I watched Crimes of the Future and I hated it. 1/5
–
Crimes of the Future is David Cronenberg’s latest foray into body horror, but rather than pushing boundaries or innovating in the genre, it feels more like a desperate attempt to be provocative without actually saying anything new. From start to finish, this movie is an exercise in cringeworthy shock tactics, relying on grotesque visuals and stilted dialogue rather than crafting a meaningful story or intriguing characters. If you’re hoping for the thought-provoking, intense Cronenberg of The Fly or Videodrome, you’re in for a letdown—this is Cronenberg at his most self-indulgent.
The premise is strange enough to hold some initial curiosity: in a dystopian future, people are evolving to feel no pain and even grow new organs, leading to underground performance art where artists publicly mutilate themselves in the name of “art.” Viggo Mortensen stars as Saul Tenser, a man whose body continuously grows new organs, making him a kind of celebrity in the underground world of body modifications. Léa Seydoux plays Caprice, his partner and fellow artist, who performs “surgery shows” on him for an adoring audience. Kristen Stewart appears as a twitchy government worker fascinated by their performances, but her character—and really, all the characters—seem more like awkward, stilted sketches than real people.
The problem isn’t just the bizarre concept—it’s the heavy-handed execution. The dialogue is filled with pseudo-philosophical musings that sound more like the first draft of a college art student’s thesis than anything insightful or coherent. Lines like “Surgery is the new sex” are thrown around with such seriousness that it’s hard not to cringe. Instead of building an intriguing narrative around this dystopian world, the movie seems content with vague, preachy messages about art and humanity that don’t go anywhere. It’s as if Crimes of the Future expects the audience to be shocked and awed purely by its weirdness, without ever delivering a deeper layer of meaning.
The pacing is painfully slow, with scenes dragging on well past their welcome. Long, uncomfortable silences and lingering shots don’t add tension or atmosphere—they just feel empty. The movie wants to feel profound, but the dialogue and performances lack the substance to make it work. Viggo Mortensen is clearly committed, but even he seems weighed down by the bizarre script, often whispering his lines as if he, too, is trying to figure out what’s going on. Kristen Stewart, usually a strong performer, is reduced to awkward facial tics and strained whispers, and her character’s obsession with the “surgical performances” comes off as cringey rather than compelling.
Visually, Crimes of the Future doesn’t shy away from grotesque imagery, but the shock value wears off quickly. Instead of building tension or exploring the themes of body modification in interesting ways, the movie bombards the viewer with endless scenes of slicing, cutting, and organ manipulation that quickly lose their impact. After a while, it’s just gross for the sake of being gross. The body horror feels empty, with none of the emotional or psychological layers that made Cronenberg’s earlier films so powerful. Rather than feeling disturbed or captivated, you’re more likely to feel bored—or worse, annoyed.
The movie also fails to establish a cohesive world. We’re told society has reached a point where pain is obsolete and people seek new sensations, but we don’t see much beyond Saul’s insular world of bizarre “art” shows. The futuristic setting never feels fully realized, with almost no world-building to explain how society got to this point or why people care about these performances. It’s a hollow setting that serves only to justify the gory visuals, without offering any context or logic.
In the end, Crimes of the Future comes off as pretentious rather than provocative, and shallow instead of shocking. It’s a cringey attempt at highbrow horror that lacks the emotional and intellectual weight to back up its shocking imagery. Cronenberg’s previous films explored the intersection of humanity and technology in fascinating, disturbing ways, but here it feels like he’s just trying to push buttons for the sake of it.
If you’re a die-hard Cronenberg fan, you might find something of interest in the visuals, but for most viewers, Crimes of the Future is a tedious, cringe-inducing mess that’s more likely to make you roll your eyes than hide them.