eXistenZ

At some unspecified time in the future a software company is demonstrating their newly developed pre-release game to a crowd of enthusiasts, one which requires an organic gaming pod to physically attach a string of gamers to allow them to take part in a hyper-real virtual reality experience.  Before the demo gets properly underway one of the participants attempts to assassinate the game's designer, Allegra Geller.  She's rescued by a security guy/marketing trainee by the name of Ted Pikul, the couple heading out into the countryside in effort to avoid further attempts on Geller's life.  She's surprised to find that Pikul is no gamer himself, and thus persuades him to obtain a bioport (an entry hole to the spine) which will allow him to plug into the game pod alongside Geller.  Once hooked up they're assimilated by the game world where Pikul experiences the vivid realm of eXistenZ first hand, and its gradually perplexing effect on one's ability to discern one realty from another.

Produced around the time when home gaming was simultaneously being propelled to mainstream popularity alongside virtual reality becoming a buzz which hinted at an exciting future that seemed to procrastinate itself in a frustrating fashion, 1999's eXistenZ is David Cronenberg's problematic but nonetheless enjoyable foray into the world of gaming, incorporating his own philosophical spin on personal perception of reality.  It was an obvious choice in a sense: he'd already made a couple of wonderful films about people being confused by the boundary between that which is (apparently) real, and that which is not, referring of course to the drug-fuelled Naked Lunch and Videodrome, both of which I've revelled in viewing many times over.  I've also enjoyed viewing eXistenZ (eight times at point of writing) since and including its cinema release here in the UK, however, it's often struck me as noticeably less 'perfect' than the aforementioned highpoints of Cronenberg's illustrious career.  Harder-core gamers, or even those of the casual variety, would most likely find some of the rules of the eXistenZ game world cumbersome (the main example for me is characters getting stuck in loops until one of the players says something that progresses the game plot), whilst others may find the performances a bit odd (again, for me, I've never been keen on Jude Law's fake American-accented Ted Pikul).  Despite those problems the film inadvertently or otherwise manages to overcome them with its conclusion. i.e. by the end it's inherently difficult to argue that whatever you've found to be an issue is indeed that.  I'm not sure the distributors knew how best to market it, seeing as the trailer and poster hint at something action orientated - the film is somewhat more cerebral than that, although would never compete with the bombshell sci-fi classic that was The Matrix the very same year.

After watching eXistenZ at the cinema back in '99 I was eager to pick up the DVD the following year.  Aside from being non-anamorphic it was actually a pleasing disc for its day.  The movie has later appeared on Blu-ray a couple of times across the globe, the UK special edition release by 101 Films finally prompting me to upgrade.  Image comparisons of course reveal superiority, albeit not with as great a jump in detail as one might have expected considering the near two decades' gap between the two releases.  The transfer used could be from an older master, although it doesn't look bad in the grand scheme of things.  You have a choice of stereo or 5.1 audio replicating the Dolby Digital original.  It's a largely vocal driven, aurally subtle film so the surrounds don't get to do much, although as with the former DVD the soundtrack comes alive to some extent for the final battle (which is not large scale by any stretch) between the opposers of artificial reality and, presumably, those who revel in it.

The 101 edition comes in a very nice slipcase, packed with two discs (Blu-ray, and DVD, although not all of the extras are replicated on the DVD) and a good quality booklet.  There are three commentary tracks, though only one of these (by the director) originates from the first 2000-era DVD.  There were actually two other commentaries on the old DVD that aren't ported to the new release, so you might want to hold on to the ancient disc.  The new set does carry across the 53 minute documentary and trailer, whilst adding a host of standalone interviews from the time alongside an exclusive contemporary talk with Christopher Eccleston.  Apart from a couple of points where he brings slightly political views into the equation (I'm not sure why celebrities feel the need to attempt to indoctrinate weaker-minded viewers with their opinions but I would be happy not to have to listen to them) this is a great talk about his time on set and recollections of Cronenberg's approach.  The discs are region locked to B and 2 respectively.  In summary, this is not a perfect release (which would entail a new 4K scan in addition to - if it exists - the workprint that allegedly ran nearly 20 minutes longer) but it is a very good effort.

The Fly

1986, US / Canada, Directed by David Cronenberg
Colour, Running Time: 96 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Fox; Video: 1.85:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: DTS HD MA

Is there anyone that hasn't seen David Cronenberg's The Fly remake? In an age where remakes have swamped the cinema release schedules over the last ten years or so, this film is an overwhelming demonstration of what can be done with someone else's previously filmed material. Taking the core story of the Vincent Price 1958 original, the 1986 version of The Fly is brought up to date for the (then) modern era in terms of technology, science, and sheer gruesomeness. It's the story of a scientist who has cracked the teleportation problem, and in testing the machine (two pods, whereby the molecules of the one are disintegrated and reintegrated into the second) he goes through unknowingly at the same time as a house fly that has unfortunately landed in the pod prior to the teleportation. The computer confuses the two organisms and effectively splices them together at a genetic level, thus beginning a progressive transformation of the man into a horrific amalgamation of the two. What sets Cronenberg's story apart from the average monster movie, partially, is a particularly strong emotional foundation. Brundle's degeneration into disgusting monstrosity, the product of his own relentless curiosity and drive to push science forward, is ultimately tragic and believable. There are five stars of this film in my opinion - firstly, David Cronenberg of course, who continued his exploration of mutations of the human body on a thematic level, in the process creating one of the greatest remakes in cinema history. Then there is possibly the most talented composer in the film (and probably non-film) world, Howard Shore, whose score pounds home Cronenberg's themes at key points, building momentum to the devastating climax. The next two are Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, whose performances bring all of this together in a gripping fashion. Finally, there is Chris Walas' awe-inspiring creature effects, which are still repulsive to this day. There are a couple of moments that seem to be there purely for shock value more than anything else but the result of Brundle's dabbling is like a nasty car crash - you kind of can't take your eyes of it despite the fact that it's not at all nice to look at. The stilted dialogue of the early scenes is not to be off-putting - the film develops itself into a classic of the horror/science fiction hybrid (appropriately) genre.

I've seen this film on most home video formats and have more recently picked up the Blu-ray Disc, promptly selling the DVD. Video cassettes of this film looked awful - very muddy and indistinct. DVD was noticeably better, but the film's rough look has made it difficult to translate to the lower resolution of VHS and DVD. The Blu-ray is significantly improved - in lighter scenes the detail is very strong, colours are far more realistic, and the contrast is better balanced. Darker scenes still look quite rough, but it's probably easier to see exactly what's going on now. There are details on the creature effects that I'm sure I never saw before on DVD. Overall, it's definitely worth upgrading to the Blu-ray for full HD image quality alone. The audio track is serviced by a lossless DTS-HD surround track - most of the sound comes from the front, particularly centre, channels, but the music is embellished with the greater resolution and very welcome impact. It is limited by 80s recording technology and that's never going to change, but it sounds better here than it ever has. On the disc you also get the extras of one of the former DVD special editions (the set I originally bought had The Fly II on an extra disc, but of course that isn't included here). That includes director commentary, documentary, deleted scenes, and loads more. For fans of the film, you have to pick up this very strong Blu-ray and ditch your old DVD/laserdisc/VHS as soon as possible.