eXistenZ 1999

Critics score:
71 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Janet Maslin, New York Times: [It's] meant to have a whiff of the philosophical, even if its intellectual ambition seems mostly limited to spelling affectations. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Jennifer Jason Leigh is an ideal Cronenberg heroine, projecting a personality that is smart, wary and capable of obsessiveness. Read more

Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle: It's good art direction in search of an idea. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: I just don't happen to like puzzle films of any kind, but I must credit Mr. Cronenberg with more intellectual depth than most of his fellow pessimistic movie pranksters. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Because of the potential of the idea and Cronenberg's reputation as a film maker, it's a real disappointment to watch eXistenZ fall apart the way it does. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The Matrix is mainstream sci-fi, but eXistenZ, written by Cronenberg, is much stranger; it creates a world where organic and inorganic are not separate states, but kind of chummy. Read more

Craig Seligman, Salon.com: It's a pleasure to find the brooding Cronenberg turning out a trifle, even if it's a dark trifle. Read more

Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle: This darkly sexual sci-fi horror variant by Cronenberg makes The Matrix look like child's play. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: Dark, delirious fun. Read more