eXistenZ: Limited Edition – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada/UK/France/USA, 1999
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe, Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie, Christopher Eccleston, Sarah Polley, Robert A. Silverman, Oscar Hsu, Kris Lemche, Vik Sahay, Kirsten Johnson, James Kirchner

Release Date: November 24th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 2 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $64.98

"In the near future, video games have evolved to a point where they are able to biologically interact with players through the use of an electronic umbilical cord. Allegra Geller has created eXistenZ, a highly anticipated virtual reality game which has come under fire for its potential ability to effectively warp players' perceptions of reality. When an anti-game zealot attempts to murder Allegra during a demo, she narrowly escapes with the help of her publicist, Ted Pikul. However, Allegra discovers that the only master copy of the game might have been damaged during the attack and convinces Ted to test it with her. After Ted reluctantly agrees, the pair enter the virtual world of eXistenZ, but it’s not long before they start becoming uncertain as to where the violent gameplay ends and reality begins..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm interpositive".

eXistenZ comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.9 GB

Feature: 60.7 GB

The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Flesh tones look accurate, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

eXistenZ comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.1 GB

Feature: 29 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. Both of these audio tracks sound excellent. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and range-wise, both audio tracks sound robust when they should. That said, though the DTS-HD 5.1 track does a great job opening up the original stereo source, I personally still prefer the stereo track. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD include an archival audio commentary with director David Cronenberg, an archival audio commentary with cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, an archival audio commentary with visual effects supervisor Jim Isaac, and an audio commentary with film historian Dr. Jennifer Moorman.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a promotional and behind the scenes image gallery, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), archival EPK interviews: David Cronenberg (4 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), actor Jude Law (14 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), actress Jennifer Jason Leigh (1 minute 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), actor Willem Dafoe (7 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and visual effects supervisor Jim Isaac (27 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival promotional featurette (11 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival special effects featurette (3 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Frame by Frame: The Invisible Art of Production Designer Carol Spier (48 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with opening title designer Robert titled The Art of the Title (7 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with producer Robert Lantos titled Sticking with Genius (10 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with make-up effects artist Stephan Dupuis titled Frankenstein Syndrome (9 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with art director Tamara Deverell titled Crafting (un)Reality (22 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with David Cronenberg, an archival audio commentary with Peter Suschitzky, an archival audio commentary with Jim Isaac, and an audio commentary with Dr. Jennifer Moorman.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a spot gloss flesh-textured hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 10,000 units), and a 40-page perfect bound book with an essay titled eXistenZ, Y2K and the Virtual Reality Films of the 90s written by Justin LaLiberty, and an essay titled eXistenZ and the Art of Interactivity written by Jon Dieringer.

Summary:

There are many elements in the film by David Cronenberg that feel like they come from a future time or another realm. And yet to label any of his films as science fiction would be doing them a great disservice. At their core, his films are about the transformations that the characters go through—psychological, psychical, and sometimes both. That said, it is remarkable how forward-thinking all of his films are. Case in point: eXistenZ, a film about virtual reality that was so far ahead of its time that society is only now catching up to the ideas presented in it.

Though David Cronenberg’s films often have complex premises, most of his films have narratives that can be broken down into an easy-to-digest synopsis. That said, eXistenZ is not such a film, and trying to write a synopsis for it would be futile. Fortunately, the uncertainty of what is unfolding perfectly suits the story that unfolds.

Something you can always bank on when watching the cinema is grotesque objects and deformities like orifices in places where they normally would not be, a gun that is made out of chicken bones with human teeth used for bullets, and gaming consoles with an umbilical-like cord that plugs into a hole in your lower back. These latter two examples are in eXistenZ. Also, when it comes to these grotesque objects and deformities, they are so well crafted that they no longer feel unbelievable.

Over the years, when it comes to casting, David Cronenberg’s films have always been able to draw recognizable actors and actresses. Cast in the two lead roles are Jennifer Jason Leigh (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) in the role of Allegra Geller, a game developer whose been targeted for assassination, and Judd Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley) in the role of Ted Pikul, a nonbeliever who over time becomes more attuned with eXistenZ to the point that he is unable to distinguish reality from virtual reality.

From its opening moments until the mind-fuck ending, the narrative does a phenomenal job blurring the line between reality and virtual reality. And nowhere is this more potent than the last line of dialog, “Are we still in the game?”. Ultimately, eXistenZ is an extraordinary film that explores the role we all play in shaping what we see as our own realities.

eXistenZ gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome, 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