The film starts really strong, ushering in a blend of Chinese and Kiwi aesthetics, and offering a premise that's erupting with potential. The opening scene sets the tone for gory, skin-crawling events to follow. The first act easily won me over, and that's because I could connect to the protagonist Wei's struggles as an immigrant trying to fit in (given her childhood trauma and deformity), and possibly make her mark in academics. While both these core conflicts take centerstage, the body horror elements somehow fail to work (from a screenplay perspective), even when the special make-up effects are gnarly and effective. Scenes suddenly lack cohesion and the plausibility of certain events is heavily questionable (for instance, no one noticed the abrupt changes in height and weight?). The final act lands unconvincingly, and the film decides to go for maximum shock value. The performances also fail to evoke greater emotions, and the conclusion feels rather tame. The Substance, this is NOT.
