Rating: 
Summary: A New Bite On An Old Mythology
Review: A new vision of the vampire myth involving an insect trapped in a device that grants immortality (with a price of course), an innocent grandfather, his all but silent granddaughter, a human monster and his victimized nephew.
An elderly antiques shop owner, Jesus Gris, and his granddaughter, Aurora, discover an unusually device in a four hundred year old Archangel statue. Gris inadvertently triggers the device which begins a change in him that not only slowly makes him more youthful in look and energy but infects him with an addict's consuming fixation for blood. Unfortunately for Gris, he is not the only one with knowledge of the device's existence and power, and he becomes the target of the dying businessman De La Guardia's desire for immortality at any cost and his violent nephew Angel.
Loved this film! Loved it! I've always had a thing for vampires and I really enjoyed this new view of the vampire mythology. This isn't just a new story of vampirism though, it is also a tale of family. The love, devotion, and acceptance of family is beautifully shown through the grandfather Jesus and granddaughter Aurora, as is the dark side of family, with it's violence, abuse and victimization, as shown through the obsessed De La Guardia and his nephew Angel.
Ron Perlman is absolutely superb as Angel. He takes what could have been the average brute/thug character and gives him humor, depth, and the ability to evoke sympathy and, almost, forgiveness, from the audience. If you want to introduce a friend to Ron Perlman's work, consider doing so with this performance.
Frederico Luppi and the late Claudio Brooks are also entrancing in their performances as Jesus Gris and De La Guardia, respectively.
Favorite line (narration describing the death of the cronos device creator): "His skin was the color of marble in moonlight."
The DVD extras and commentary are wonderfully enjoyable in and of themselves (how they shot the interior of the cronos device and what happened to it later...eeeewwww, that the thirteen cronos devices used in the film were stolen on the last day of the shoot, that Ron Perlman did accidentally connect, fist to face, at one point with Frederico Luppi, etc). Guillermo Del Toro's commentaries are as spellbinding as his films.
Rating:
Summary: genious
Review: A re-telling the vampire idea, but with a totally different approach. Cronos definately doesn't have an "American feel" to it, and maybe thats what makes it work. It takes the idea that humans are selfish, always wanting to make our own life longer and more enjoyable, and it shows the extent some people will go to achieve this. just waiting for it to be released on dvd.. not holding my breath..
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and intriguing take on the vampire genre
Review: Before Guillermo del Toro came to Hollywood to make big budget thrillers such as Mimic and Blade II, he was in Mexico making movies that are truly unique and filled with tension. His directorial debut, Cronos, is a hugely original movie and take on the vampire theme. Guillermo also wrote the screenplay. The movie opens up with a narrator telling the story of an alchemist who made a metallic, beetle like device (the Cronos) that when placed against skin, has a scorpion like stinger that stabs the person and injects a tiny amount of bloody fluid. The injections cause the alchemist to live for centuries and only dies when he is in line at a bank in Vera Cruz during an earthquake and is crushed by falling debris. Some time later, an antique dealer, Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), discovers the Cronos device in the base of an old statue he has acquired. After wondering what the device might be for, he inadvertently sets it off and is pricked by it's stinger. The whole process of watching this happen is fascinating, and you are never quite sure if there is some sort of living insect inside the enclosure, thanks to Guillermo's David Lynch like photography and editing of the scene. Jesus soon discovers that he has more energy and feels more youthful than he has in ages. But unbeknownst to him, there is an evil and rich old man, Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) who has been searching for years for the device. He has tracked it down to Jesus' shop and sends his simple minded nephew, Angel de la Guardia (brilliantly portrayed by Ron Perlman), to get the statue that has stored in it, the Cronos device. When the statue turns up empty, Dieter instructs Angel to get the device at any cost. In the meantime, Jesus has become addicted to using the device. His young granddaughter has noticed him using it and decides for his own good to hide it from him. After spending time with her he realizes that maybe the sacrifices of the device, such as his wife not feeling as youthful as him, or his greedy and manic need to posses and have control of the device, are not worth the benefits. The story is not fast paced by any means, but the development of the characters is superb. There are also slow moving scenes with huge amounts of tension, in particular a scene where Jesus is at a party where someone had cut himself and cleaned up in the bathroom. Jesus finds himself drawn to the blood that had dripped on the floor and after slowly considering it and getting his face closer to it, he has his cheek against the floor and extends his tongue and licks up the drops! I have seen the video a couple times, but it is on DVD in region 2 PAL format only. The video is available in both subtitled and dubbed versions. I highly recalled the subtitles, because much of the dialogue is already in English. Ron Perlmans' character for example does not speak almost any Spanish. Perhaps now that Guillrmo del Toro is more well known in the US, we will get a region 1 NTSC release on dvd.
Rating:
Summary: Cronos dvd version has been raped !!!
Review: Buyers Warming
five stars for a very interesting and intriguing independent film. Now my complain:
Lions Gate got the rights for the distribution Cronos...but I don't believe that they also got the rights for editing and dubbing the introduction of the film. For those of you that aren't familiar with this flick, this is a Mexican film, there after the original language is spanish. The original movie started with a beautiful monologue in spanish that introduced an old enigmatic and important character. Like I said...the original monologue was in spanish, and now has been dubbed in english!!! then as the monologue finishes, the movie continues in its original spanish language. Can somebody explain me why??? This is completely insulting!!!!
This is my only complaint for the Dvd and the movie.
I won't write a review because everybody else have so it would be repetitive....but this movie is a must see for anymore interested in intelligent, visualistic and thought-provoking horror with unique and diferent twists in the Vampirism genre!
Rating:
Summary: A sad horror film that focuses on character not on slashers
Review: Guillermo Del Toro's modern Grimm's Fairy Tale "Cronos" focuses as much on character as it does horror. In many respects, it's a throw back to the horror comic books or movies he watched as a kid updated. Antiques dealer Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi) gets more than he bargains for when he covers a ornate gold "beetle" at the base of a decorative angel. He and his devoted granddaughter and wife discover the promise of immortality but also the horrible price one must pay when given a "gift" such as this.
Rich industrialist Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) has his brutish nephew Angel (Ron Perlman)searching for the device himself. Only Dieter knows about the history of the device, what it can do and the consquences of using it. When Jesus resists Dieter's offer for the device, it also puts his family in peril.
A rich, allegorical horror film that recalls the classic films of the 30's and 40's with its focus on character and the consquences of their actions at the expense of endless blood and gore, "Cronos" is a thoughtful, sad movie that demonstrated the considerable talents of Del Toro ("The Devil's Backbone", "Blade II", "Hellboy"). It's got its moments of gross out gore but Del Toro focuses his story on the delicate relationship between Jesus, his wife and granddaughter.
The film is presented with the original Spanish voiceover presented in English. After that, the film is a mix of Spanish and English as Dieter and Angel speak both sparingly throughout the film while Jesus and his family speak nothing but English. It would probably help to have on the subtitles if you don't speak English during the film as it switches back and forth pretty consistently.
The presentation and look of the DVD is very good capturing the nice textures and colors of the original film although it can't hold a candle to the high definition transfer of "The Devil's Backbone" that recently came out on DVD. Extras include an interview with Del Toro with clips from his very first short films made when he was a teenager up to and including his first 16mm production. There's also an interview with behind-the-scenes footage of Federico Luppi (a thoughtful and talented actor)from the production. There's also an Easter Egg included as well. Look for the Lion's Gate logo and click on it for a nice little surprise. We get a photo gallery and commentaries from both Del Toro and the film's producer. Del Toro's commentary is in English while the producer's commentary is in Spanish.
A haunting, atmospheric debut from Del Toro that deserves to be seen. It's not exactly a horror film (and why Del Toro is referred to as a horror film director is beyond me), it's more of a fantasy/suspense story with horror themes.
Rating: 
Summary: What a stinker!
Review: I couldn't find this film in the video stores so I bought a copy on the basis of the praise so may critics had for it. It was nearly unwatchable! I cannot believe this was considered an excellent film even as B grade films go.
Rating: 
Summary: moving and clunky
Review: I've only seen this film once, and have no intention of sitting through it again, but I suspect one would have to watch it more than twice to gain a comprehensive understanding of why the characters behave the way they do or some things take place at certain points in the plot the way they do.
The concept is fascinating and Del Toro had a great script to work with, but evidently he chose to make "Cronos" a mesh between humor and drama. The 'horror' in this film is at no point horrifying or scary. It's almost like a Walt Disney tale with way too much violence for kiddie viewing.
The loose plot is as follows: an alchemist invents a grisly, golden beetle type of device which can indefinitely prolong the life of the user. The only catch to this that the user basically dies while he or she is alive. (I wondered throughout watching it if heroin addiction is one the subtexts, but I doubt it.) The opening is reminiscent of Dario Argento, with a grand explanation by a baritone voiced narrator about the alchemist inventing the device and how he was found centuries later with the proverbial spike in his arm, ie, the golden beetle. It is a neat, sinister little device. Toys can't make the movie, though.
Jesus Gris, an aging old antique dealer, accidentally gets hold of the device and while fiddling around with it, is viciously gripped in it's razor vice. At fist he is merely startled and injured, but then notices that his face and physique have become more youthful. His small granddaughter, Aurora, starts to notice that the old man is becoming fixated on the object and wants more, more, more.
In a weird plot twist, a thuggish looking moron (Ron Perlman--why the HELL IS HE IN THIS MOVIE?) shows up looking for it courtesy of his creepy grandfather, Dieter De La Guardia. This cranky old screwball is rich and has been looking for the device for a long time. He has the "alchemist's instructions" on how to use it. At no point do we learn all that much about the rules of the device or what the instructions contain. (Spoilers, although if you don't read them, you've been warned.) Jesus is killed, resurrected, murders both De La Guardia and his grandson, and then dies. While rotting Jesus finds that he has an insatiable taste for human blood, refuses to live that way, and smashes the device in a fury which kills him.
I don't quite know what to make of this movie. Be clear on one thing; it ain't horror, or even fantasy, really. It's a kind of yucky fable about mortality. There's something mildly touching about it, perhaps the plight of Jesus' character, but nothing that warrants a second watch. I can't believe this movie won awards. Rent it if you're bored.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother
Review: Made in '97, in Mexico (which translates to roughly 1977 in Hollywood terms), this little diddy has two redeeming factors; Ron Perlman, and an original plot. Other than that I'm thinking why the hell did I see this.
The story is not bad: 400 years ago an alchemist figures a way to cheat death by creating a device (cronos) with a little cookarocha in it among other mechanisms. A weathy (and dying) De La Guardia seeks the device after obtaining a manuscript with precise instructions on how to use it. It's another twist on the vampire theme. Boo.
Rating:
Summary: Are you sure the DVD is not subtitled?
Review: That'd be a major mistake.
Anyway, the ONLY scary 'vampire' film I've ever seen and a great
addition to the 'horror' genre.
Ron 'The Hulk' Perlman in a pivotal role as the "...beast?" LOLS!
Truly not to be missed.
Hopefully it will be recognized again now that director Toro has released 'HELLBOY'.
***
(three stars) for the film. If the DVD is w/out subtitles know the stars are for the film only. The original acting shouldn't be ignored. Check the video stores for a subtitled version instead.
Rating:
Summary: Are you sure the DVD is not subtitled?
Review: That'd be a major mistake.
Anyway, the ONLY scary 'vampire' film I've ever seen and a great
addition to the 'horror' genre.
Ron 'The Hulk' Perlman in a pivotal role as the "...beast?" LOLS!
Truly not to be missed.
Hopefully it will be recognized again now that director Toro has released 'HELLBOY'.
***
(three stars) for the film. If the DVD is w/out subtitles know the stars are for the film only. The original acting shouldn't be ignored. Check the video stores for a subtitled version instead.
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