METAL HURLANT CHRONICLES (2012)

Metal Hurlant Chronicles (2012)


Starring: Dominique Pinon, James Marsters, Kelly Brooke, Michael Jai White, Michelle Ryan, Rutger Hauer, Scott Adkins

METAL HURLANT CHRONICLES (2012)

A once living planet destroyed by its inhabitants is now a furious asteriod known as Metal Hurlant. Six separate tales are told as the asteroid flys through space past various planets, spaceships and systems throughout the universe.

Based on the graphic novel Métal Hurlant, METAL HURLANT CHRONICLES is an anthology containing stories which are linked by the appearance of the Metal Hurlant asteroid. Each segment has its own unique story to tell and does it with such concise effect (roughly 20-25 mins long each) with maximum impact on the viewer.

The first of the tales sees a land in despair due to a greedy king who now seeks a successor due to illness. A tournament is set up to find a man worthy to be the next king in a battle to the death. The sole survivor shall be named king but being king might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Starring martial arts stars Scott Adkins and Michael Jai White, the short is both shocking and thrilling to watch, something which carries over to the rest of the segments in the series.

The other short films in the anthology include two neighbours who are trapped in a bunker after a nuclear attack, three space travellers struggling for survival when their oxygen begins to run out, the discovery of a human male frozen from centuries ago, a man who discovers a planet’s inhabitants who know the exact date he will die and a warrior who is sent on a mission to kill a threat to the human race. These episodes feature a whole host of acting talent including Michelle Ryan, James Marsters, Dominique Pinon and Rutger Hauer.

What I absolutely love about METAL HURLANT CHRONICLES is that the ending of each story is bittersweet with a twist that will both impress and shock and sometimes offer a political, religious or conspiracy theorist angle. There’s never a dull moment and using a blend of CGI and practical FX, the series produces some hard-hitting, gritty cinematic tales that will swallow you into the world its created. It’s fun, it’s action-packed and everything you could want from a sci-fi series.

Whilst most of the episodes in METAL HURLANT CHRONICLES are standalone, there are two that are linked to each other and it’s nice to see how the different events connect to one another. Something they all have in common though is Metal Hurlant and it seems that wherever the asteroid passes a dubious vibe is left in its wake as though the hate and anger the asteroid was once subject to is spreaded throughout the universe.

For lovers of sci-fi cinema, METAL HURLANT CHRONICLES is a must-see. It has so much to offer and is like a breath of fresh air with its consistent high-quality offerings that will entertain you right to the very end.

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