Essay Database

Produced by Canadian director David Cronenberg, the sci-fi fantasy flick, "EXistenZ" is one that, to the average movie watcher, certainly has a way of standing out. As he so often does, Cronenberg explores the idea of runaway technology - this time tackling the world of virtual reality gaming. By the end of the film, appearing to portray a paradox of reality, many audience members leave this movie with a 'what just happened?' feeling, but …

…as when Allegra and Ted exit the game at one point, we wonder whether they really have departed, or is the game just making them - and us - think they've left. Al this leads up to a fairly predictable ending in which the whole thing was in fact, a virtual reality game (albeit not one as cool as eXistenZ, leaving one to ponder the authenticity of the world we so comfortable believe we inhabit.