[yasr_overall_rating]
After a young soldier, working in China’s snowcapped mountains, following an explosion, discovers a series of mysterious fossils hidden deep within the mountain caverns, what he finds next will change his life, and human history, forever.
On its face, the Chinese science fiction/action-adventure film “Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe,” is about as predictable as it gets. Set in 1979 in the mountains near the China-Mongolia border, the film begins by giving a brief description of a mysterious cave discovered amongst the peaks that contained strange fossils and warranted further investigation by the Chinese government. While the Red Army digs away at the cavern, an explosion from within kills dozens and results in a small team being sent in to discover the source of both the blast and, presumably, the otherworldly fossils. This is a formula we have seen before. 2005 gave us “The Cave” and “The Descent,” both pictures with deep similarities to this one. One of this year’s most critically-acclaimed science fiction novels is ‘Sleeping Giants,’ a book about a girl who falls down a hole in her backyard and discovers a gigantic metal hand that predates human civilization. “Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe” offers nothing new in this regard, but it is not without its merits.
While the plot the film follows is not particularly original or daring, it is interesting to see it unfold from a Sino-centric perspective, rather than a Western one. I was especially intrigued with how the filmmakers chose to portray the early days of post-Mao China. The government-mandated plastic smiles and thinly veiled propaganda that the enlisted Red Army protagonist suffers through in the film’s early minutes are perhaps indicative of attitudes some, or even many, Chinese feel about this particular era in their country’s long and colorful history.
In terms of production value, “Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe” certainly pulls its own weight. The costumes feel authentic and unforced, the location shots are impeccable, and the acting isn’t half-bad. While the 3D CGI feels like it falls somewhere in between “Tron” and “Jurassic Park,” it’s passable enough to eventually forget about as the film goes on. The various monsters that the team encounters on their expedition are animated in varying degrees of quality. For some reason, I found the larger creatures to seem more realistic than the smaller ones; perhaps someone with a technical background could explain why.
Chronicles is, for the most part, fun. It is exciting to watch the soldiers romp through exotic environments and battle magical beings that had long ago been relegated to myth by humanity. This is one of those films that you will get exactly what you expect, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is essentially a breakeven investment. If you find yourself intrigued by Syfy channel (that name change still bothers me) original films, I have little doubt that you will find Chronicles to be right up your alley. If you are a Western viewer like myself, you may also enjoy seeing a different culture’s interpretation of the classic “descent into a dark cavern” science fiction film.
This is a decidedly average film on most fronts, and probably fits best on late-night cable television. Nevertheless, Chronicles has plenty of redeeming qualities, and if this sort of thing is of interest to you, then it is certainly worth a viewing.
Available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital today
