Relic, The

MPAA Rating: R

Entertainment: +2

Content: -3

Unknown to him, a tribal anthropologist for a Chicago museum is given a drink laced with a hormonal virus that gradually turns him into a monster. When he tries to stop a shipment of tribal relics to the museum, he's trapped on board a ship traveling from South America to Chicago. Evolutionary biologist Dr. Margo Green (Penelope Ann Miller) works at the museum tracing DNA patterns in historical specimens. When the relics arrive, she tests a fungus on some leaves and discovers the virus but is mystified because its DNA mixes animal and insect species. Meanwhile, the ship arrives with all on board dead. Homicide detective Vincent D'Agosta (Tom Sizemore) links these deaths and a murdered guard at the museum. Panic erupts when the monster crashes a gala party and causes the museum safety/security computer to seal the building. With many people trapped inside, the beast begins to feast. This predictable combination of disaster and horror themes is filled with bloody violence. Only die-hard gore fans will give it more than a glance.

Because the monster craves the hormones found in the virus, it feeds on a major gland in the brain that collects these hormones. This results in numerous decapitations, as severed heads and heads being pulled from the body are shown. In one attack, a body severed in half is pulled through a window. Several times scattered body parts are seen. Some violence is brief, while other scenes are prolonged for the gore effect. Although there is no sex in the film, a doctor makes a crude joke at an autopsy. Near nudity occurs as Margo changes into a party dress and her silhouette is seen in underwear. The mayor makes reference to his wife's cleavage getting him elected. Language is a major factor with frequent obscenities and crude comments and many regular profanities. The real horror of The Relic is its excessive violence and frequent objectionable language.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023-778

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (23) times - Mild 16, moderate 7

Obscene Language: Many (23) times - f-word 11, s-word 11, other 1

Profanity: Many (22) times - Regular 15 (G-d 4, G 5, J/JC/C 6), Exclamatory 7

Violence: Many times, Moderate, Severe and Gory (various bloody body parts shown, blood smeared and splashed on walls, many decapitations, shooting, dog killed, body impaled, falls, woman smashed into door and pushed through glass, man thrown through display glass and impaled on shards, body cut in half, man thrown by explosion, monster on fire explodes)

Sex: None

Nudity: None; near nudity (silhouette of woman in underwear, low-cut party dresses)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Reference to sexual variation, mayor talks about wife's cleavage, monster licks woman's body

Drugs: Several times (alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking, marijuana smoking)

Other: Superstitions displayed, evolutionary biology referenced, reference to tribe selling soul to Satan

Running Time: Unknown
Intended Audience: Adults

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