Cronos (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Still one of my absolute favorites!

I've heard a lot about Cronos through friends, and it's been on my Amazon Wishlist for sometime. I never got around to buying it, and when I saw the Criterion Collection version available, I knew it was time.Cronos is a fantastic grim fairytale (not grimms) with all the dark realism true to the fable genre. Del Toro's style, though not as obvious as in his later movies, is still prevelant. He blends alchemy, vampirism and modern horror seamlessly. The makeup effects aren't anywhere as good as you see in today's Del Toro film's, but the imagery is there. I think Cronos fits right in with movies like 'City of Lost Children' and 'Brazil'. Not so much for the content, but for the dark yet rich visuals and the unique strangeness and brilliance of it that makes the movie a gem. Like Pan's Labyrinth, the strength and courage only a child is capable of is perfectly portrayed through a young girl who watches her grandfather unveil almost all of man's weaknesses as he is seduced by immortality and ultimately blood lust. Without the young girl, Aurora, I'm not sure the film would of had so much emotional resonance. Her acting isn't as great as the young lady in Pan's Labyrinth, but Aurora's silence is enough to make you empathize with her character and see that she has a deep personal connection with her grandpa. She endures and absorbs so much throughout the story, and her undying love and affection for him proves the power and resilence of a child's spirit. She always believed in him, even when she knew their was something deeply flawed about him.I'm not sure all that was the point of the film, but I was so touched by the relationship between Aurora and Jesus Gris her grandfather. Ron Pearlman is always great; he's such an underrated actor. I love his character in Cronos, and his relationship with his uncle is a powerfully dark contrast to Aurora's and Jesus's. I think if you want to watch Pearlman's magic without the Hellboy costume, you need to see him as the quirky loose-cannon Angel La Guardia. Great acting all around.It's not a gorey or graphic film. It's a touching and thoughtful movie that strangely enough uses alchemy and vampirism without neccesarily fitting into the horror genre. I think this is where I mention it's in english and spanish with subtitles. It includes voice-over options for those opposed to reading.The special features are extensive and worth it:Two audio-commentaries, Geometria~ an unrealesd short film by Del Toro, interviews and a video tour of Del Toro's home office and personal collections. Trailers included for all you completists.

The story line was very original and the characters were likable. That's two very important facets of movie-making that modern mover-makers can't seem to get right these days. Anyway, no spoilers; watch it for yourself.

Wow, there are some really polarized opinions about this film!Personally, I loved it. But it's not hard for me to imagine that many people would find it unappealing. Guillermo del Toro is, first and foremost, a storyteller; and while that can [hopefully] be said about most directors, Del Toro's stories, IMHO, often come across almost as parable, which goes hand-in-hand with the fantasy/fairy-tale elements in most of his films. He often alters "reality" to create harmony, and he always involves childhood trauma, which, as a parent, can sometimes be a bit hard to stomach.There are two things I really like about this film:- One, I am a big fan of traditional gothic horror. I like the old Hammer horror flicks, as well as Vincent Price, H.P. Lovecraft et al. I like the sense of dread and unknown that permeates those films and stories, even if the "actual" horror is a bit hokey. This film has tons of that sort of atmosphere, and in my opinion delivers on it. I like newer stuff too, but my roots are gothic for sure.- Two, as a life-long horror-film addict, I am always searching for some sort of novelty in these films. If I see one more film that starts out with five friends from college or an innocent family moving into a haunted house and "awakening an unspeakable horror" I'll shoot myself. It's very important to me to see a fresh story, because they're out there. The story in this film is exceedingly original if nothing else.Plus, as a bonus, you get Ron Perlman.So the upshot is it really depends on your particular slant towards the genre; if you like your horror flicks sort of formulaic and with more visual content than psychological--and there's nothing wrong with that--then you may prefer something else. For me though this film is a home-run.

La película se ve muy bien y se escucha perfecto, obvio no trae subtitulos para las partes donde hablan inglés, pero la verdad es que si te gusta no te va a importar.

Bonita película de Del Toro, una película con mucha atmósfera y originalidad, para una buena edición en blu ray. La película fue rodada en español con algunas escenas en el idioma italiano original. Para los fans italianos debo decir que lamentablemente 3/4 de la película se presenta en español, pero en cualquier caso es posible dejar los subtítulos en italiano que aparecerán en 3/4 de la película.

Super. Vielen Dank :)

Nous avons voulu voir ce film car son titre CRONOS était identique à celui d'une création chorégraphique que nous avions mise en œuvre à la même époque.Malgré de la sympathie pour l'auteur, le film nous a fortement ennuyé. Nous n'avons même pas visionné jusqu'à la fin !Allez donc voir plutôt les images de CRONOS/Andréine Bel sur DailyMotion ! ;-)

this movie was absolutely brilliant!one thing you have to keep in mind, in the end, this movie is essentially a love story, but since Del Toro is directing it, it has it's Macabre side.one thing more to keep in mind: the 1st half of this movie is somewhat slow, and is primarily used for setting the stage for the 2nd half of the movie, so if you are the type of person who watches a movie and if there's no real suspense or action in the first 15 minutes, you need to wait, apart from that, the rest of the movie is Very good, i loved it, one thing you should know, the movie is ONLY in SPANISH, with english subtitles, there is NO other language for for the movie other than spanish, but if you read on with the subtitles, you'll love it.this movie is acctually beutifully put together, an early masterpeice for del Toro.my rating for this movie is a 5/5 personally, but it is not for everyone... so read the back cover before buying it, if you rent it, talk to the clerk and ask if they've seen it, but most people would find this movie fasinating.Also in the core of the plot there is something that now is in investigation, live/technological interphases are quite new, so perhaps a good vision mind on del Toro side.Good movie, will see it again.