David Cronenberg has one of the most unique resumes of any director of the past six decades. Cronenberg has directed some of the most intriguing crime dramas, Eastern Promises and A History of Violence, but he’s also one of the most influential horror directors of all time. With entries like Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), The Fly (1986), and Dead Ringers (1988), Cronenberg has cemented his place as the king of body horror.
With that title placed on Cronenberg, it’s no surprise that his return to the body horror genre, Crimes of the Future, would land as one of my most anticipated films of 2022. With a cast including Léa Seydoux and Academy Award nominees Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart, it was hard to imagine a world where Crimes of the Future would not be a film I’d adore. But unfortunately, that promise of greatness matched Cronenberg’s promise of body horror, and both were full of great disappointment.
Crimes of the Future follows Saul Tenser (Mortensen) and his partner Caprice (Seydoux), a duo who have become well-known for a unique act in which the audience members gaze upon Caprice as she cuts new and unknown organs from Saul’s body. This act has not only created a buzz among the masses but brings them to the attention of the National Organ Registry run by Wippet (Don McKellar) and Timlin (Stewart).
After Timlin and Wippet attend a performance by Saul and Caprice, the two gain an even bigger interest in the pair. Timlin becomes both professionally and personally curious about Saul. In the meantime, Lang Dotrice (Scott Speedman), a grieving father, offers no hesitation in providing Saul with an unfathomable proposition for their show.
With a premise layered in originality, Cronenberg’s themes of inner beauty and the examination of the human body are sprinkled throughout the film. However, Cronenberg’s screenplay is mundane, convoluted, and fails to dive into Crimes of the Future‘s themes fully. I found myself sitting through conversations that could not captivate and only made me irritated and bored.
Along with its failed exploration of Cronenberg’s well-known themes, the body horror promised by the auteur is nothing short of underwhelming. Rather than going back to his roots of practical effects, Crimes of the Future’s reliance on poor CGI and tame body horror ultimately fails the film. Rather than walking out of the movie praising another body horror classic, I was left puzzled as to why the film’s promotion and interviews in the lead-up to its premiere at Cannes focused on “walk-outs” and returned to old practical effect glory.
If there are bright spots in the film, it stems from the film’s ensemble’s performances. Seydoux and Mortensen carry electric chemistry that will leave cinephiles longing for more projects for the duo; any scene they share leaves you glued to the screen. In addition, while Kristen Stewart has less screen time than anticipated, Stewart’s charisma is on full display as she continues to cement her place as one of the best actresses working today.
Along with the performances is Howard Shore’s haunting score. While the Academy Award winner has quite the resume, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been seen engrossed by one of Shore’s scores. Yet, even in the film’s most dull moments, Shore’s score still shines bright.
Ultimately, the biggest crime in David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future is failed potential. In clamoring and hoping for a vintage throwback to Cronenberg classics of yesteryear, cinephiles are privy to a tame, uninteresting, dull entity that is one of 2022’s biggest disappointments.
