eXistenZ

What if we're not in the game anymore? Such a good idea in such a confused screenplay. Sci-fi about virtual realities gets a quite brutal blow in its weak points from the first few minutes, when David Cronenberg doesn't avoid all sorts of disgusting things or unknown slimy creatures (or objects) and with his indispensable bizarreness, he is painfully comic this time. The confusion of the whole story is most importantly shown in the final, which goes from being overcomplicated to an appealing satire... and then back again. (23/05/2008)

David Cronenberg is a director whose work aligns with my vision of the sci-fi genre, and his style, which incorporates mysterious elements, atmosphere, and morbid ideas, has often thrilled me. eXistenZ is his masterpiece, where the casting, performances, script, and various artistic elements come together to create a piece whose atmosphere stayed with me for months. In the film, reality seamlessly transitions into a dream without warning the viewer, and even the protagonists don't know if they are connected to a virtual reality computer game or experiencing real emotions and events. "You don't have to kill me," says one of the characters, and then adds, "but tell me, are we still playing the game?" The film raises numerous questions about how far we can go with technologies that control the human mind and what the value of human life is. Overall impression: 95%. (13/06/2006)

David Cronenberg failed when it came to the ending of eXistenZ. It just didn't work. David got tangled up in the layers he created here, and it turned out badly. Usually, I don’t have a problem with his conclusions; they’re accurate, but this time he just went too far. I understand what he was trying to achieve, but first of all, it was predictable, and second, it’s not really anything groundbreaking. On the contrary, I think he managed to ruin everything we had been following before the ending. However, a crucial sentence was said here, almost like the end of the story "The Pit and the Pendulum." "This is still a game, isn't it?" one character asks. Is it? Or is it not? No one can give a clear answer. It could be both. (22/11/2013)

The bizarreness of Cronenberg's world in full effect. The intertwining of time planes, the predilection for death and autopsies, and the insatiable inevitability of mutual sexual attraction. Unfortunately, it all comes to naught thanks to the jovially- contrived screenplay which, with its final point, does not outsmart the viewer, but rather itself, by arriving a day late and a buck short, when the viewer was already expecting the same outcome for the umpteenth time. Although tangible, the author's idea to show the world his attitude toward computer games is nevertheless reprehensibly underdeveloped. (15/10/2006)

My second Cronenberg after Videodrome. Overall, the idea is a blast, I just wonder if the grossness was necessary, because I could have imagined, for example, that introduction of the port in some more human and eye-pleasing way rather than disgusting like this. But not to criticize, the craftsmanship is really good and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law were perfect. 4.5 stars (04/11/2010)