Crimes of the Future

I was really excited to see this movie, and while I enjoyed the movie, I was ultimately left dissatisfied, because Cronenberg is capable of making better films. This movie basically explores a lot of the same themes as Crash, eXistenZ (did i spell that right?) and Dead Ringers, and sort of throws them together. I think it was miles beyond what eXistenZ was, but not as good as Dead Ringers, and nowhere near as good as Crash.

The pros: Acting is great, Scott Speedman was surprisingly really good in his performance, concept of the film is great

The mehs: Soundtrack, I feel like you could slap any of Howard Shore's Cronenberg soundtracks onto this one, and it wouldn't matter, it's there, it probably doesn't need to be though, for me it doesn't add anything, which makes me wonder if I would have enjoyed this move more if it didn't have a soundtrack...and I think I would. I think maybe going for something ambient over orchestral would have worked better as well, but I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. People have been talking about how gross some of the stuff is in the movie, but in all honesty, after watching it, I feel like Cronenberg and or the production company pays people to talk about how hard it is to watch, to build hype. Pretty tame in the gross out department if you ask me, which is fine, because I think all of the surgical stuff that's happening was delivered at a very appropriate level, not off putting to watch.

The cons: the costume design is hokey, Viggo Mortensen's ninja poncho hoodie thing looks silly, the set design is really boring, the design of the various apparatuses that characters are connected to (the autopsy machine, the eating chair thing, the bed) all look like cheap plastic crap, and I don't think that was intentional, the way they're presented is as elaborate pieces of technology, but they look cheap and idiotic, and it really killed any engagement that I had, it kept reminding me that I was watching a movie with bad props, I'm glad he used props instead of CGI, but these just look like crap. The props and makeup in Naked Lunch worked, these look like they were props that were discarded from Naked Lunch's props department because they weren't good enough to use. Lastly the final con of the film is the script, the entire plot is fantastic, it's well thought out, but when you're dealing with complex themes and subject matter, why would you write a script that tries to explain what's going on like a 3 year old is watching the movie? The script is patronizing to the viewer, and I felt cheated when I listened to the dialogue. Characters don't need to explain to the audience what's happening when we're already watching it, most of the dialogue is a narration of the plot and the themes, and it's irritating to sit through.

Not sure I liked it, not sure I disliked it, but boy oh boy was it a Cronenberg movie, and if you like his style, check it out. My two biggest gripes are that I felt as though it ended too abruptly, and that honestly, I wish it was grosser. Is that weird? Most of the "shocking bits", besides one scene, were in the trailer, which was a bit disappointing. Really not much more that I can say. Great performances!

Some people in the future muck about with their saucy organs and that's about it. Some of the effects and prosthetics are creative, but some of them are bobbins.

The drama is mundane. There's no suspense, tension or stakes. If all the movie had is a premise, then the body horror needed to be bonkers to give the audience a bit of fun. But it's all too serious. The philosophical aspect is brought to the fore, which is the least interesting thing about it. I like that it's trying something different, but it comes at the cost of good storytelling. A simple thriller element would have balanced the movie nicely. Unfortunately, the plot is too thin to hold any weight.

The sets and cinematography are good. The acting is clunky and the dialogue is waffling, when it's audible. Cronenberg has fallen victim to the trend of dialogue being whispered, mumbled, fried or delivered in an accent so outrageous that it's hard to decipher what anybody's banging on about.

A meandering, middle-of-the-road sci-fi.

As mankind develops more and more technology, there will likely be more and more of an interest in the quest for immortality. And that brings various ramifications, some not so positive perhaps. It might be better to just accept the natural cycles, accept natural death rather than trying to fight against it so much with these man-made, unnatural processes. This seems to be the overarching statement of the movie. It is an important topic that deserves exploration and discussion, certainly.

But getting to this statement is certainly a bit of a slog. The mechanical dialogue and characters' robotic mannerisms become tiresome. The whole thing feels cold, detached and hard to connect to. Sure, this is a cold and detached dystopic world, but there isn't a counterbalancing element which is needed to build empathy in such a world.

I get why Mortensen would make the actorly "choice" to be almost constantly throat clearing. The character has internal organ issues, I get that. But that doesn't make the choice any less annoying. It just becomes excessive and annoying.

As usual, Seydoux is sexy and talented and probably the best thing about the movie.

This flick is off the wall even for Cronenberg. And I'm amazed that such well known actors made this dark and almost plotless film.

It opens withan outrage and ends with a whimper. The dialogue is vague and depressing as is the premise that future art will be of pain and suffering.