The Relic

The Relic is currently streaming in the US on fuboTV and MGM+ Amazon Channel, and in the UK on BBC iPlayer, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Penelope Ann Miller leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Put it on tonight on fuboTV and see for yourself.

The Relic arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The Relic treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. A homicide detective teams up with an evolutionary biologist to hunt a giant creature that is killing people in a Chicago museum. Penelope Ann Miller and Tom Sizemore lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It hit screens in 1997. What separates The Relic from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, The Relic fits the bill. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Penelope Ann Miller anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.