Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

eXistenZ 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 2, 2024

After finding his way through the turns of fetish and fixation in 1996’s “Crash,” David Cronenberg doesn’t stray far from the flesh with his follow-up, 1999’s “eXistenZ.” For this round of specialized horror, the writer/director explores the ways of virtual reality video games, sending viewers into a strange world of fleshy game systems and twitchy players capable of physically plugging into adventures that threaten to corrupt humanity. Cronenberg remains close to his filmmaking interests in “eXistenZ,” but he’s confident with this odyssey into unreality, delivering a unique take on the immersion of gaming and the dangers of such submission.

Antenna Research is eager to test its latest virtual reality game, “eXistenZ,” bringing in designer Allegra (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to lead a team into this new world, which is accessed through MetaFlesh game pods connected via bio-port to the human spine. During the showcase, an assassination attempt occurs, inspiring marketing trainee Ted (Jude Law) to jump in and protect Allegra, taking the wounded woman out of the area. Hitting the road as they search for safety, the pair are exposed to the lure of the game pods, with Ted a newcomer to the world of bio-ports, requiring a hole of is own to join Allegra in “eXistenZ.” Entering the game, Ted is overwhelmed by the experience, while Allegra searches for a way to fix her game pod, with the pair encountering strange characters along the way. There’s also the threat of revolution, with the Realist Underground coming after Allegra and her dream to pull humanity into the full-body surrender of VR.

For additional information and analysis, please read Martin Liebman’s 2012 Blu-ray review.

eXistenZ 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

Previously released on Blu-ray in 2012 by Echo Bridge, "eXistenZ" returns to disc with a new UHD presentation from Vinegar Syndrome, listed as "newly restored from its 35mm interpositive." The 4K viewing experience is quite compelling, as David Cronenberg has plenty of textures to share, preserved here as detail explores the soft surfaces of the game pods, the gooey innards of mutated creatures, and skin surfaces on human players. Interiors retain dimension and decoration, allowing fans to search the frame for more evidence of this unreality, and exteriors are deep, following the characters on their rural adventure. Colors are crisp, with sharp primaries throughout, doing well with fashion choices and room hues. Greenery is distinct, as is red blood. Skin tones are natural, and the fleshy pods retain their sickly human appearances. Blacks are deep, doing well with shadowy encounters. Highlights are tasteful. Grain is capably resolved.

eXistenZ 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix provides sharp dialogue exchanges, securing thespian emotionality and their various passes at all kinds of accents. Scoring supports with crisp instrumentation and dramatic emphasis. Surrounds are active, pushing musical moods circular at times. Atmospherics are also alert, exploring various environments in the film, also presenting a wider sense of group activity. Sound effects are clear. Low-end perks up with violent events and explosions.

eXistenZ 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (42 pages) contains essays by Justin LaLiberty and Jon Dieringer.

• Commentary #1 features director David Cronenberg.

• Commentary #2 features cinematographer Peter Suschitzky.

• Commentary #3 features visual effects supervisor Jim Issac.

• Commentary #4 features film historian Dr. Jennifer Moorman.

• "Crafting (Un)Reality" (22:14, HD) is an interview with art director Tamara Deverell, who grew up as an artist, showing interest in entering the film business. Influenced by Carol Spier, Deverell found a mentor in the production designer, working to develop a career, eventually making her way to David Cronenberg's "Crash." The interviewee discusses the artificial reality of "eXistenZ," aiming to support Cronenberg's vision for this strange world, identifying various sets and locations, pulling a universe together on a low budget. Graphic work on products are identified, and Deverell highlights Cronenberg's prescient work on the script and its video game vision.

• "Frankenstein Syndrome" (9:24, HD) is an interview with makeup effects artist Stephan Dupuis, who tracks the early years of his career, receiving a major break on 1979's "City on Fire." Dupuis eventually connected with David Cronenberg, tasked with creating the body ports and game pods for "eXistenZ." Makeup effects with the bone gun are explored, and the interviewee briefly details his retirement.

• "Sticking with Genius" (10:25, HD) is an interview with producer Robert Lantos, who recalls his initial meeting with David Cronenberg at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. However, the pair finally collaborated on 1996's "Crash," and they reunited on "eXistenZ," with Lantos a little lost when it came to the world of video games. The interviewee also shares some thoughts on Cronenberg's professional relationships and his vision of the future.

• "The Art of the Title" (7:00, HD) is an interview with Robert Pilichowski, who explores his creative efforts to set the initial tone for "eXistenZ" through the lengthy main title sequence. Layers of work are analyzed, with the team trying to match David Cronenberg's vision for the feature.

• "Frame by Frame: The Invisible Art of Production Designer Carol Spier" (48:29, SD) focuses on the highly respected moviemaking professional, using the production experience of "eXistenZ" to explore her production responsibilities and interactions with crew. Some welcome BTS footage is offered here, along with an understanding of Spier's capabilities.

• Promotional Featurette (11:09, SD) is a making-of for "eXistenZ," with cast and crew interviews walking viewers through story inspirations, plot and characterization, and the themes of the movie.

• Special Effects Featurette (3:52, SD) is a brief discussion of "eXistenZ" with visual and special effects supervisor Jim Isaac.

• EPK Interviews (SD) include writer/director David Cronenberg (4:15), visual effects supervisor Jim Isaac (27:48), and actors Jude Law (14:46), Jennifer Jason Leigh (1:25), and Willem Dafoe (7:03).

• Image Gallery (3:24) collects publicity shots, film stills, and poster art.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:11, SD) is included.

eXistenZ 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The feature is all about the journey. Ted is the audience surrogate, exposed to the gruesome and strangely seductive elements of the game and Allegra, brought into a world of bio-port creation (Willem Dafoe plays a gas station owner who also punches holes into lower backs) and lubrication. There are mutated creatures to examine and bone guns to fire (with human teeth acting as bullets). There's also the central mission of the VR world, which finds Ted and Allegra dealing with rotting MetaFlesh pods, while the characters they encounter are either trying to help the twosome or kill them as revolution heats up. This is Cronenberg's "Jumanji," only he's not here for action and broad comedy, but an unnerving study of temptation, with Ted pulled deeper into the game, learning more about its immersion, which gives Allegra a certain amount of power in the process. The helmer adds layers of disorientation throughout the story, pushing viewers to question what's going on with the game as it gradually blurs the line of reality. "eXistenZ" does have some unavoidable Cronenberg-branded emotional rigidity to get through, but once the quest to understand a threat level begins, the luridness of it all is quite enticing, sold with exceptional visuals from the production team, who deliver vivid displays of corporeal corruption. And there's Cronenberg's appetite for the macabre and the surreal, which provides a special creative fuel for the endeavor, making "eXistenZ" one of his most interesting (and prescient) pictures.