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Kronos (film)
Encyclopedia
Kronos is a 1957 black and white science fiction film
directed by Kurt Neumann, starring Jeff Morrow and Barbara Lawrence. The film is also known as Kronos, Destroyer of the Universe. In the years since its release, Kronos has been widely praised both for its above-average storyline and its farsighted portrayal of the consequences of overconsumption of natural and man-made resources, and has achieved minor cult status.
near Mexico
, following an unexplained break-in and assault by a deranged man at a secret U.S. research facility. The crashed 'meteorite
' soon reveals itself as an even greater menace than first believed, with grave implications for the survival of the human race. Kronos
foretells the dangerous implications of mass consumption of energy resources.
A gigantic "machine
", Kronos attacks power plants in Mexico, draining them of their energy. In doing so, Kronos grows in size, becoming larger as it consumes more and more energy. Kronos is discovered to be an "accumulator
" sent by an alien race that has exhausted its own natural resources
. They have sent Kronos to drain Earth's power and return it to their own dying planet. A scientist, under control of an unseen alien presence, suggests fighting Kronos by dropping an Atomic Bomb onto it. Kronos only absorbs the bomb's power and grows to titanic size. It threatens to drain the world's cities and starve the Earth of power, but scientists devise a plan to reverse Kronos' polarity, which causes it to feed on itself. Kronos explodes and the Earth is saved.
The idea of an alien being absorbing energy is similar to both the Marvel Comics
character Galactus
, who drains energy from other worlds to survive, and the giant space ship from the Star Trek
episode "The Doomsday Machine" which destroys planets and uses them to fuel itself, though predating both by almost ten years.
The film set of Lab Central (particularly the director's office) is a minor testimonial to late 1950s postmodern design, with light fixtures shaped as flying saucers among the Atomic Age decor.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
directed by Kurt Neumann, starring Jeff Morrow and Barbara Lawrence. The film is also known as Kronos, Destroyer of the Universe. In the years since its release, Kronos has been widely praised both for its above-average storyline and its farsighted portrayal of the consequences of overconsumption of natural and man-made resources, and has achieved minor cult status.
Plot summary
What appears to be a large saucer shaped meteorite crashes into the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
near Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, following an unexplained break-in and assault by a deranged man at a secret U.S. research facility. The crashed 'meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
' soon reveals itself as an even greater menace than first believed, with grave implications for the survival of the human race. Kronos
Kronos
Kronos can refer to:*Cronus, a Titan, the father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and Chiron.In business*Kronos Foods, the world's largest manufacturer of gyrosIn computing...
foretells the dangerous implications of mass consumption of energy resources.
A gigantic "machine
Machine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
", Kronos attacks power plants in Mexico, draining them of their energy. In doing so, Kronos grows in size, becoming larger as it consumes more and more energy. Kronos is discovered to be an "accumulator
Accumulator
Accumulator may refer to:* Accumulator , in a CPU, a processor register for storing intermediate results* Accumulator , an apparatus for storing energy or power...
" sent by an alien race that has exhausted its own natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
. They have sent Kronos to drain Earth's power and return it to their own dying planet. A scientist, under control of an unseen alien presence, suggests fighting Kronos by dropping an Atomic Bomb onto it. Kronos only absorbs the bomb's power and grows to titanic size. It threatens to drain the world's cities and starve the Earth of power, but scientists devise a plan to reverse Kronos' polarity, which causes it to feed on itself. Kronos explodes and the Earth is saved.
Film Notes
Kronos was filmed in a little over two weeks in California using special effects created by Jack Rabin, Irving Block and Louis DeWitt.The idea of an alien being absorbing energy is similar to both the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, who drains energy from other worlds to survive, and the giant space ship from the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
episode "The Doomsday Machine" which destroys planets and uses them to fuel itself, though predating both by almost ten years.
The film set of Lab Central (particularly the director's office) is a minor testimonial to late 1950s postmodern design, with light fixtures shaped as flying saucers among the Atomic Age decor.
External links
- Kronos movie review at Atomic Monsters.com http://www.atomicmonsters.com/kronos.htm
- Kronos movie review at Savant Review http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s134kronos.html