(REVIEW) CRONENBERG'S "CRIMES OF THE FUTURE" IS BLEAK AND BEAUTIFUL IN 4K
A return to original screenplay territory by one of the three most important David’s in my life was cause for celebration back in 2022 when CRIMES OF THE FUTURE was announced. My questionably intimate knowledge of CRONENBERG’s back catalogue further informed my excitement given that “Crimes of the Future” was also the title of his most ambitious student film of the 1970’s, and that he had also briefly considered it as the original title for what later became eXistenZ. Clearly, it’s a phrase that CRONENBERG feels covers a myriad of horrors, and perfectly compliments his many subversive portents of things to come. Strangely, it felt somewhat like the pressure was on given that his son, BRANDON CRONENBERG, was more than capably becoming the standard-bearer for all things squishy and perverse with the under-appreciated ANTI-VIRAL, and the truly excellent POSSESSOR, but it was natural to have faith that the apprentice would not be outstripping the master. Sadly, that’s actually not the case.
Now, for sure I don’t necessarily believe it’s entirely fair to compare father and son in this context. They’re independent units very much on their own paths, but if BRANDON was making JUDD APATOW-esque indie comedies about teens trying to get laid instead of making disturbing movies about ANDREA RISEBOROUGH brandishing an erect penis, you and I wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now. The themes of surreal, nightmarish near-futures and the moral and spiritual decline of society appear in both father and son’s work with such ease and regularity that it’s basically impossible not to compare them. But why do I even bring this up? Because I can’t help but feel that CRONENBERG senior’s more recent forays into films about character rather than concept have hurt CRIMES OF THE FUTURE and stopped it from being a true “homecoming”.
WHAT DOES MOVIE ABOUT:
Saul Tenser (VIGGO MORTENSEN), a renowned, avant garde body artist who is able to grow new, bizarre internal organs, publicly showcases their removal at the hands of his partner, Caprice (LÈA SEYDOUX). But when the government, and a shady, underground group begin taking particular notice of Tenser and his art, he is forced to consider going ahead with what could potentially be the most shocking performance of his entire career…
As far as “Cronenbergian Concepts” go, CRIMES OF THE FUTURE feels almost like a sizzle reel of his previous work; Tenser, like VIDEODROME’s Brian O’Blivion, is the artist who uses the next step in mankind’s evolution for the purposes of expression. His gift for growing strange and harrowing new bodily organs, much like THE FLY’s Seth Brundle or RABID’s Rose, both titillates and fascinates the baying public. The grotesque devices he is forced to use in order to carry out the most basic of human functions (eating, sleeping etc.) bear resemblance to eXistenZ’s writhing, fleshy game pods and their designer-symbiotic properties, while the shadowy government agency paying close attention to Tenser’s recent activities are an amalgam of Daryl Revok’s merciless death squads from SCANNERS and Barry Convex’s insidious Spectacular Optical corporation, again, from VIDEODROME. But, whether they’re intentional or not (and I suspect they’re not), these ‘memberberries aren’t sufficient distraction from the fact that…well, that this flick is super fucking dull, and not a little listless.
Visually, CRIMES…is as ugly and bleak and dry as it should be in showcasing a society that has dipped so far below the line as to what should and shouldn’t be acceptable, and/or appropriate entertainment. It’s stark and oppressively bland save for the scattered detritus of a people from a time so dangerously devoted to the materialistic that eventually everything of natural beauty simply wilted and died. This logically stylistic choice, however, is as much of a curse as it is a blessing since there is nothing even remotely interesting or attractive enough to hold the gaze while characters mumble their way through the snaking and multiple, incoherent plot points. If CRONENBERG, who, by his own admission, has presented this as his most personal film, it’s curious that it’s so utterly bland and shallow whilst simultaneously managing to be completely dense, impenetrable, and, perhaps more crucially, impersonal. I just don’t understand what went so wrong in the time between MAPS TO THE STARS and this. I mean, the guy’s been appearing semi-regularly in STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, so…maybe that close a proximity to ALEX KURTZMAN has scrambled CRONENBERG’s fuckin’ brains? I dunno. What’s wrong, David? Talk to me. Show me where on the doll ALEX KURTZMAN’s hackneyed writing and lack of anything even approaching self-awareness touched you.
The acting talent CRONENBERG has assembled is uniformly excellent as ever (yes, even KRISTEN STEWART) though most of the cast seem to be struggling without a base of operations from which to really make anything of their respective characters. Particularly wasted is LÈA SEYDOUX who commonly grants self-assured and confident performances, but here is somewhat hamstrung by her character’s relative superfluousness. VIGGO MORTENSEN too tries his damndest to make Saul Tenser somewhat sympathetic but, having been dropped into this script in the same way that we have been dropped into this universe, struggles to connect to the audience in any meaningful way.
Still, this being said, I’d much rather live in a world where confrontational and high-concept sci-fi of this nature is being made by artists like CRONENBERG than not. I have complete trust in the man to know that this is an attempt to conceptualise and articulate something of real value and merit, and I’d even argue that it’s just as bold and bizarre an idea as the one behind the aforementioned eXistenZ, but it just falls short of really, truly forming a connection with the viewer. At least as far as I’m concerned. And who the fuck cares what I think?
WHAT DOES DISC:
I’ve blown SECOND SIGHT often enough in the past for you to know that the presentation of the movie itself is faultless. Just assume that’s the case when it comes to movies made within the last 10-15 years. It’ll save us all a load of time which we could be spending with our loved ones and/or xhamster.
The more notable elements of this release are the plethora of extras on offer and the inevitably luxurious physical packaging for which SECOND SIGHT have become synonymous.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
UHD presented in Dolby Vision HDR
New audio commentary by Caelum Vatnsdal
Undeniably a Love Story: an interview with Director David Cronenberg
Things Change: an interview with Actor Viggo Mortensen
The Chaos Inside: an interview with Actor Léa Seydoux
The Heat and the Grime: an interview with Actor Kristen Stewart
The Bureau Man: a new interview with Actor Don McKellar
Painkiller: a new interview with Producer Robert Lantos
The Most Wonderful Dream: a new interview with Cinematographer Douglas Koch
The Code of David: a new interview with Editor Christopher Donaldson
New Flesh, Future Crimes: The Body and David Cronenberg - a video essay by Leigh Singer
The Making of Crimes of the Future
Production Design Materials
Short film: The Death of David Cronenberg
Limited Edition Contents
Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Marko Manev
120 page book with new essays by Reyna Cervantes, Tim Coleman, Joel Harley, Rich Johnson, Mikel J Koven, Phil Nobile Jr, Ian Schultz and Hannah Strong
6 collectors' art cards
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE is available to buy on Limited Edition 4K Blu Ray, regular-ass Blu Ray, and regular-ass 4K from September 11th. It can be pre-ordered hither
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