Review of eXistenZ (1999) by Josh G — 09 Mar 2010

Jude Law is at his best in Existenz.

I wouldn't call myself an authority on the works of David Cronenberg, but I have seen several of the director's films. Existenz is an almost perfect example of the man's work, showcasing his well-known fascination with the melding of the mechanical and the organic. The story revolves around a new video game that people are just lining up to play. Like The Matrix, this game transports its users into a virtual world that is nearly indistinguishable from real life.

It's clear from clues, like the warped set-pieces that inhabit the movie, that we are supposed to be unsure of where the line between reality and fantasy lies. The way that a user is transported into the game world is through an umbilical cord that gets plugged into the player's spine. The person and the game are literally connected. Cronenberg spares no detail in suggesting the sexual aspect of this human-machine connection, and the game's creator (Jennifer Jason Leigh) appears to get an overwhelming high just from being connected to the pulsing blob that makes the game function. She is addicted, as I suppose we all are (!) to this technological wonder.

Jude Law plays Leigh's protector, a mild-mannered public relations expert who gets swept up in the chaos when an anti-game movement seeks to assassinate Leigh. What follows is a somewhat confusing chase into and out of (or deeper into?) the game, ostensibly to find out whether the game has been damaged, but perhaps to find some answers about who their enemies truly are. The rules are in flux; you can never tell who is real, what is right, or how to win the game.

It leads up to a kind of cheesy finale, and maybe one too many obvious references to how similar the game and real life actually are. But damned if it wasn't thrilling to wonder what the object of the game actually was. I was enthralled watching everybody for signs of treachery. In addition to that, the construction of the scenes was superb. I've already mentioned the wonderful sets, but the organic matter is delightfully sickening. Take, for instance, a scene where Jude Law picks through a disturbing meal at a Chinese restaurant. The food drips in huge globs off of bones, it is greasy and slimy and... just perfect for this movie.

Existenz is, improbably, a little bit more straight-forward than some of Cronenberg's other films (the far better Videodrome springs to mind). It's easier, which makes it a slightly disappointing. It's too easy to walk away as soon as the credits begin rolling. This is an entertaining movie, a really fun ride. But it's more of a ride than maybe it should have been. Like being one of the game's players, it becomes difficult to worry about the fate of anybody that lives or dies. It's more exciting just playing along for a little while.