Dante's Inferno or Ultra Violent Science Fiction: No Difference

    Director Simon Hunter and Screenwriter Philip Eisner drive this blood soaked sci-fi horror motion picture headlong into a limited number of United States theaters, searching for an audience that crave an improbable, but fantastic story with and abnormally high body count. To enjoy this film it is critical that the audience check their sense of probable reality in the lobby and proceed to your seat to immediately hunker down to endure 111 minutes of blood and sinew, fire and brimstone, and mutants - legions of mutants.

    The gist of this far fetched tale, far off into the future, is that the world is ruled by four mega corporations that are bent on interminable fight amongst themselves. It is a world that is devoid of natural resources and the technology has reverted back to steam engines; however, Mankind still retains the ability to colonize Mars. Has everyone suspended their state of disbelief yet?

    Their world is dark and their battles that are incessant: fought in the muddy trenches reminiscent of the First World War in the Ardennes. The catalyst that unlocks the riddle of he hidden mutants for millennia: during one of their battles a huge canon fires at the enemy, and while destroying the middle of their advance, unearths the hole that leads to a horrible machine that turns men into mutants with tremendous strength, and one sharp claw of an arm to effectively sever the humans above ground. At that point their world will be lost unless a small band of heroes can succeed in destroying the awful machine in a last ditch suicide mission.

    To project the dire state of world affairs, the cinematography is shot in the monochromatic tones of a dark, damaged planet earth. The actors do not wise crack, and show no emotion as they push forth through the hellish slog to forestall the inevitable death of a dying planet's people. There is no life in their lives; mostly disinterested parties to the calamity that befalls them, and in that respect resemble their enemy, the mutants.

    To that extent, the cast is consistent with that theme; Thomas Jane as the hard as concrete Sgt. Mitch Hunter, Ron Perlman as the stoic leader Brother Samuel, Devon Aoki as the marshal arts maven Cpl. Valerie Duval and Ana Walton as Severian are the standouts in the fated band to save the world. John Malkovich and Sean Pertwee have small roles that round out the plot, but nothing more.

    "Mutant Chronicles" is certainly not an important film nor is it a must see; only a violently thematic sci-fi shot against a green screen with some very compelling computer graphics for their trouble. Take it as what is offered and you may find it entertaining. I found it a middling movie, and I rated it accordingly.

    Rated R. Released in theaters April 24, 2009.