Crimes of the Future: Limited Edition – Second Sight Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

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: September 11th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 107 Minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £39.99

"In the near future, a couple of performance artists push the boundaries of taste and decency with daring shows of mutilation and organ mutation. All the while a shadowy government agency is closing in on a terrorist group that are pushing for the next evolution in the human experience." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Crimes of the Future comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 87.6 GB

Feature: 68.7 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Image clarity, contrast, shadow detail, black levels, and compression are all solid. This is another phenomenal encode from Fidelity in Motion.

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

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 28 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English with removable English SDH. This track sounds excellent. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. This track does a superb job when it comes to range; ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds robust.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a short film titled The Death of David Cronenberg (58 seconds), production design materials (7 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with music from The Crimes of the Future playing in the background), a featurette titled The Making of Crimes of the Future (21 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay titled New Flesh, Future Crimes: The Body and David Cronenberg (22 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with editor Christopher Donaldson titled The Code of David (22 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Douglas Koch titled The Most Wonderful Dream (17 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with producer Robert Lantos titled Painkiller (10 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Don McKellar The Bureau Man (26 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), n interview with actress Kristen Stewart The Heat and the Grime (7 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Léa Seydoux titled The Chaos Inside (6 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Viggo Mortensen titled Things Change (9 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), n interview with director David Cronenberg titled Undeniably a Love Story (9 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Caelum Vatnsdal.

Included with this release is a Blu-ray that has the same content as the 4K UHD included as part of this combo release.

Other extras include a rigid slipcase, 6 collectors' art cards and a 120-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Crumbling Buildings & Perverse Furniture: An Appreciation of Crimes of the Future written by Mikel J Koven, an essay titled Crimes of the Future: From Abandoned Script to a Topical Return to Form for David Cronenberg written by Ian Schultz, an essay titled Secreting Societies and Mutating Nations written by Phil Nobile Jr, an essay titled Cronenberg and the Value of Art in Crimes of the Future written by ​​Reyna Cervantes, behind-the scenes and production design, an essay titled ‘Long Live the New Flesh’: Transforming and Transcending Bodies in the Cinema of David Cronenberg written by Tim Coleman, an essay titled Hunger Artists: A Kafka/Cronenberg Digest written by Rich Johnson, an essay titled Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis: Location in the Science Fiction Films of David Cronenberg written by Joel Harley, an essay titled Dead Ringers: The Enduring Creative Partnership of David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen written by Hannah Strong and production credits/acknowledgements.

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 definitive release from Second Sight Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer