Rating: 
Summary: CLOSER TO THE FUTURE THAN THE MATRIX
Review: I caught this on cable while surfing, and it pulled me in, just as the game in the movie does to the main characters. There's so much going on in this movie that it's difficult to sum up in a short review. Cronenberg and his team did such a surprisingly fantastic job on this movie that I can't beleive no one noticed it when it came out. Despite what other reviewers have said, the character portrayals are multi-dimensional, as are the attention to such details as costumes, make-up and even sets and props. Best of all, this film works in a way that makes you want to sit back and enjoy the ride, just as Leigh's character instructs Law's character in the film.But the most important element of this film is the message that is transmitted. Someone in another review of this film kicked The Matrix, but that movie is an excellent allegory for the civilization we live in, and thus can be forgiven the ludicrous future vision necessary to deliver that message to the sheep who need it so badly. Existenz gives us a vision of a much more probable future, one that we will likely bear witness to. In the not-too-distant future humans will have the option to completely escape reality through computer technology, and in it's very likely that Cronenberg's vision won't be too far off the mark. Existenz allows us to ponder that probable, disturbing reality in the most enjoyable, ironic way possible.
Rating: 
Summary: why wasn't this a hit?
Review: I don't really understand why this movie wasn't a hit, ok there where no great actors, only William Dafoe. But I have always been a fan of Cronenberg since he made Scanners. This movie you can't compare with the Matrix, it not even the same genre. the Matrix was action-sci-fi, and this is thriller-sci-fi. It's more like Dark City, a very good movie i think. the ending is surpricing at cool, you never really know what's real and what's virtuel. I now this is a bit short this review, but i don't want to reweal to much. sorry for the poor spelling, but i'm not english.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.....
Review: I've enjoyed several other Cronenberg films but Existenz really didn't do much for me. Maybe this was intentional, but the dialogue was really stilted, and the acting--stiff, unrealistic, without any real passion--turned me off. Existenz's protagonists speak in this slightly off dialogue that reminded me a bit of the futuristic lingo in Aeon Flux, but in this case it just came off silly. Watching this in the theater, I wasn't the only person chuckling at some of the unintentionally bad one-liners... What sort of irritated me about Existenz, and a lot of what I'd call "art film," is that it seems to substitute "meaninglessness" for "ambiguity." In other words, the movie throws in a few visual flashes and C's trademark weirdness for no other reason than to be "different," and then expects the viewer to attribute some sort of deep meaning to what's going on, when it's really just an exercise in stylistic excess. I've noticed this in some of David Lynch's film, and it's a habit that makes Existenz a little annoying and even condescending to the viewer. Anyway, I've heard the film compared to the Matrix, and the overarching theme (confusion between virtual reality and actual reality) is there, but the non-linear plot seems like it's there just to serve the visuals--namely some strange physical weaponry, a couple interesting settings, a few murders, maybe one steamy sexual scene. It reminded me more of Videodrome, a much better Cronenberg film that managed to hit on all of the themes of Existenz (technology, virtual reality, sexuality) plus quite a few more (moral decay, societal corruption, S&M, voyeurism, etc.). Videodrome is, in my opinion, a lot more interesting visually, it has much more resonance and was just a flat-out more entertaining and satisfying flick. It's not that I didn't like Existenz, but it's sort of like Inferno is to Dario Argento's Suspiria--basically an inferior copy of a much better movie by the same director. Existenz is worth renting if you aren't familiar with Cronenberg or are a big fan/completist, but Videodrome is the real deal.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of money and time
Review: To watch "eXistenZ" was a gross waste of my money and time. It is a cheap knock-off of "The Matrix". When I say cheap, I mean really cheap. No visual FX at all - just some stupid silicone rubber imitation biomatter. Bad acting, implausible plot, no visual FX. Too bad there is no way to rate it zero stars - I would if I could. Those people who rate it highly are afraid to admit that it sucks and that they wasted their money and time. Who are you going to believe, me or them? Watch "The Matrix" if you haven't already, and skip this cheap knock-off.
Rating:
Summary: eXistenZ - Greatest Film
Review: I've seen a lot of really cool movies in my life, but this is one of the best, most intriguing movies i've ever seen. I always wanted to see a movie that made you think about what was going on, and so far no movie has matched up. People compare eXistenZ to the matrix but what it is really more like is the first few episodes of the show "The Outer Limits". The Outer Limits is the only other thing i've seen that could come close to the amount of thinking it takes to watch eXistenZ. I didn't get this movie real well but thats because i only saw it once (so far) and missed the first 5 minutes of it. But those first five minutes could change the whole way I think about this movie. I'm rambleing now but if you really want to see a awsome sci-fi, brain picking thriller, then this movie is for you.
Rating:
Summary: THIS MOVIE GOT TO ME.
Review: IN TYPICAL DAVID CRONENBERG STYLE THIS MOVIE KIND OF LEFT ME SHAKING MY HEAD WHEN I FIRST WATCHED IT.I MADE THE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO ATTACH SOME SORT OF PLOT SENSE TO IT AND IT JUST WASN'T WORKINGAFTER I REWATCHED IT ABOUT 5 TIMES I JUST KIND OF GOT INTO THE HYPNOTIC NETHERWORLD THAT MR.CRONENBERG IS FAMOUS FOR TAKING MOVIE WATCHERS TO AND AM ENJOYING IT IMMENSELY.THE MOVIE ITSELF IS THE PLOT-DAVID KEEPS MOVING YOU IN AND OUT OF VARIOUS REALITIES AND THEN AT THE END DOES ONE OF HIS FAVORITE TRICKS AND KIND OF PULLS THE MENTAL RUG OUT FROM UNDER YOU.ANYONE THAT HAS ENJOYED OTHER MOVIES OF HIS LIKE "VIDEODROME" WILL FINALLY JUST GO "OKAY DAVE YOU GOT ME AGAIN!".AS OTHER REVIEWS HAVE SAID YOU WILL PROBABLY ENJOY THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE DAVE CRONENBERGS PROJECTS-IF YOU DON'T THAN DON'T BOTHER TO BUY THIS ONE.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Cronenberg
Review: When I started watching this I screamed "It's Naked Lunch! Run!" and jumped from my couch, planning to flee. But I stuck it through to the end. *Whew* It was rough, but I did watch the whole thing. It's a typical Croenberg, drug induced fantasy of a film. Good in spots, incomprehensible in others. Just remember to watch it sober.
Rating:
Summary: Not Cronenberg's best
Review: There have been many comparisons between this movie and The Matrix, but the only similarity is the focus on ultrarelistic virtual reality, perhaps with a bit of "which is the real world" ambiguity thrown in. I've been a fan of David Cronenberg for years, but this movie just wasn't up to his considerable par. The themes are fascinating, and the storyline progesses nicely, but the entire feel of the movie left me a little bored. I didn't really care whether or not the characters were able to do what they had to do, even when that included Jude Law eating a double headed lizard, which should have been disgustingly interesting. I'll keep watching Cronenberg, and you may want to check this one out, but go into it with no expectations. You might enjoy it more that way.
Rating:
Summary: excelent movie, too bad i didnt see it earlier
Review: this movie was excellent. it went from one reality to the next with confusing but very interesting plot turns which make sense only after you continue watching. this isnt a movie for people who dont want to pay attention to the dialog or storyline, it requires some thought. the points which it raises are also very intresting. the question of not knowing which is true until your able to step out of what your in has been raised by many people but shown beautifully in this movie. if you liked this movie id recommend 'the user illusion' its a book, but excellent and explains some of the ideas in this movie in more detail.
Rating:
Summary: A couple of viewings at least
Review: I'm surprised so many people think this movie sucked - they must not have any imagination at all. Sure there is no loud music or fight sequences or explosions. You don't need them when you have a PLOT. The overt strangeness and many twists are what make this movie work. Cronenberg introduces bizarro elements from the beginning, so the viewer accepts them without much fight. As things get weirder, and admittedly grosser, you almost don't notice - except that Ted (Law) annoyingly questions everything. Of course, Allegra (Leigh) is so blase that you figure everything must be fine. Carry on. By the end, you've accepted so much on faith that you're left wondering what just happened - and why you didn't see it coming. But if the game world had been closer to what we perceive as reality, or if the characters had been smoother, it would have been a really boring movie. So much happens at so many levels that you have to see the movie a couple of times to catch it all. If you think this movie was just a gross-fest, you weren't paying attention. If you think it was depressing, you weren't paying attention. If you think it's a Matrix clone, you REALLY weren't paying attention.
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