Crimes of the Future(2022)(Review)[Weirdo Wednesday]

I’m very happy to see Cronenberg return to horror, especially body horror. And it seems like he took his reputation and translated it as literally as he could. This was a film that premiered at Cannes only a short time before premiering in theatres across the globe. His last horror picture was ‘existenz’ in 1997, so 15 years later we’ve finally got a new nightmare.

It’s a film about human progression and technological advancements. How mankind loses its ability to feel anything, and how our bodies rebel against us, so people turn to extreme forms of body modification and underground art shows to feel something extreme and release their pent up aggression. Leading to a world where men eat plastic and the government wants to suppress reality and art.

It’s chockful of gruesome images, sexualized pain, and a long series of conversations. In fact, one big complaint with many viewers (but not me) is how 90% of this film is exposition dialogue. It’s a meditation and conversation on where humans stand in a technologically advanced landscape and ponders where could we go from here.

It’s wonderful to get a new film from Cronenberg at this caliber, but it’s not perfect. It feels very much like ‘Videodrome’ and ‘Crash’ literally colliding, to the point where it almost feels like we’ve seen this concept before. I’m not really complaining because I’m so happy he’s renewed his love for horror and genre, and he delivers his high intellect sci-fi twist to it, but it’s definitely not going to please everyone and I can tell. It’s a remake of a short he made in the late 70s, only now his craft and budget are equally matched.

Worth a watch if you enjoy intellect horror or older Cronenberg films, but it’s not the best entry point if you’re unfamiliar with his work and style.

3.5/5
“Crimes of the Future” is currently available to stream on VOD platforms.

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra