eXistenZ
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Movie Reviews of eXistenZ
Movie Review: Another brilliant Cronenberg film
Summary: 5 Stars
Although eXistenZ came out around the same time as The Matrix, it seems to be a response to that film. Where The Matrix gave you a digital divide between reality and virtual reality, eXistenZ takes place in the gray area between.But it's not a PK Dick rehash. Cronenberg spends as much time on the characters and their motives as he does on pseudo-intellectual questions of reality. (The film is also a humorous spoof of computer-game devotees.) Although there are a lot of scenes that lay flat --- instead of moving the plot forward --- the actors are so good, everything is easy to watch. Willem Dafoe is charming and scary as Gas, and Jude Law plays a pitch-perfect resourceful sidekick to Jennifer Jason Leigh. (You also have to hand it to Cronenberg for making the central character female without making her a damsel in distress or an masculine action heroine.)
This is a low-key but excellent movie. It's the kind of film you can enjoy over and over, picking up new bits of detail every time. It's not for everyone, of course. Cronenberg can repel some viewers with gooey special effects and psychological drama. But I think it's one of his best films, and certainly one of the best in 1999.
Movie Review: A couple of viewings at least
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm surprised so many people think this movie sucked - they must not have any imagination at all. Sure there is no loud music or fight sequences or explosions. You don't need them when you have a PLOT.The overt strangeness and many twists are what make this movie work. Cronenberg introduces bizarro elements from the beginning, so the viewer accepts them without much fight. As things get weirder, and admittedly grosser, you almost don't notice - except that Ted (Law) annoyingly questions everything. Of course, Allegra (Leigh) is so blase that you figure everything must be fine. Carry on. By the end, you've accepted so much on faith that you're left wondering what just happened - and why you didn't see it coming. But if the game world had been closer to what we perceive as reality, or if the characters had been smoother, it would have been a really boring movie. So much happens at so many levels that you have to see the movie a couple of times to catch it all.
If you think this movie was just a gross-fest, you weren't paying attention. If you think it was depressing, you weren't paying attention. If you think it's a Matrix clone, you REALLY weren't paying attention.
Movie Review: Real or not, A great Vision from a great Visionare
Summary: 5 Stars
I live in México City and I really admire the Cronnenberg's work. I was waiting this movie to come theaters in my country but that never ocurred. So, without seen it but trusting in the Cronnenberg's work, I decided to bought this DVD and I must say that is one of the best movie treatments about Virtual Reality. The legend in the potrait is just a "promo" thing, the one about Matrix is just Child's play, but eXistenZ is a most intelligent look about the distorsion of our reallity and the creation of new ones. I really love this theme, but there are just few movies out there that have something very intelligent to say about it. Comes to my head: of course MATRIX, NIRVANA(an itallian by Gabrielle salvatores and with a very different Cristopher Lambert ***Reccomend***), Strange Days and of course eXistenZ. May be I forgot one, or many of them.ABOUT THIS EDITION: Is not bad. I cuts a little in the original aspect ratio but well, nobody's perfect. But, DVD, DVD. New technology. USE IT. Extras, deletes scenes, audio commentary by Cronnenberg, art design, pictures,etc...
Movie Review: Cronenberg's Best Yet
Summary: 5 Stars
I truly feel sorry for anyone who was turned away from this movie by Ambrose's review (Although I doubt any intellegent human being would be). Maybe using spell check for your review and actually paying attention to the movie might make your review a little more credible. Anyway, "eXistenZ" is in my opinion Cronenberg's best film to date. This film is NOT for the typical movie watcher. For The life of me I can't figure out why everyone likes to see movies where you can just sit passively for an hour and a half and not think or learn anything. Just throw in Will Smith, some action, comedy, state of the art CG, and a little brief nudity and the general public will eat it up. "eXistenZ" is definitely not one of these movies. It really does "Make The Matrix Look Like Child's Play!" In fact, it blows all 3 Matrix's right out of the water. For anyone who liked "Videodrome" or "Naked Lunch" this film is not just a must see but a must own. My personal Favorite.Movie Review: Are we still in The Game?
Summary: 5 Stars
If you already love Cronenberg'a films, then you don't even need to read this. Just get the DVD or video and then write to all your friends raving about it. It is not about corporate espionage or any of the other stuff the reviewers seemed to garner from it; it is about levels of reality. If you are not familiar with David Cronenberg's vistas, then be warned: nothing is as it seems to be. Yes, this film is much closer to The Thirteenth Floor than to The Matrix, but at the end the latter two films both depend upon an absolute physical reality as a basis. eXistenZ is a philosophical journey into the nature of reality itself. It does not have the sophisticated special effects of Matrix, nor the well-developed personas of Thirteenth Floor; it goes beyond those superficialities and well into another dimension.At the end, all one can say is "are we still in the Game?"