Mutants battle old school

By Cielestia Calbay

It’s not everyday a futuristic era goes back in time to be
powered by old-fashioned gadgets.

That what Simon Hunter envisioned when he directed, “Mutant
Chronicles,” a film set in the year 2707 where war rages between
Earth’s four giant corporations as they battle over the planet’s
dwindling resources.

“I wanted nothing high-tech, everything retro [and] everything
coal-powered,” said the British director. “It would be a Victorian
future world of chimneys, fires, boilers [and] dirt.”

“Mutant Chronicles” stars Ron Perlman and Anna Walton, who both
appeared in “Hellboy.”

Perlman plays Brother Samuel, leader of an ancient brotherhood,
while Walton plays the silent, sword-wielding Severian.

“All of the characters are at war with one another because they
ultimately lust for domination and power,” said Perlman. “Suddenly,
the soulless world meets its match with something purely
diabolical.”

Walton says her character’s role as a mute is what attracted her
to the project.

“Having to convey ideas that you would normally convey through
words was a positive challenge for me,” said Walton. “I found that
it made you super aware of all your other senses.”

Rather than depict a futuristic and ultra-modern world equipped
with fancy gear, Hunter wanted to illustrate a dismal, desperate
future without technical advances ” a world where mankind had
inflicted ruin upon itself.

Normally a provocative visualist, Hunter classified the mutants’
environment as a “steam-punk” world.

Hunter refers to the “steam-punk” world as a subgenre of fantasy
and fiction set in a generation in which steam power is still
widely used.

“The last thing I wanted was for this film to look like
‘Alien,'” said Hunter. “While that film is excellent, it has been
done, and I really wanted to strike on fresh ground.”

“Mutant Chronicles” premiered last Friday in limited
release.

Mutants battle old school

Rotten Tomatoes

Mutants battle old school