Search - The Substance [DVD] on DVD

Whitney B. (whitneyab) from COOPERSBURG, PA
Reviewed on 7/14/2025...

Fading actress Elisabeth Sparkle becomes distressed when her chauvinistic boss fires her from her aerobics show. She soon injects herself with a mysterious serum that promises a younger, better version of herself, but things go horribly wrong.

B.J. W. (analogkid01) from CHICAGO, IL
Reviewed on 7/5/2025...

"The Substance" is one of the most viscerally disgusting films I've ever seen and I loved every minute of it.

In writer/director Coralie Fargeat's film, Demi Moore (b. 1962) plays Elisabeth, an aging actress who is dropped from her long-running morning aerobics show, for reasons you can probably guess. In desperation, she turns to a mysterious "substance" which promises to create "a better version of you." I won't go into the details, but soon "Sue" arrives on the scene, played by Margaret Qualley (b. 1994).

Here are some of the films I was reminded of while watching The Substance:

- The Fly (David Cronenberg, 1986)
- Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
- The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
- Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)

So if you've seen any of those films, you kinda have an idea what you're getting into with The Substance. The "body horror" genre is alive and well in Coralie Fargeat, and boy oh boy, she has THINGS. TO. SAY.

I can't say much about the plot, but I can say that I appreciated Fargeat's balanced wisdom when it comes to feminine beauty standards. She blames men, namely Elisabeth & Sue's boss (an appropriately slimy Dennis Quaid), but she also understands that oftentimes women can be their own worst enemies. The conflict that arises between Elisabeth and Sue takes center stage, and the men remain mostly in the background.

I will also praise the sound design of this film. I will take to my grave the belief that sound is more important in cinema than the visual image - I'll watch a film that's grainy or out of focus, that's fine, but if I can't hear the dialogue or the sound is tinny and hurts my ears, I'll bail out. The sound design of The Substance is impeccable - every sound effect feels like it incorporates some bodily function, and bolsters the premise of the film brilliantly.

My only criticism is that the film runs 2 hours and 21 minutes, and some scenes feel a little over-indulgent and repetitive. But it doesn't *feel* its length, if that makes any sense.

Demi Moore won a well-deserved Golden Globe for her performance, and the film has been re-released in theaters to drum up support for the upcoming Oscars. I highly recommend this film, but it is absolutely not for the squeamish. Keep telling yourself, "It's only a movie...it's only a movie..."

Grade: A-minus

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/3/2025...

Demi was made for these kinds of movies! It got pretty dark and crazy but the ending went too far and they had a perfect time to end the movie and go down as a cult classic!