Blu-Ray Review: Cronos -- Criterion Collection

Guillermo del Toro's remastered directorial debut comes to Criterion on Blu-ray. 

As a species, people have a fascination with eternal life. The idea of being young and living forever is one that's very popular, spanning across cultures, race, age, and religious backgrounds. Maybe it's the fear of the unknown that does it (what happens to us when we die?) or maybe it's because people love living life and never want it to end. And maybe that's why 1993's Cronos, celebrated filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's directorial debut, strikes such a chord with viewers. It's a film that's accessible to just about anybody as it deals with the appeal of immortality, but also explores the harsh realities that immortal life entails. Getting slapped with an all-new Criterion treatment, Cronos is finally getting the respect it deserves as a fairy tale / horror flick that takes the romance with immortality in a completely different direction.

Jesus Gris (Federico Lupi) comes across a mysterious golden object in his antique store. The object, later to be known as the Cronos, was invented by an alchemist in the 1500s, granting eternal life to anyone who uses it. Unaware of what it is and what it does, Jesus uses the device and immediately begins feeling younger, better, and full of energy ... but at what cost? Dieter de la Guardia is a rich and dying man seeking the Cronos to prolong his ending life, using his thuggish nephew (Ron Perlman) to investigate and instructing him to obtain the Cronos by any means necessary. When the two worlds collide and the awful truth of the Cronos is revealed it's a fight for eternal life ... and for normalcy.

In 1993 Guillermo del Toro wasn't a household name nor was he a name at all: he was just a guy wanting to make a movie. And yet he was at the top of his game with Cronos, a film that echoes many themes and a visual style that del Toro has explored over the last 15 years. His biggest success (at least critically) has been Pan's Labyrinth, released in 2006. If you could pair any two movies together, they'd be Cronos and Pan's Labyrinth, both of which are grim fairy tales told through beautiful visuals with children as the protagonists, and both offer a look at the often frightening consequences of what happens when said fairy tales become a reality. While you couldn't label either film as childish, the films are presented with a sense of child-like awe and wonder that del Toro has the ingenious knack for presenting.

This is the first Criterion release of Cronos and they don't disappoint, offering consumers a restored digital transfer (both audio and video); two separate audio commentary tracks, one by del Toro, the other by the film's director of photography; brand-new video interviews with del Toro, the great Ron Perlman, and actor Federico Luppi; a video tour of del Toro's "man cave" entitled "Welcome to Bleak House," which is a fun little featurette, especially if you're a fan of del Toro, collectibles, and knick-knacks; del Toro's (previously unreleased) short horror film Geometria from 1987; plus a stills and trailer gallery. And if that weren't enough, the disc also comes with a fascinating booklet featuring artwork by Mike Mignola; an essay by film critic Maitland McDonagh; and Director's Notes, which detail the background stories of each of the main characters in the film with parts crossed out and rewritten in del Toro's own handwriting.

If you've ever wondered what kind of films del Toro made before he did Blade II and Hellboy, then look no further than Cronos. The Criterion release is packed full of extras, providing just the right amount of special features to give you a better understanding of the film and of del Toro himself, without being too overbearing or pretentious. If subtle horror is your game or you're a big fan of del Toro's work, then pick up this edition of Cronos.

Live forever no matter what the costs with Cronos, now available on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.