Navigating Netflix: eXistenZ

REVIEW BY ZACH SANDLER


Trying to find something new on Netflix, I clicked on new instants, and then sorted by rating. Looking through the whole page of either documentaries, foreign, or indie stuff, I found something intriguing. The movie is called eXistenZ and it is written and directed by David Croenberg(The Fly, History of Violence).  The movie is a sci-fi flick that is ahead of its time. Jennifer Jason Leigh(Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Greenberg) and Jude Law(Gattaca, A.I, Repo Men) star in this film about a group of people who test out a new virtual reality game that allows you to be hooked up to a bio-tech console with other players. Their are too many twists and turns in order to give any more plot lines into what is actually happening.

 Made in 1999, it could be said that it was lost due to all the attention that The Matrix received.  Because of similiar themes such as the sci-fi idea of what is reality and what is not, eXistenZ was easily pushed under the rug due to its lack of production value and the fact that The Matrix changed the way special affects were used in the industry. However, I wouldn't compare it to the Matrix as much as I would compare it to Inception. With Inception having false realities as diving into your own sub-conscious, eXistenZ takes you into new realities created by technology and your own brain. As Allegra Galler(Leigh) and Ted Pikul(Law) try to find out what is happening with the video games, they meet a lot of interesting people a long with way played by notable actors Christopher Eccelston(One of the recent Dr. Whos), Iam Holm(Alien, LOTR), and Willem Dafoe(Boondock Saints, Spiderman).  Galler and Pikul are forced to test out a beta version of a virtual reality game in order to see what is wrong.

This wild ride of a movie rarely ever gives you a moment to catch up. Stay buckled in, and just go with the flow even if you are unsure as to whats going on. Ask questions later, because you might miss the next thing as well. Also, maybe it was just me, but do not see this movie while eating or just after you ate. Their is some decent medical gore, and strange creatures/food that are not too appetizing. In the end, I give this movie a 7.5 out of 10. Law shows a new role instead of his charming, good looking, arrogant character I am more used to seeing. Leigh still acts as if she was in high school at Ridgemont High, but Croenberg's story keeps you so preoccupied as to what is going on, you do not have time to react, but just follow along. This is a bold prediction of our own future with the likes of Sims, and Second Life. I enjoyed watching it, but with seeing some recent blockbusters first, I feel as if they stole their idea from this eXistenZ. I probably would have given this movie a 9 if I saw it in 1999 instead of 2011.