Crimes of the Future - Decal/Neon (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada/UK/Greece, 2022
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Lihi Kornowski, Léa Seydoux, Scott Speedman, Kristen Stewart, Don McKellar, Nadia Litz, Tanaya Beatty

Release Date: August 9th, 2022
Approximate running time: 107 minutes 35 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $22.99

"As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed… Their mission – to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Crimes of the Future comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.7 GB

Feature: 31.1 GB

Colors and flesh tones look correct, the image looks crisp, and black levels look very good. That said, there are some compression and banding related issues.

Audio: 4.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, and included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. This is a solid track that takes full advantage of the sound spectrum.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a slipcover, a theatrical teaser (57 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 45 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and a featurette titled The Making of Crimes of the Future (4 minutes 35 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include trailers for Pleasure and Moonage Daydream.

Summary:

Though some of David Cronenberg’s more recent films have veered away from the body horror elements. Crimes of the Future can be seen as a return to the body horror themed cinema that is synonymous with David Cronenberg’s most celebrated films.

Many elements in Crimes of the Future may appear to reflect what is currently going on in society. And yet it is not simply a reflection of today's world, as much as it is David Cronenberg once again foreshadowing by merging with the present, since the screenplay for Crimes of the Future dates back to 1986.

Thematically, Crimes of the Future can be seen as an extension of themes first explored in Videodrome. Both films explored psychosexual themes and forbidden pleasures. In the case of Crimes of the Future, pleasure is derived from pain via acts of self-mutilation.

With Crimes of the Future David Cronenberg assembles a strong cast who all prove that they are devoted to the story at hand. With the two leads, Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) in the role of Saul Tenser, a performance artist; and Léa Seydoux (No Time to Die) in the role of Caprice, a former surgeon who performs with Saul by removing his organs.

From its opening moments, you know that you're in for a wild ride. The narrative is overflowing with grotesque imagery that is rooted in body horror, and the finale provides an exemplary conclusion. That said, Crimes of the Future is a much-welcomed film from David Cronenberg at a time when cinema is dominated by bland films that all look and sound alike.

Crimes of the Future gets a good release from Decal/Neon that comes with a strong audio/video presentation.

Written by Michael Den Boer