A lot of people are passionately disliking this film and I'm not really sure what they were expecting. Have they forgotten what classic Cronenberg films are actually like? Have they lost the plot in their own skewed fantasy of a David Cronenberg film that's been distorted over years of non-exposure while his ever-emboldening reputation only feeds each delusional individual's twisted perception of his filmography?
Cronenberg's fleshy visuals have always been singular, striking, and disturbing - but they've typically been an added bonus to what really makes his films legendary, and that's CONCEPT. Concept is far and away the strength and the entire point of Crimes Of The Future - the primary plot, the philosophies it presents, and all the ideas that branch out around it. Nearly every scene introduces an intriguing idea or philosophy that takes the concept one step further, and as a viewer, if you are able to keep up with it, the extremely forward-thinking ideas generally become more fathomable with every conversation. It's amusing to me that "The Future" is right there in the title, and still it seems that the primary problem people are having is that they cannot look ahead far enough to perceive these ideas as even remotely realistic or relatable in any manner. Well, people felt the same way about VIDEODROME when it came out in 1982, but now it makes a pretty succinct statement that can pretty easily be tied to the horrors of social networking - from the inarguable prediction about "screen names" and beyond.
While I'm seeing a lot of people call the dialogue in this "atrocious", I truly found it to be some of the most intellectual and intriguing dialogue I have heard in a while. It honestly feels like you are reading a philosophy book the entire time. Considering how out-there the material is, the entire cast did a really phenomenal job sculpting out bizarre personality types that feel as if they may not exist at all YET, but certainly could in the future. Viggo Mortensen definitely steals the show with such a unique approach to a human character that it feels entirely alien. Lea Seydoux held things down as expertly as she always does, and Lihi Kornowski, Scott Speedman, and Don McKellar made great impressions on me for the first time.
While the movie isn't thrilling enough to be considered any form of masterpiece, it fits in very well with Cronenberg's final decade of body horror: the 90's. This makes perfect sense since the movie was originally written in 2002, and put on hold for 20 years. (Noting this, it makes it even more impressive that the plot still feels so ahead of it's time.) This movie feels most like eXisTeNz and Naked Lunch, with hints of Crash and Videodrome. But, if you loved Dead Ringers, you should be able to get plenty into Crimes Of The Future - it's "slower" than a lot of classic Cronenberg, but all the elements of classic Cronenberg are there.
I went in expecting a film that was all aesthetic with no heart, but I was fully proven wrong. Cronenberg is not facing Dario Argento syndrome in the way that I feared he would. David Cronenberg still has the heart and mind of an artist, and it is fully clear through Crimes of the Future. It's challenging, visceral, and feels pretty gross to watch, as it is meant to be. Much of the film feels like a reflection on David's existence as an artist himself, but its primary appeal is as an exploration of bizarre but very possible elements of our own future world. Kudos, Cronie.
Cronenberg's fleshy visuals have always been singular, striking, and disturbing - but they've typically been an added bonus to what really makes his films legendary, and that's CONCEPT. Concept is far and away the strength and the entire point of Crimes Of The Future - the primary plot, the philosophies it presents, and all the ideas that branch out around it. Nearly every scene introduces an intriguing idea or philosophy that takes the concept one step further, and as a viewer, if you are able to keep up with it, the extremely forward-thinking ideas generally become more fathomable with every conversation. It's amusing to me that "The Future" is right there in the title, and still it seems that the primary problem people are having is that they cannot look ahead far enough to perceive these ideas as even remotely realistic or relatable in any manner. Well, people felt the same way about VIDEODROME when it came out in 1982, but now it makes a pretty succinct statement that can pretty easily be tied to the horrors of social networking - from the inarguable prediction about "screen names" and beyond.
While I'm seeing a lot of people call the dialogue in this "atrocious", I truly found it to be some of the most intellectual and intriguing dialogue I have heard in a while. It honestly feels like you are reading a philosophy book the entire time. Considering how out-there the material is, the entire cast did a really phenomenal job sculpting out bizarre personality types that feel as if they may not exist at all YET, but certainly could in the future. Viggo Mortensen definitely steals the show with such a unique approach to a human character that it feels entirely alien. Lea Seydoux held things down as expertly as she always does, and Lihi Kornowski, Scott Speedman, and Don McKellar made great impressions on me for the first time.
While the movie isn't thrilling enough to be considered any form of masterpiece, it fits in very well with Cronenberg's final decade of body horror: the 90's. This makes perfect sense since the movie was originally written in 2002, and put on hold for 20 years. (Noting this, it makes it even more impressive that the plot still feels so ahead of it's time.) This movie feels most like eXisTeNz and Naked Lunch, with hints of Crash and Videodrome. But, if you loved Dead Ringers, you should be able to get plenty into Crimes Of The Future - it's "slower" than a lot of classic Cronenberg, but all the elements of classic Cronenberg are there.
I went in expecting a film that was all aesthetic with no heart, but I was fully proven wrong. Cronenberg is not facing Dario Argento syndrome in the way that I feared he would. David Cronenberg still has the heart and mind of an artist, and it is fully clear through Crimes of the Future. It's challenging, visceral, and feels pretty gross to watch, as it is meant to be. Much of the film feels like a reflection on David's existence as an artist himself, but its primary appeal is as an exploration of bizarre but very possible elements of our own future world. Kudos, Cronie.