By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Hollywood’s attempts to show us a scary future often fall short. For example, after decades of movies about killer robots trying to kill us, it turns out that the real threat from robots is that AI is simply killing all of our intelligence. Another recent sci-fi film, however, has become the most modern horror film in the genre because its portrayal of the future is so focused on the collective concerns of the present day. That movie belongs to David Cronenberg Future Casesand now you can stream all its dark goodness on Hulu.
Not a Remake
Future Cases (no relation to Cronenberg’s earlier film of the same name) follows a pair of male and female performers with a very twisted intelligence: in a world where most humans have developed negative evolutionary traits, a male has the ability to grow new organs. Therefore, his female partner often turns the operation into a game, allowing the noisy audience to see the live removal of his organs. Life is good compared to these musicians, but everything changes when they are caught up in the police’s efforts to find and eliminate a group of dissident conspirators.
The cast of Future Cases is backed by big names, including Lord of the Rings legend Viggo Mortensen as a man who can grow new limbs. His partner is played by Léa Seydoux, a French actress whom Western audiences may know from her performances in movies like this one. Dune: Part Two and Daniel Craig’s last two James Bond films, The Spectre again There is no Time to Die. Kristen Stewart also has a small part, and if anything, she’s more engaging in this role than she has been in this wonderfully weird film. Lies Lies Bleed.
Negative Release
Unfortunately for these actors and superstar body horror director David Cronenberg, Future Cases it was the boy in the box. It only made $4.6 million against a $27 million budget. However, like much of Cronenberg’s work, the movie has gained a growing cult following since its initial release, and it’s only a matter of time before it regains critical acclaim from future audiences.
However, during that time, not everyone who saw this sensational film knew what to make of it. In Rotten Tomatoes, Future Cases it has an 80 percent critical rating, with critics noting that Cronenberg hits some of his old themes in exciting new ways. Of course, the movie only has a Popcornmeter audience rating of only 50 percent, with many who have seen it saying it has little to offer anyone who isn’t already a Cronenberg fan.
Cronenberg’s Most Available
However, on that point, I have to disagree. Among other things, Future Cases is one of the most accessible films Cronenberg has ever made. Its structure is more linear than say, Scanners or Videodrome. Also, while the movie focuses on weird special surgery as a performance art, I found that it lacked some of the more disturbing body horror elements of classic Cronenberg like. Rabid or A fly.
Plus, you don’t have to be a Cronenberg fanboy to enjoy it Future Cases it expresses the horrors of today’s society. The episode about people transitioning to eating plastic seems terrifyingly effective amid the growing research into the vast amount of microplastics that fill our bodies. And the main plot about surgical artists shines a dim and bitter light on our media practices. If millions of people enjoy watching the pain and suffering of others on TikTok and YouTube, is it really a stretch to think that future audiences will enjoy watching someone being ripped open for entertainment?
You won’t be able to answer that question, of course, until you broadcast Future Cases on Hulu. Will you find this to be a humble, fun reflection of modern society or a Cronbergian exercise in excess? You never know, until you broadcast tomorrow’s crime today and decide for yourself.
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