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eXistenZ

Play trailer Poster for eXistenZ R Released Apr 23, 1999 1h 37m Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 77 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Video game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has created a virtual reality game called eXistenZ. After a crazed fan attempts to kill her, Allegra goes on the run with Ted (Jude Law), a young businessman who falls into the role of bodyguard. In an attempt to save her game, Allegra implants into Ted's body the video game pod that carries a damaged copy of eXistenZ. Allegra and Ted engage in a series of experiences that blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
eXistenZ

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Gooey, slimy, grotesque fun.

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Critics Reviews

View All (77) Critics Reviews
Danny Leigh Financial Times What we have here is a witty sci-fi teaser built around the coming wave of deep immersion gaming. Rated: 4/5 Mar 26, 2020 Full Review J. Hoberman The New York Review of Books It's striking that eXistenZ, a send-up of computer games that parodied The Matrix avant la lettre, and one of the great underappreciated movies of the late 1990s, yields the richest trove of relics. Mar 8, 2019 Full Review Anton Bitel Little White Lies eXistenZ - both Allegra's latest beta release and David Cronenberg's dizzying B-movie - makes the different textures of game, film and life increasingly difficult to tease apart. May 21, 2018 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast This pseudo-sequel to 'Videodrome' is arguably better than its predecessor. Rated: 4/5 Apr 29, 2024 Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast Cronenberg's meditation on gaming and simulation has a tinge of Y2K hysteria, but its philosophical questioning of the impact on our humanity is very welcome and low-fi compared to other films of the time. Also: Jennifer Jason Leigh devours this role. Rated: 4/5 Apr 24, 2024 Full Review Kevin Carr Fat Guys at the Movies Bizarrely prescient and dripping in paranoia, this is Cronenberg’s last great effort into speculative fiction. Rated: 4/4 Feb 3, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Farah R I can usually get behind Cronenberg's wild and twisted imagination, but this one just wasn't for me. EXistenZ was too weird and chaotic for my taste despite the excellent performances. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/11/24 Full Review Test T I watched this on DVD recently. It's quite a strange sci-fi film, and certainly pushes the boundaries of our imaginations. The main theme however, of asking what is real and what is not is a very old one which features in many films. What makes this film stand out is it's organic style and approach. Personally, I found the film more unsettling than entertaining due to the unplesant nature of the technology and the gore that came with it. I like my tech to be inanimate and clean which this is certainly not. The other problem I had with the film was that I found it very difficult to believe the story, and to invest in the film's reality. At times it became so rediculous that it appeared more like an improv' show where the actors were being forced to play roles they had only become aware of minutes before. In summary, it is novel but I did not enjoy it and can't recommend it. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review Joe B One of the most under rated, barely seen movies I've ever seen. For nearly two decades I thought it was a fever dream I had, because no one else knew of it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/24/24 Full Review lolDDOSS David Cronenberg makes a 90s cool movie in this one broh. flesh guns and reality checks Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/11/24 Full Review Jacob B The premise is interesting, the actors are game and those are some damn fine, memorable-looking props that remind you just whose movie this is but, I don't know, there's something about eXistenZ that felt off to me that prevented me from truly getting into it. Maybe it's the pacing or the execution of the storytelling. And this is only my second Cronenberg film after A History of Violence so I can't boil it down to "his other body horror films were better". Maybe the mind screw aspects didn't impress me. Or maybe I'm just a dumbass who doesn't get subtle themes and needs The Wachowskis to hold my hand or something. Look, I respect the people who like this and, hell, even prefer it over the more popcorn-friendly Matrix but I really didn't get as sucked into the story as I was hoping for. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/24 Full Review Maya L Captures the feeling of a dream so perfectly. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
eXistenZ

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Video game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has created a virtual reality game called eXistenZ. After a crazed fan attempts to kill her, Allegra goes on the run with Ted (Jude Law), a young businessman who falls into the role of bodyguard. In an attempt to save her game, Allegra implants into Ted's body the video game pod that carries a damaged copy of eXistenZ. Allegra and Ted engage in a series of experiences that blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Director
David Cronenberg
Producer
David Cronenberg, Andras Hamori, Robert Lantos
Screenwriter
David Cronenberg
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax, Natural Nylon Entertainment, Alliance Atlantis Communications
Rating
R
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 23, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.8M
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital