Right after I saw The Matrix, someone told me, "You’ve got to see eXistenZ! It is so K00L!" And, of course, I believed him. But I didn’t actually see the movie until last week.
The good news is that it’s a very enjoyable film, and it’s got a lot of what I like in a movie: it’s science fiction, it messes with reality, it messes with your head, and it’s got nifty subtle visual effects. And, oh, a plot, too.
Basically, Jennifer Jason Leigh plays a super duper game designer whose new baby, eXistenZ, is being tested when someone goes ahead and tries to assassinate her. From there, she enters the game with her bodyguard who find out that… whoops… the only copy of the game is being destroyed. The added bonus is that it jumps back and forth between multiple realities, and keeps the game theme going throughout.
It’s on the same level as 12 Monkeys: enjoyable, thoughtful, interesting. It may not win any awards, but if you like a slightly whacked out sci-fi plot, check it out. -pm
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