After more than a twenty-year hiatus from body horror, the legendary David Cronenberg makes his long-awaited return to the genre with Crimes of the Future (which is completely unrelated to his previous 1970 feature of the same name).
As we descend on a grubby dystopian future made up of a bland/grey colour pallet it seems humanity has evolved to a point where they no longer feel pain… or anything for that matter, self-mutilation is all the rage as society spouts:
Surgery is the new sex.
And with that our hopes are immediately raised as it seems Cronenberg is going back to his routes.
We follow the life of Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), a performing artist who withdraws the constant additional organs that continue to grow inside him. Although advantageous for his career, this is not the case for Saul’s downtime as these “extra parts” make his day-to-day life a constant struggle, especially when it comes to his digestive system. Although, is it really the curse he thinks it is?
So, after Cronenberg’s long break from gruesome, gritty sci-fi, was the movie worth the wait? For the most part, sadly not.
There are elements of the plot that really has legs but before it has a chance of gaining any momentum, the movie is already over. Unfortunately, this is accompanied by one-dimensional characters and pacing which at times almost grinds to a halt. Despite this, however, there are really enjoyable aspects, especially those hard-to-watch moments that make you feel all dirty inside – which only someone like Cronenberg could get away with. From ear-men art exhibitions to bone chairs that help you eat (but definitely seem to make the process harder) the director does what he does best.
The main issue could be the fact he has pushed the envelope further decades prior with the likes of Videodrome and eXistenZ (which coincidently also had the working title Crimes of the Future). Or maybe when you look at the overall movie it just seems to be about a guy with dietary restrictions.
All in all, it’s worth a watch as there really are some intriguing concepts and if nothing else, just to see the master of body horror back in the habit.
Jacked In Recommends ‘The Monster Squad’ (1987)
Horror’s answer to The Goonies, The Monster Squad follows a bunch of kids in a club based around, you guessed it, […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Oh No, Guano!’ (2023)
Dan McGee’s Oh No, Guano! tells the story of an individual (Christian PK Reeve) trying to reach a job […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘The Descent’ (2005)
A year after the tragic loss of her husband and daughter, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) goes on a hiking trip with her […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Huldufólk’ (2023)
Derived from Faroese folk tales – written by Joseph Mountain and directed by Jonny Dixon – Huldufólk […]
The 24 Most Memorable Movie Psychos
From the dawn of film, there has come a multitude of villainous characters over the years, from the cartoonish to […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ (2022)
Bungalow homes, cars that look like electric shavers and a round of Gibson’s for everyone. The ’50s […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Eighth Grade’ (2018)
We follow the life of Kayla (Elsie Fisher), a social pariah who is in the process of completing Eighth Grade. A […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ (2023)
Okay, let’s get down to it, boppers. As you settle into your IMAX cinema seat – all nice and cosy – the […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Titane’ (2021)
As the movie opens – following a brief tour of the underbelly of an automobile – we see a middle-aged […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Flash’ (2023)
After an astonishingly long production period, audiences are finally given the “last” instalment in the […]
11 Reasons Why ‘Superman III’ Is Better Than You Remember
Superman has certainly come a long way ever since Christopher Reeve reignited the character on the big screen back […]
Behind The Scenes of ‘Back to the Future’
Back to the Future, easily one of the biggest staples in the world of cinema. Marty McFly, the coolest kid in the […]