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eXistenZ (1999)

R  97 min  -  Sci-Fi | Thriller   -  23 April 1999 (USA)
6.8
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Ratings: 6.8/10 from 44,434 users   Metascore: 68/100 
Reviews: 493 user | 173 critic | 29 from Metacritic.com

A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.

Director:

David Cronenberg
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3 wins & 7 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Jason Leigh ...
Jude Law ...
Ian Holm ...
Kiri Vinokur
Willem Dafoe ...
Gas
Don McKellar ...
Callum Keith Rennie ...
Hugo Carlaw
Christopher Eccleston ...
Seminar Leader
Sarah Polley ...
Merle
Robert A. Silverman Robert A. Silverman ...
D'Arcy Nader
Oscar Hsu Oscar Hsu ...
Kris Lemche ...
Noel Dichter
Vik Sahay ...
Male Assistant
Kirsten Johnson Kirsten Johnson ...
Female Assistant
James Kirchner James Kirchner ...
Landry
Balázs Koós Balázs Koós ...
Male Volunteer
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Storyline

Allegra Geller, the leading game designer in the world, is testing her new virtual reality game, eXistenZ with a focus group. As they begin, she is attacked by a fanatic assassin employing a bizarre organic gun. She flees with a young marketing trainee, Ted Pikul, who is suddenly assigned as her bodyguard. Unfortunately, her pod, an organic gaming device that contains the only copy of the eXistenZ game program, is damaged. To inspect it, she talks Ted into accepting a gameport in his own body so he can play the game with her. The events leading up to this, and the resulting game lead the pair on a strange adventure where reality and their actions are impossible to determine from either their own or the game's perspective. Written by Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Game | Virtual Reality | Assassin | Pod | Game Designer  | See more »

Taglines:

Into your body, under your skin, beyond your senses See more »

Genres:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sci-fi violence and gore, and for language See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

Canada | UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Prezivjeti igru See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$CAD31,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$810,262 (USA) (25 April 1999) (256 Screens)

Gross:

$2,840,417 (USA) (20 June 1999)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where eXistenZ is introduced, the late-coming assassin, Noel Dichter, has his ID card scanned. On the bottom of the card, a line of text is scanned, which is written in the ancient Babylonian language. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: The first time we see Ted Pikul at the trout farm, he labels an envelope with the letters LA. The L is clearly connected to the A. However in the next shot with the envelope on the conveyor belt the L and A are no longer connected. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Seminar Leader: eXistenZ. Written like this. One word. Small 'E', capital 'X', capital 'Z'. 'eXistenZ'. It's new, it's from Antenna Research, and it's here... right now.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in eXploitation CinemA (2009) See more »