Mutant Chronicles - A Review

You might not have heard of Mutant Chronicles - I learned of it only because Netflix suggested it - but it's definitely worth a view, if only one. Mutant Chronicles is an earnest movie with a lot of heart and soul, it simply lacks... well, acting and writing.

But don't let me sell it short; Mutant Chronicles gets a passing grade on all fronts and even includes John Malkovich and one of his trademarked, offbeat, "alt-acting" performances at the beginning. The major problem with Mutant Chronicles is that the SFX are the star of the flick, and while absolutely jaw-dropping, they so completely overshadow even the sturdier performances and lines that it's hard to relate to the movie on any level above that of which you'd relate to a video game. In fact, that's exactly what I'd compare it to, and it's a strong comparison: only the interaction is lacking in what amounts to a "first-person shooter" of a flick.

Another issue Mutant Chronicles valiantly attempts to overcome, but fails, is its exposition: there's a lot of it, necessarily so, and it could not be dispensed with handily as it would have limited the SFX' screentime. The result is a choppy edit of stilted dialogue interspersed with seemingly disconnected scenes of violence and SFX meant to further the story, but which are really just EXPOSITION - in that big, bold type. Again, several of these scenes could have been delivered through heavy dialogue exchanges of the "I'm weary of this war, this world..." variety, but screenwriter, Philip Eisner, isn't up to the task; many of these "B" scenes could also have been shown independent of the scenes which they interrupt and accomplished a stronger narrative, but... Mutant Chronicles simply is what it is.

While anyone who includes Mutant Chronicles in their "Top 10" list should probably be shot on sight, the SFX are generally worth the price of admission, and the property would actually translate well into both comic book and RPG. But, if you are a video gamer, I'd just wait for that - if it isn't already out there.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010