Search - eXistenZ on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 7/30/2023...

Strong start but Jude Law was unable to save this car wreck!

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 3/15/2013...

In order to fully understand this film you first need to see Videodrome. This film is an effective sci-fi/thriller.

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

S A A. (Learned2Heal)
Reviewed on 12/15/2012...

What a waste of 97 minutes! Awkward movie with a very (!) weak plot and with good actors in a no-win situation. This movie tries way too hard to be prophetic and ironic at the same time and fails sensationally on both counts. When I watch a movie, I know I'm watching a good one, when the actors are natural and the storyline draws me in. When I see the actors as just actors, looking for their marks, reciting their lines and generally just not getting into the moment, I know that the movie is total crap. And it is. Such is the case with eXistenZ. The creators came up with a very lame and almost non-existent plot-line, tacked on "surprise" ending of massively rigid proportions, a lot of gory-looking vivisections of poor mutated creatures into the middle, much aimless coming and going by all the characters with lots of insipid "fill" dialog, a few good sexy shots of Jennifer Jason Leigh in unnaturally rigid profile positions that probably made her calves bind up, and Jude Law doing some routine wide-eyed who me scenes that only made one wonder how innocent this guy really could be...?

My husband says gaming people are probably the ones who like this movie. But, seriously, I can't see how anyone with a majority of intact brain cells could possibly find this remotely entertaining, never mind riveting...

1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Another brilliant Cronenberg film

SPM | Eugene, Oregon | 01/09/2004

(5 out of 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."

Cronenberg's Best Yet

Josh Swanson | Grand Rapids, MI USA | 06/17/2006

(5 out of 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."

Wait a minute is this a game? or is this reality?

Stalwart Kreinblaster | Xanadu | 01/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Your perception may be altered by this science fiction harbinger of things to come by David Cronenberg.. Continuing in the same vein of films like 'Videodrome' and 'Scanners' Cronenberg examines the effects of scientific progress and the fate of mankind.. It is so often the goal of game technicians, movie makers, and perhaps even the distributors of mind altering substances to create an alternate universe.. the nightmare of such endeavors is that it will lead to absolute confusion.. seperation from self.. it is something appealing yet terrifying.. to lose touch with reality.. this is what makes eXistenZ such an engaging thriller - one of the most thought provoking movies you will ever see."