Caleb Landry Jones plays Syd March, an employee of the Lucas Clinic where celebrity obsessed fans can go to have themselves injected with viruses which have come directly from the celebrities they worship. Syd's also injecting himself with these viruses in order to smuggle them out of the clinic where he can tamper with their copy protection and resell them on the black market. One of the diseases he takes on proves to be lethal, and time is running out for him to uncover its secret and possibly find its cure.
No matter who made Antiviral (2012), comparing it to a David Cronenberg movie would be inevitable. With its sterile clinical art direction, weird culture of obsession and body modification, and details like also being able to buy steaks culture grown from celebrity muscle cells it all feels like a David Cronenberg movie. The movie was written and directed by Cronenberg's son, Brandon, who has clearly absorbed his father's sensibility. It's not as nuanced as one of David Cronenberg's movies, but it does fill a void of horror/science fiction films spun out of smart, unique ideas, that are presented without dumbing down. As far as I'm concerned that's a welcome return, and I really enjoyed Antiviral.
No comments:
Post a Comment