the right mood, that is. Ever see a curate's egg? This is the one for you.