David Cronenberg is no stranger to body horror in all honesty, The Fly alone doing enough to make anyone squirm in their seat so to see him back amongst it all with Crimes of the Future is certainly an exciting prospect. The question is, can Cronenberg deliver again where he's been so successful before?
Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), a performance artist, grows new organs in his body and showcases their removal for his audience along with his partner, Caprice (Léa Seydoux). But with the government and a strange subculture taking note, Tenser is forced to consider what would be his most shocking performance of all.
Sadly, David Cronenberg fails to deliver anything of sorts here to live long in the memory. Odd as the film opens with such an intriguing sequence involving a child chewing and seemingly digesting a plastic bin yet, from that moment the film just meanders slowly to a rather unrewarding ending, comparible to a dud firework that promises so much yet doesn't even conjure up an explosion.
The writing from Cronenberg feels majorly undercooked, none of the characters or strands of narrative feeling fully developed to the point you start to question what the hell is even the point of paying any attention to it. Crimes of the Future isn't without its positives though, some great production design allowing the audience to at least settle into a believable future version of Earth. Howard Shore's score accompanies the film in a suitably haunting manner too.
The biggest draw to Crimes of the Future by far are the performances from such a wonderful ensemble. Viggo Mortensen always come to a film with such a strong presence and it's no different here, his Tenser seemingly fragile yet dedicated to bringing his audience the perfect performance. It's Léa Seydoux who steals the show here though as Caprice, the passion she has for aiding Tenser in his art coming to the fore behind a vulnerable exterior as he shows interest in others. Kristen Stewart seems to be having a bit of fun yet doesn't make enough of a mark to take the film to greater heights.
I really wanted to be engrossed in David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future but ultimately it just felt like there was something stopping me from doing so. Very much feels like one of those films where it's easy to appreciate the work put into it, even if it did leave me feeling a little cold.
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