Chronos

Chronos suffers from being the second full length IMAX film, because now, in 2007, it looks like nothing more than photographic evidence of iconic artifacts, buildings and natural phenomena in the style of a travel agent’s promo.

There is no attempt at narrative, or plotlines, although fast motion is used a great deal, most noticeably in the city scenes, where traffic and pedestrians flash past, creating criss-crossed lines of light.

The cameramen rule and briefly, for a while, desperately seeking continuity, it seems that the movement of sunlight across the face of buildings and cliffs is a theme to grasp. But it doesn’t last.

Egypt, with its historic tradition of vast tombs, giant statues and interesting ruins provides a tourist’s guide to Big, Old and Dusty. After the Grand Canyon, castles in Europe, cave carvings somewhere else and Stonehenge, there is always Paris. And Rome (Michelangelo’s David). And Russia (a palace the size of a small village). And Greece (the Acropolis, with racing clouds).

Grand Central Station, the Statue of Liberty and a cityscape at night (blue and yellow freeways) are filmed with a certain artistic panache, but having no voice-over narrative and using only music – the score by Michael Stearns is unusual and most effective – there is only the ooo-ahh factor to give the film its purpose and, not being ginormous as with IMAX, there isn’t enough of that.