"Existenz" Fails To Justify Its' Existence

by Jason R. Hewlett

I've mentioned this before in some of my reviews. You know, the Hollywood Habit of releasing a bunch of different movies dealing with the same topic. We've had meteor movies ("Deep Impact" and "Armageddon") and bug movies ("Antz" and "A Bug's Life") and now we've got computer generated reality movies ("The Matrix," "Existenz," and the upcoming "Thirteenth Floor").

Sometimes this isn't a problem. Both movies can offer different takes on the subgenera by having a dramatic approach such as with "Deep Impact" and then a more fun approach as with "Armageddon." Hey, that's fine by me. However, with the recent trend we've got the other extreme. We've got the first film out the gate being dazzling ("The Matrix") and then the next film out the gate being deathly boring in comparison: "Existenz." One can only guess at how "Thirteenth Floor" will turn out.

It's not fair to compare "The Matrix" and "Existenz" though. "The Matrix" is a Hong Kong action movie on steroids that has some weight behind it. "Existenz" sits more on the level as a satire/commentary on the dehumanization of our society through computer technology and video games. This is a real concern actually, even to me (and I work in the Internet/entertainment industry), and I warrant that writer/director David Cronenberg was hoping to get his views across in an entertaining, even humorous fashion. I applaud his intent but have to say he failed in his delivery.

I'm not gonna give away the plot of "Existenz." That would ruin it for the people who watch the film and, in turn, will probably sway whether or not they like the piece. For me, though, Cronenberg killed his film by laying on one of the biggest no-nos of screenwriting: The Cheap Surprise. The Cheap Surprise. is a tool the screenwriter uses where, at the film's conclusion, we discover that everything we've sat through in the last 90 minutes or so is all wrong (a dream etc.). This sort of technique works fine in short films or in a segment of "The Twilight Zone" but to make people sit through a feature film and then tell them it's all been a game or dream is wrong. Sure, we're amused for a few seconds but then we feel ripped off (at least my friend Darcy and did. My other friend Roger liked the film). Suffice to say it makes the rest of the film, which was a confused muddle, make sense but still. I was disappointed that a proven filmmaker like Cronenberg would resort to such a trick to please viewers.

That's not the only problem I had with the film, nor the script. I found myself disliking the film almost from the get go. None of the characters were overly appealing nor dynamic. Actually, they were rather boring which is too bad because the cast can very exciting in other films. If you can't relate to, or care about, the characters than you've lost your audience. Also, the film is paced like a snail race in reverse. 90 minutes feels like 90 years that I'll never get back again. Again: very deadly for the audience. Finally, the whole film looks like it was shot on soundstages. It looks fake. When The Cheap Surprise. is revealed this makes a bit of sense but still, it looks bad all the way through which again doesn't help the audience feel connected to the film. Everything in a movie should be used to suck the audience into the picture but in the case of "Existenz" it repelled me from it in full effect.

I'd call "Existenz" a huge disappointment. Cronenberg can be really good and he's one of Canada's best filmmakers but here he just proved that our filmmakers should leave sci-fi to the big boys down south...or to try a different approach Too bad.

1 out of 10!