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eXistenZ (1999) R
A test show of a new virtual reality game goes wrong when there's an attempt at the lead designer's life. She must run for her life accompanied with a marketing trainee while trying to save her game.
"I think I lost my appetite."
eXistenZ is definitely an odd film, even for Cronenberg. This is my second viewing within last two years and while I actually liked it more this time it's still one of the weaker Cronenbergs for me. It seems so much more outdated than Videodrome in its dissection of media but on the other hand I'm not sure if that's even its purpose.
On this viewing my interpretation of eXistenZ is a critique towards the writing in games. Dialogue is totally bonkers, acting is weird, plot moves just because someone tells our heroes to go somewhere, etc. and the illusion of choice and freedom is shattered at every turn. Maybe Cronenberg just wants to say that movies (or traditional stories in general) still have a place and games aren't capable of challenging that (I wonder what he thinks of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch).
No matter the agenda eXistenZ is in many ways really clumsy (considering Cronenberg's other film it must be intentional). Leigh is charming as always, Law not that much. It feels the film is odd for oddity's sake. Not bad but closer to that than being good.
A test show of a new virtual reality game goes wrong when there's an attempt at the lead designer's life. She must run for her life accompanied with a marketing trainee while trying to save her game.
"I think I lost my appetite."
eXistenZ is definitely an odd film, even for Cronenberg. This is my second viewing within last two years and while I actually liked it more this time it's still one of the weaker Cronenbergs for me. It seems so much more outdated than Videodrome in its dissection of media but on the other hand I'm not sure if that's even its purpose.
On this viewing my interpretation of eXistenZ is a critique towards the writing in games. Dialogue is totally bonkers, acting is weird, plot moves just because someone tells our heroes to go somewhere, etc. and the illusion of choice and freedom is shattered at every turn. Maybe Cronenberg just wants to say that movies (or traditional stories in general) still have a place and games aren't capable of challenging that (I wonder what he thinks of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch).
No matter the agenda eXistenZ is in many ways really clumsy (considering Cronenberg's other film it must be intentional). Leigh is charming as always, Law not that much. It feels the film is odd for oddity's sake. Not bad but closer to that than being good.