Directed by Peter Hyams, based on the best-selling novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child,
The Relic (1997) was originally set in the Museum of Natural History in New York… but the timid museum administration could not be enticed to let the production film there. Fortunately, the equally stunning Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago liked the horror premise and allowed the cast and crew to use it's galleries for the film. The story concerns a chimeric monster, the Kothoga, which is brought back from an anthropological expedition in remote South America, and terrorizes the staff and attendees of a Museum Gala on opening night. The special effects are not bad, all things considered. Penelope Ann Miller and Tom Sizemore are both good, bur neither seems fully equipped to handle their lead roles. The supporting cast is okay as well, including Linda Hunt and James Whitmore.
