If you go to see the film expecting a truly horrific, blood, guts and
gore movie you have read the wrong reviews.
Instead, you will experience a brilliantly twisted, interwoven film that
drops in and out of alternative realities which, technically at least, puts
the dream within a dream scene from An American Werewolf in
London into second place.
Gone are the shocks, replaced with some superb humour. Even the animated
amphibian mutants are dealt with, brutally even, in a way which avoids offence
or disgust.
A comedy driven action film, without horror; from Cronenberg ?
Well yes, but that isn't the whole truth. Tongue in cheek it may be but it is
a superb adventure piece which isn't played for the laughs.
The plot follows Allegra Geller, creator of the game eXistenZ ( capital X,
capital Zee ), as she flees an attempt on her life during a game testing
session.
Having invested tens of millions of dollars in the game's design she must
get back into eXistenZ to check her game pod is undamaged.
But within the eXistenZ game itself the characters are playing their own
sub-game.
Devilishly cunning and the ideal vehicle to have some fun with; Total
Recall, Cronenberg style.
For a film which, even below the surface, had little plot to speak of, with no
obvious goal to which the participants were striving and not a lot else beyond
the voyage undertaken; it was a truly captivating and excessively enjoyable
film.
Cronenberg played the willing suspension of disbelief trump card with
perfection.
Even if you twig exactly how far our screen heroes have immersed themselves in
their game world very early on in the film this does not detract from its
thought provoking ending. If there was an Oscar for taking the audience
along for the ride then this would be a sure contender.
When Allegra, being chastised for the nature of the game she was then
immersed in, was told, "No one would play this game", the reply, "They're
already playing it", was like an electric bolt from the blue.
That Cronenberg could pull us in, twist us round, expect us to accept his
images as reality and kick us so hard when we went along with his
scheme showed just how well he had made his point.
I left the cinema thoroughly pleased. I haven't been so well entertained in
ages.
It is a game isn't it ?
