Crimes of the Future

Crimes of the Future is a bizarre, visually polished movie with an interesting dystopian vision of society compelling music from Howard Shore, a charismatic Mortensen in a black martyr’s cowl and a sexually and irresistibly unique Kristen Stewart. Every second with her was entrancing for me. It’s just a shame that the film didn’t culminate in her delightful, loud orgasm on the operating table while surgically connecting her open wounds with the tumor-ridden Mortensen. When I was a young boy, the message of Hellraiser that “pain is pleasure” was instrumental in helping me overcome getting stitches for my busted head and other injuries from doing what boys do. Crimes of the Future gave me the idea that having something unwelcome and malignant growing in your body is not only a natural genetic process of life, but also a unique work of art created by our bodies. This is a strange, fascinating film that is difficult to understand, and I will definitely watch it again. [KVIFF] (07/06/2022)

For the fact that it's actually quite "Cronenbergian", except for the beautiful soundtrack and a very respectable Léa Seydoux, this late Cronenberg actually fails to impress with anything. Kristen Stewart is almost a parody and Viggo Mortensen gives a completely routine and uninteresting performance. The premise is very good, but as a whole it fails miserably. [50%] [KVIFF 2022] (07/01/2022)

A fascinatingly twisted world that I enjoyed watching, although the plot is far from "entertaining". It's a shame, because even in the world the story takes place, and in the themes it addresses, I can see the potential for a heightened viewer experience. Unfortunately, Cronenberg didn’t handle them in an attractive way. Stylish nastiness with potential drowned in boring dialogue. Overall, it could have been worse, but also much better. (06/21/2022)

While David Cronenberg's previous genre-diverse films seemed to exist in a complex and vibrant world, Crimes of the Future seems to exist in just three barracks surrounded by a vacuum. It does have thoughts and ideas, but the framework is so clumsily put together that few will be satisfied or surprised by the story this time. And while I understand that the budget was low and the pandemic situation affected the production, I still can't get over the fact that the film is more like an amateur theatre performance than the truly compelling piece of cinema we would like to see from this director. [KVIFF 2022] (07/06/2022)

Surgery is the new sex! Horror maestro David Cronenberg returns to the genre that made him famous (body horror) after a few years and creates an interestingly twisted world with a strong philosophical overlay, thoughtful dialogue, decent casting, a novel point and idea, and there are a few enjoyable disgusting bit. Again, people ran out of theaters in America, but this is again overhyped and definitely had more potential given the premise, but I liked it relatively. It's very strange though, with a touch of arthouse, a slower pace, and not many outright horror scenes, but the world itself managed to keep me glued to my seat and wondering what would come of it. Viggo Mortensen is very good, Léa Seydoux shows up naked so all is well, and Kristen Stewart has a smaller and very weird role. You can see Cronenberg's signature, some of the futuristic ideas deserve a chapter to themselves, and the whole organ swapping idea is impressive (the dissection of a small child is the most interesting, but the drill in the head and the hybrid with the ears are also cool). The guts and dissection are quite enjoyable, but there can't be much talk of atmosphere or proper gore. A strange film, hard to rate, there are things I enjoyed a lot, but the pacing could have been better and the horror side could have been given more space. For a fringe audience only. We are making art out of anarchy. Story 4/5. Action 2/5, Humor 1/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 3/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 4/5. 6/10. (06/23/2022)