This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labour of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie/series/feature being covered here wouldn't exist.
From the auteur of body horror himself – visionary director David Cronenberg – comes the critically acclaimed Crimes Of The Future in a brand-new Limited Edition Dual 4K /Blu-ray Box Set.
The 2022 sci-fi epic has been lauded as ‘provocatively feverish stuff from the dearly missed vintage annals of Cronenberg’ (Rogerbert.com), and bears the Canadian maestro's hallmarks, delving into the depths of dystopia to bring audiences fresh iterations of horror and now Crimes of The Future has a must-have, release from the masters in the field Second Sight Films.
In the not-too-distant future, humanity has been forced to adapt to a synthetic environment and the human body has undergone new transformations and mutations. In a world where diseases and physical pain no longer exist, one man, Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen – Lord Of The Rings, Green Book, The Road, Captain Fantastic), has the strange and fascinating ability to grow new organs inside of his body. Joined by his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux – The French Dispatch, No Time To Die, Blue Is the Warmest Colour) the celebrity performing couple capitalise on his metamorphosis, showcasing the spectacle for a live audience.
Witnessing the marvel first-hand, Timlin (Kristen Stewart – Spencer, Twilight, Still Alice) is immediately stirred by her discovery and shares news with her boss Wippet (Don McKeller – Last Night, Blindness) – the leader of a mysterious group, the National Organ Registry – who want to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next stage of human evolution...
Crimes of the Future is a very solid return from Cronenberg and brought a morbid grin to me personally, as the majority of one of his non-The Fly sci-fi horror features finally clicked with me. The engrossing world, (literally) peeling back the layers to expose well crafted and grimace inducing body horror goodness and the strong cast lineup largely overshadows the occasionally choppy and cryptic narrative.
The box set comes as a dual format edition, including both UHD and Blu-ray versions, with the main feature and bonus features on both discs and is presented in a stunning rigid slipcase box with new artwork by Marko Manev. It comes complete with a 120-page book featuring new essays and includes a host of fantastic special features, please see full list below. The box set is OUT NOW and is also available in Standard Edition 4K UHD and Standard Edition Blu-ray.
Special Features
• Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
• UHD presented in Dolby Vision HDR
• New audio commentary by Caelum Vatnsdal
• Undeniably a Love Story: an interview with director David Cronenberg
• Things Change: an interview with Viggo Mortensen
• The Chaos Inside: an interview with Léa Seydoux
• The Heat and the Grime: an interview with Kristen Stewart
• The Bureau Man: a new interview with Don McKellar
• Painkiller: a new interview with producer Robert Lantos
• The Most Wonderful Dream: a new interview with cinematographer Douglas Koch
• The Code of David: a new interview with editor Christopher Donaldson
• New Flesh, Future Crimes: The Body and David Cronenberg – a video essay by Leigh Singer • The Making of Crimes of the Future
• Production Design Materials
• Short film: The Death of David Cronenberg
Limited Edition Contents
• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Marko Manev
• 120 page book with new essays by Reyna Cervantes, Tim Coleman, Joel Hartley, Rich Johnson, Mikel Koven, Phil Nobile Jr, Ian Schultz and Hannah Strong
• Six collectors' art cards