eXistenZ

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eXistenZ

R,

1999,

1h 37m,

Sci-Fi

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Watchlist

Watchlist

76%

68 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

68 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.

Critics Consensus

Gooey, slimy, grotesque fun.

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

Mar 26, 2020

4/5

What we have here is a witty sci-fi teaser built around the coming wave of deep immersion gaming.

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J. Hoberman

The New York Review of Books

Mar 8, 2019

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.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

May 21, 2018

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.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Apr 29, 2024

4/5

This pseudo-sequel to 'Videodrome' is arguably better than its predecessor.

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Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Apr 24, 2024

4/5

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.

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

Feb 3, 2024

4/4

Bizarrely prescient and dripping in paranoia, this is Cronenberg’s last great effort into speculative fiction.

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George P

Mar 17, 2019

Cronenbergâ(TM)s finest.

Finn M

Jan 20, 2019

It's good but not as good as I was hoping for. Its definitely ahead of it's time, as the themes explored are more than relevant now. The acting is ok at best, and the feel of the movie seems very dated (consider that The Matrix was made in the same year). I also wasn't a fan of the very ending because it was already very obvious that everyone watching the movie was thinking "is this still another layer of the game" so there was no need for the final line of the movie... it made it cheesy. Still it's a movie I'd recommend to older gamers or die hard sci-fi fans.

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Jan 11, 2019

I'm not usually a sci fi fan but this film is amazing

Albus W

Oct 13, 2018

The perfect movie for people who like bad movies.

Rey M

Sep 20, 2018

this movie sounds awful but its actually very cool

Han S

Mar 11, 2018

Super weird. kind of reminds me of lexx except not in space but in video games.probably the weirdest thing was whatsherface carrying everything around in a ski boot.

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David Cronenberg

Director

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Allegra Geller

Jude Law

Ted Pikul

Willem Dafoe

Gas

Ian Holm

Kiri Vinokur

Don McKellar

Yevgeny Nourish

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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, Alliance Atlantis Communications, Natural Nylon Entertainment
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

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