This movie was a request, luckily, it is mostly fun. “Mutant Chronicles” is loosely-based on a tabletop RPG, also called “Mutant Chronicles”. This is a sci-fi, post apocalyptic horror movie with steampunk elements and religious overtones. Considering it is an independent movie, that sure is a lot of things. With a who’s who of cult favorite names- including Thomas Jane and Ron Perlman- this gets cult cred straight off. But, the director only directed one thing a decade prior to this movie. So, does Simon Hunter, the director, get swallowed up in his ambition? Or does the movie work and prove an interesting look at an alternate future?

The plot is a bit convoluted, but I shall try my best to avoid spoilers-
In 2707, four corporations rule the Earth, and are in constant battle for her last natural resources. During a battle in Europe, an ancient machine- some 10,000 years old- long thought to be just a myth, is uncovered. The machine turns humans into mutants, who go out and bring back other humans to convert into mutants. Brother Samuel (Ron Perlman) creates a mercenary squad to destroy the machine consisting of Major Mitch Hunter (Thomas Jane), Corporal Valerie Duval (Devon Akoi), Captain Nathan Rooker (Sean Pertwee), and Lieutenant  Maximillian Von Steiner (Benno Furman). Are they successful? Do they become mutants themselves?

Few can make trench warfare feel different onscreen, because it has been shown so much (Speilberg recently spectacularly failed at this, with his unintentionally hilarious “Warhorse”), but the beginning Eastern European battle has a different flavor to it, and the hardcore action and death toll make for some cool visuals. Sadly, this is all unnecessary filler, as the exhaustive voice-over in the opening really could have covered it all in just a minute or two. Compare that to the twenty-ish it takes here, and the start is sadly boring. It seems like writer Phillip Eisner, probably best known for “Event Horizon”, struggles to introduce the audience to this world, and felt like we needed to know all the lead up to the main plot. We didn’t, and the movie suffers for it.

 

There was almost a full decade between this movie and Simon Hunter’s first (and only other) feature length movie. On the one hand, it is nice to see him only going after productions he feels passionate about; but on the other hand, skills can atrophy if not honed. I suppose this could be why the first thirty minutes drag out so much. All the exposition and set up for the world is boring, despite some pretty great cinematography and solid CGI work. The weird part is that we do actually open on a voice-over setting up the futuristic societies of the world.

Maybe writer Phillip Eisner loved the tabletop game so much he couldn’t not put in certain things, and he just had to be able to have X thing in the movie. The order Samuel belongs to makes little sense, and maybe devoting some time to that would have been better. However, once the main mission to the device gets underway, this movie transforms into a whiz-bang non-stop thrill ride. The dialogue is still a bit hokey, but the pacing picks up and the plot becomes more enticing.

The action throughout is filmed with a sense of immediacy, as the mission carries real weight. The fights are well choreographed, and the movie’s last half is never dull. Editors Sean Barton and Alison Lewis keeps things sharp, so the action beats flow into each other nicely. The score by Richard Wells is fairly rousing, and the device’s theme is very good. As already discussed, the heavy use of CGI looks good, and has weight.

Thomas Jane is stoic and cool as ever. He makes for a fun action hero, and he interacts with the CGI monsters well. Ron Perlman’s role is minor (not a cameo though), but he brings a real gravitas and heart to his role. Devon Akoi is fun as hell, and kicks all sorts of ass. Sean Pertwee is the comedic one, and he is fun. John Malkovich has the honor of playing the head of the religious sect, and he brought his monotone voice. I like the guy a lot, but he sounds very disengaged here.

 

While the first half of the movie drags a lot, the plot, acting, visuals, and second half more than make up for it. Frustrating sure, but overall, this is a cool, ambitious b-movie.