The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu

The people who say this isn't based on Lovecraft or the Cthulhu mythos are way off base, and they miss the point of this romp. Without H.P. Lovecraft's writing, this movie wouldn't exist. It isn't meant to be a "Lovecraft movie" or to be taken seriously. It's precisely what its writer and co-star intended it to be, a cinematic comic book and a tribute to Lovecraft as the father of modern horror and the progenitor of much of what we know as horror comics, both serious and humorous. The performers are all at least adequate, and the three leads are charming, portraying Regular Guys and a stereotyped comic book nerd with tongues firmly in cheek. It's obvious everyone who had anything to do with The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu had a ball, and so will you, unless you have no sense of fun at all.

This isn't a perfect movie, at places the acting and writing are a bit weak, but it's obvious that most of these people aren't hardened actors and that most of their effects are on a budget, and with that in mind, it's a damn good presentation.

It's not a movie for hardcore Lovecraft fans who'll cry if someone gets their mythos a bit wrong, as the movie(which largely loyal to the concept) isn't particularly about madness and does take its chance to have a bit of fun with the silliness inherent in just about any horror situation.

The start's a bit stuttering and not ideal, but by the end of the movie I was genuinely in love with it.

Ultimately, if you approach this movie without expecting a big-budget Hollywood execution, but instead a competent indie/student movie, you won't be disappointed.

This is a light-hearted "nerd-based" film about two friends, one of whom is a descendant of the actual H.P. Lovecraft who get wrapped up in a conspiracy about cultists wanting to wake Cthulhu using a magical amulet. The go on an adventure together, later meeting amusing characters and Lovecraftian monsters all done in B-grade level effects.

The characters are somewhat bland and simply fill out their allotted roles. The comedy is rather in the light-hearted area rather than seriously funny. The effects are a mixed bag - not convincing but full on B grade like you'd expect from a low budget film. It has some amusing points but yeah, nothing amazing.

5/10 because it's average.

OK, first off, if you're not into Lovecraft or the Cthulhu Mythos, you won't get all of the references and jokes, but that's not to say you won't have fun with this movie. Underneath its rough exterior lies a film with plenty of wit and charm, and a "deep" (pun intended) love of all things Lovecraft.

The delivery, as said, is a bit rough, but after only a short period I found myself easily forgiving any of the film's minor shortcomings. No expensive, top-of-the-line special effects, an excess of foul language that probably should have been scaled (ha!) back a bit, and a couple of performances that weren't anything said performers would want to put on their demo reel (read: stiff).

Still, those things aside, the story is fun and silly, and maintains a nice balance between the humor and drama, avoiding any awkward or jarring transitional moments between scenes (if nothing else could be said, at least take note of that element, which I found refreshing, as I've seen quite a few "blockbusters" of late that failed at it, unable to decide whether they're action or comedy vehicles).

A somewhat imperfect analogy would be to reference the TV series "Chuck." Take any old Lovecraftian Hammer film and drop Chuck & Morgan down in the middle of it as the protagonists and you've got a good idea of what I believe this movie was intended to be. I wouldn't go so far as to say it completely succeeded, but in the end I think it worked well enough to make the movie enjoyable.

Ultimately it's a light-hearted Cthulhu Mythos comic book on film, with nods to geeks, gamers and Lovecraft fans everywhere. Will it necessarily be everyone's cup of tea? Nah. What movie is? But if you're in the target audience, and can go into it with a smile on your face and no Cameronesque expectations, there's a good chance you'll have a good time and even find yourself later talking about it with friends over your Mt. Dew and Funyuns as you prepare to toss the percentiles and hope your character doesn't go insane.

I'll make this short and too the point, as there are some really good reviews on here, which offer all the needed details.

First, don't go in to this expecting a well done, highly cinemagraphic film. It is a total B-movie intended for and made by fans of the Lovecraftian Cthulhu mythos. The writers are obviously fans, as there are a few subtle details of the mythos they included which would not be noticed by a casual fan. It is intentionally written in a comical vein, not taking itself too seriously...and neither should you, as the viewer. Expect lots of cheesy one-liners, some over the top (intentionally) acting - meaning, it lends itself to the flick instead of being just crappy acting by actors trying to be discovered - and even a few recognizable faces.

The fx are cheesy, though done in a way that is acceptable for this film. In other words, the blood and limited gore is not "red paint and lunch meat," but at least a step up, in order to lend just enough credibility to the scenes in question.

All in all, I really enjoyed the flick. It moves at a decent pace and is just good fun from start to finish. If you're:

• looking for blood and gore
• well developed characters
• a good script
• good fx
• don't have a genuine love for the Cthulhu mythos,

then this movie is NOT for you.

If you:

• dig all things Cthulhu
• can enjoy a flick of said theme without expecting serious film-making qualities
• enjoy a good laugh
• can handle a LITTLE bit of blood and gore,

then this is DEFINITELY worth a watch.

Don't take it too seriously...nobody making the movie did.