Cronos is Guillermo del Toro's first feature film made in 1993. It is a creepy tale of a device hidden for centuries that can provide a form of eternal life. A gentle antiques dealer finds the device without knowing what he has discovered. There is a rich, terminally ill man that is sending his nephew (played very well by Ron Perlman) out to recover the gadget at any expense.
This movie definitively has the signature del Toro style. It is easily accessible and filled with imagination and mystery. The lead performances are a little to "Telemundo" for my liking, but the antique dealer has a granddaughter that he watches and she is fantastic in almost a totally silent performance.
I'm not sure of the budget for this movie but I am sure it was very low. That considering it looks fantastic! There are a couple CGI shots that show the inner workings of the mechanism that didn't really add that much to me. I thought at first that the makeup and other aging effect were going to be cheesy and distracting. After having watched the entire film, I was totally wrong. I think the money spent on the CGI could have been better used, but I don't think that the body makeup could have been any better. I wish Tim Burton would watch this film!
Cronos has very recently been reissued by The Criterion Collection on Blu Ray. I watched it on Netflix Streaming, but I heard it is packed with tons of extras. If you have enjoyed any of del Toro's other films (espically Pan's Labyrinth) I would say that it is a safe bet you would enjoy this film. I give Cronos a 3.5/5 stars. Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.
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