Review of Crimes of the Future (2022) by Moviemitch96 — 04 Jun 2022

In a dystopian future in which pain has been almost completely eradicated, a man (Viggo Mortensen) makes a name for himself by taking advantage of this by putting his body up on display many times as it undergoes several graphic surgical procedures as a form of artistic value and expression with the help of his partner (Lea Seydoux).

Brought to us from the father of body horror himself David Cronenberg, known for such grotesque films as 'The Fly', 'Videodrome', and the sexually explicit 'Crash', along with some of his more tame yet still very violent crime films 'A History of Violence' and 'Eastern Promises', this film has his signature style written all over it, from the moody and dark atmosphere and set pieces to the graphic imagery and body mutilation presented throughout.

However, this sadly doesn't make up for a narratively vague presentation, along with subpar performances from all involved. The usually brilliant Mortensen is reduced to not much more beyond a raspy voice for the entirety of the film and wears a silly cloak while Kristen Stewart also appears throughout the film in a rather forced-feeling performance as well.

Story-wise, the film seems to just wander around aimlessly and relies heavily on the body horror aspects in order to distract from this, but it simply doesn't work. Overall, besides the often impressive and graphic makeup and imagery throughout, the film is almost completely forgettable and devoid of a sensible story, along with subpar performances from an otherwise talented cast.

Sad to say that this is one of Cronenberg's weakest films to date.