CRIMES OF THE FUTURE

A strong narrative rhythm is sorely lacking and the clunkily dialogue often pains the ears in David Cronenberg’s latest body horror film.

No-one could ever mistake Crimes of the Future for anything else but the brainchild of David Cronenberg. First conceived about 30 years ago, the movie sits comfortably among the auteur's patented body horror titles like Videodrome and ExistenZ, as he this time uses extreme plastic surgery as a metaphor for sex.

Certain elements are definitely vintage Cronenberg, from the provocative opening sequence to several gooey yet sensual contraptions the main characters use to perform both carnal acts and bodily performance art.

Alas, despite the three-decade gestation period of Crimes of the Future, the picture still appears mostly conceived in broad, superficial strokes. A strong narrative rhythm is sorely lacking, the clunkily expositional dialogue often pains the ears and the motives of the characters aren't nearly fleshed out enough to see them as anything but blunt tools to further the plot.

Somewhere in Crimes of the Future still hides a profoundly unsettling film but in reality it only surfaces sporadically.

release: 2022

director: David Cronenberg

starring: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Scott Speedman