Director David Cronenberg's eXistenZ is a stew of corporate espionage, virtual reality gaming, and thriller elements, marinated in Cronenberg's favourite Crock-Pot juices of technology, physiology and sexual metaphor. Jennifer Jason Leigh is game designer Allegra Geller, responsible for the new state-of-the-art eXistenZ game system; along with PR newbie Ted Pikul (Jude Law), they take the beta version of the game for a test drive and are immersed in a dangerous alternate reality. The game isn't quite like PlayStation, though; it's a latexy pod made from the guts of... mutant amphibians and plugs via an umbilical cord directly into the user's spinal column (through a BioPort). It powers up through the player's own nervous system and taps into the subconscious; with several players it networks their brains together. Geller and Pikul's adventures in the game reality uncover more espionage and an antigaming, proreality insurrection. The game world makes it increasingly difficult to discern between reality and the game, either through the game's perspective or the human's. More accessible than Crash, eXistenZ is a complicated sci-fi opus, often confusing, and with an ending that leaves itself wide open for a sequel. Fans of Cronenberg's work will recognize his recurring themes and will eat this up. Others will find its shallow characterisations and near-incomprehensible plot twists a little tedious. --Jerry Renshaw, Amazon.com [show more]
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In the near future eXistenZ is the last word in virtual reality gaming technology. However, many have taken afront at the game's careless blurring of fantasy and reality, and some angry protestors have even taken to hunting down its inventor, Allegra (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Allegra's only protection from the mob is a young security guard (Jude Law), and when they are forced to go on the run together, the couple find they have no option but to take refuge in the one place they can remain safe: the computer generated world of the game itself.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. During the first closed-door demonstration of an amazing new virtual reality game – called Existenz – the system’s brilliant designer, Allegra Geller (Leigh), is violently attacked by a crazed assassin intent on killing her and destroying her creation! Forced to flee into hiding, Allegra enlists a young assistant (Law) to help her in testing the damaged system, by convincing him to join her inside Existenz! The action then explodes as their world’s real-life dangers begin to merge with the fantasy of the game! If you’re ready to play, it’s now your turn to plug into this powerfully entertaining hit! Actors Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Ian Holm, Don McKellar, Sarah Polley, Christopher Eccleston, Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie & Robert A. Silverman Director David Cronenberg Certificate 15 years and over Year 1999 Screen Widescreen 1.85:1 Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.1) Subtitles English for the Hard of Hearing Closed Captions Yes Duration 1 hour and 33 minutes (approx)
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