In the future, human bodies are evolving, and this is of concern to world governing bodies. They are worried that these changes are uncontrolled and leading to a dangerous place. They have set up the New Vice Unit (NVU) to help control and regulate this. Only a lucky handful of people still experience pain, and one of these is performance artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen). He suffers from accelerated evolution syndrome, causing his body to rapidly grow new superfluous internal organs. Sometimes he has trouble eating or sleeping comfortably, and tries to utilize high-tech chairs and beds to adjust his body, and shift and balance out his pain centers, but things are getting more difficult for him. Rather than allowing the new organs to take over his body, Saul has turned their removal into a form of performance art. Former trauma surgeon-turned-artist Caprice (Léa Seydoux) is his caretaker and partner, removing the neo-organs in front of a live audience. Technicians for the National Organ Registry, Mr. Wippet (Don McKellar) and his apprentice Timlin (Kristen Stewart), have been tattooing and cataloging Saul’s idiopathic organs in order to catalogue and study them. For many people in this new world, surgery has become the new sex—hey are turned on both by watching and participating in these new forms of surgical performance art. Meanwhile, a mysterious man and revolutionary named Lang Dotrice (Scott Speedman) has something he wants to prove—he approaches Saul, asking him to perform a live autopsy on his 8-year-old son, who had been murdered by his wife Djuna (Lihi Kornowski) for being a plastic-eating mutant. But an NVU agent (Mihalis Valasoglou) also approaches Saul, asking him to help them take down Dotrice and his band of mutated freaks.

After an 8 year hiatus, David Cronenberg returns to the director’s chair and is back to his darker, body horror tales, a genre that suits him very well. Crimes of the Future sets up this bizarre and interesting future where the human body is quickly evolving, and showcasing this has become an art form. It’s not just Saul removing superfluous organs in front of an audience, others are also showcasing their evolution oddities, such as a man with extra ears all over his body, or an older woman who slices her face and feet in the name of art. This is the kind of body mutilation that Cronenberg loves to explore in his films. While it may be a turn-off to some, I found some of it very fascinating to watch. There is also this futuristic technology that seems to be a cross between alien and organic that Saul and Caprice utilize to both treat Saul’s worsening condition as well as to perform their live surgeries. Cronenberg does a nice job of slowly revealing and explaining this strange and different future.

At the same time, the film also has this underlying theme of What is the future of humanity, and What are we doing to our bodies and world that could change what it means to be human. Despite the fact that the film was written almost 35 years ago, this part feels feels very fresh and very relevant today. How are all the synthetic products we have introduced in our lives going to affect us in the future?

Decal Releasing’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. Even though parts of the film can be a bit dark, the picture remains clean and clear throughout, with a solid color palette and an excellent level of detail. This is especially noticeable in faces, the surgical procedures, and the general weathered look of walls and surfaces. This dark future feels very real and lived in. The audio track provides clear dialogue as well as a general ambiance that makes the viewer feel a part of these odd performance pieces. As for bonus material, the release offers two trailers as well as an interesting but short 5-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and crew. The disc comes packed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase, with a cardboard slipcover, but no digital copy.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:47:35)

• 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• The Making of Crimes of the Future (4:46)
  The cast and crew talk about the premise of the film, the timeliness of the film despite being written over 35 years ago, what the story means to them, filming in Athens, working with the iconic director, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer David Cronenberg, producer Robert Lantos, production designer Carol Spier, and stars Kristen Stewart (“Timlin”), Léa Seydoux (“Caprice”), Viggo Mortensen (“Saul Tenser”), Welket Bungué (“Detective Cope”), Scott Speedman (“Lang Dotrice”), Don McKellar (“Wippet”), Nadia Litz (“Router”), Tanaya Beatty (“Berst”) & Lihi Kornowski (“Djuna”).
• Teaser Trailer (:57)
• Theatrical Trailer (1:45)

Final Thoughts:

Crimes of the Future is a return to form for writer/director David Cronenberg, who is well known for his body horror tales like The Fly. He once again explores this genre with an interesting look at what humanity might be like in the future. He sets up an interesting and bizarre world, while also exploring some deeper themes. The film features an excellent cast, and Decal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. There is only one short bonus feaurette, but the film itself is worth a look, especially for classic Cronenberg fans.