Being the rabid David Cronenberg fan that I am, I went and saw "eXistenZ" at the first matinee on its release date. There was about ten of us in the theater. After the final credits started rolling I got up and began to walk out and eagerly began listening to people's comments. You can always hear people talking about the film right after it is over. Some people obviously loved it and others hated it. I suspect that people who criticize "eXistenZ" for being to weird and slow are the same people who criticize "2001: A Space Odyssey" for the same reasons. I am amazed at how many people do not like "2001". I overheard one man saying that "eXistenZ" was the worst film that he has seen. I don't think he has seen too many movies! It is very clear from audience reactions that David Cronenberg has a very definite and limited cult following of people who think that his work is ingenious. Those who have never liked Cronenberg, never will. He has a very bizarre and unique world-view that is displayed in all of his films, which will not change any time soon. Where do I stand? I am with Cronenberg all the way. He is one of the greatest auteurs in the film industry. "eXistenZ" is a fantastic addition to his collection of masterpieces.
One of the things that fascinates me about David Cronenberg is how his view of technology evolves from film to film. It is evident in all of his films, but I will discuss it in terms of three of them. Beginning in "The Fly", Cronenberg metaphorically depicts the unification of man and technology in Brundle's transformation into Brundlefly. In "Crash", he went one step further and implied that human beings are so connected with technology that there is an allegorical sexual connection. Technology in itself is seen as being erotic. J.G. Ballard, author of the novel "Crash" which inspired the movie states that, "...the ultimate purpose of "Crash" is cautionary, a warning against that brutal, erotic, and over lit realm that beckons more and more pervasively to us from the margins of the technological landscape".
"eXistenZ" evolves even further beyond "Crash" in certain ways. In "eXistenZ", technology no longer takes the form of mechanical machines. Technology is now depicted as a living entity, just as human beings are. The game pods that Allegra Gellar (Jennifer Jason Leigh) creates, are completely organic in nature. Allegra refers to her game pod containing eXistenZ as her baby. She nurtures it and caresses it, as if it were a child. In one scene, repairs to the pod are necessary. Normally what we would see is a computer geek' taking apart a computer and replacing or reconstructing various microchips, but in "eXistenZ" the procedure, conducted by Kiri Vinokur (Ian Holm) takes the form of a surgical operation. What we see, looks quite similar to a dissection of a small animal in a biology class. Oozing fluids are everywhere in this film, as they are in most Cronenberg films. He seems to have a fetish with bodily fluids.
It is quite likely that this film will be compared to "Matrix" another science fiction film that has its basis in the world of virtual reality. "eXistenZ" is miles beyond "Matrix" however. "eXistenZ" makes "Matrix" look like "Wing Commander" (one of the worst science fiction films, if you can even fairly call this science fiction). "Matrix" looks great on a technical level, but its ideas are simply an amalgamation of many existing trends in science fiction. Virtual reality is by no means an new concept, but the way it is conceptualized in "eXistenZ" is new. The organic game pods are plugged right into the human body by means of a bio-port at the base of the spine. This attachment between the living human and the living game pod further reinforces Cronenberg's theme of man uniting with technology. The film seems to be working toward the notion that man and machine are becoming the same thing, organically. In "Blade Runner", man and machine are seen as one in the same in terms of consciousness, but in "eXistenZ", man and machine are seen as one in the same in terms of flesh and bone. Even one of the weapons is created from flesh and bone and shoots human teeth as bullets. Theoretically, if man and the technology that he creates become the same thing, then they will be fully united.
The games that Allegra creates are seem so real to the characters that they still feel like they are in the game when they are supposedly in reality. Then again, we have to question whether or not they actually are in reality. At one point Ted (Jude Law) pauses the game and feels as though real life is a game, and Allegra is just a character. Is this true? "eXistenZ" certainly presents this as a possibility. For all we know, everything that occurs in the film could be part of a game, at different levels of reality. Allegra and Ted enter different levels of reality after they enter eXistenZ. How are we to know that the events that take place before they enter eXistenZ are not just part of another game designed to get them that far? The games can endlessly build upon one another, just like the never ending links within the internet. David Cronenberg presents us with a world where we are never really sure of anything.
**** out of ****
One of the things that fascinates me about David Cronenberg is how his view of technology evolves from film to film. It is evident in all of his films, but I will discuss it in terms of three of them. Beginning in "The Fly", Cronenberg metaphorically depicts the unification of man and technology in Brundle's transformation into Brundlefly. In "Crash", he went one step further and implied that human beings are so connected with technology that there is an allegorical sexual connection. Technology in itself is seen as being erotic. J.G. Ballard, author of the novel "Crash" which inspired the movie states that, "...the ultimate purpose of "Crash" is cautionary, a warning against that brutal, erotic, and over lit realm that beckons more and more pervasively to us from the margins of the technological landscape".
"eXistenZ" evolves even further beyond "Crash" in certain ways. In "eXistenZ", technology no longer takes the form of mechanical machines. Technology is now depicted as a living entity, just as human beings are. The game pods that Allegra Gellar (Jennifer Jason Leigh) creates, are completely organic in nature. Allegra refers to her game pod containing eXistenZ as her baby. She nurtures it and caresses it, as if it were a child. In one scene, repairs to the pod are necessary. Normally what we would see is a computer geek' taking apart a computer and replacing or reconstructing various microchips, but in "eXistenZ" the procedure, conducted by Kiri Vinokur (Ian Holm) takes the form of a surgical operation. What we see, looks quite similar to a dissection of a small animal in a biology class. Oozing fluids are everywhere in this film, as they are in most Cronenberg films. He seems to have a fetish with bodily fluids.
It is quite likely that this film will be compared to "Matrix" another science fiction film that has its basis in the world of virtual reality. "eXistenZ" is miles beyond "Matrix" however. "eXistenZ" makes "Matrix" look like "Wing Commander" (one of the worst science fiction films, if you can even fairly call this science fiction). "Matrix" looks great on a technical level, but its ideas are simply an amalgamation of many existing trends in science fiction. Virtual reality is by no means an new concept, but the way it is conceptualized in "eXistenZ" is new. The organic game pods are plugged right into the human body by means of a bio-port at the base of the spine. This attachment between the living human and the living game pod further reinforces Cronenberg's theme of man uniting with technology. The film seems to be working toward the notion that man and machine are becoming the same thing, organically. In "Blade Runner", man and machine are seen as one in the same in terms of consciousness, but in "eXistenZ", man and machine are seen as one in the same in terms of flesh and bone. Even one of the weapons is created from flesh and bone and shoots human teeth as bullets. Theoretically, if man and the technology that he creates become the same thing, then they will be fully united.
The games that Allegra creates are seem so real to the characters that they still feel like they are in the game when they are supposedly in reality. Then again, we have to question whether or not they actually are in reality. At one point Ted (Jude Law) pauses the game and feels as though real life is a game, and Allegra is just a character. Is this true? "eXistenZ" certainly presents this as a possibility. For all we know, everything that occurs in the film could be part of a game, at different levels of reality. Allegra and Ted enter different levels of reality after they enter eXistenZ. How are we to know that the events that take place before they enter eXistenZ are not just part of another game designed to get them that far? The games can endlessly build upon one another, just like the never ending links within the internet. David Cronenberg presents us with a world where we are never really sure of anything.
**** out of ****