From the small percentage of people that have seen any of Brandon cronenburg's movies, I find they have a range of opinions. Most viewers have relatively positive reviews.
I'm here to give them a glowing review, and label them a must watch for horror sci-fi enthusiasts.
Saying I love his movies is not the right word. I would say instead, that I am deeply haunted and disturbed by possessor and infinity pool. So much so that I wonder if I would watch them again.
But I think that is the point of both films. I feel like they achieve everything they set out to do in a sleek original style.
Spolierssssssssss
In possessor and infinity pool and see a similar archetype emerger. Terrifying technology implemented by relatively faceless quazi- government organizations. And the moral bankrupt people caught up in the machinery of this new tech.
In possessor we see a person conflicting over their attachments to family and loved ones as they evitably become a super assassin.
The violence in this movie is something else. The realism and the grittiness of the murders coupled with the detail oriented cinematography of the film leaves one sensing the gravity of the crimes committed by the main character. The story is a horrorifying tragidity.
infinity pool, is again about another person in moral decline. Unable to reconcile the circumstances they are in with an idea of what they actually want.
While there is less bloody violence, the abuse James recieves at the hands of mia goth's character made me cringe so hard.
Yet again the ending is less of a surprise and more gradual conclusion. Both films are mostly about watching someone destroy their own life because they aren't sure if they actually care about their love ones.
B. Cronenburg brings a fresh and clear vision of Sci-fi horror. The realism of the situations, the attention to detail, the near-future technology, villainous governments, the speechless morally confused characters. All come together to tap into a fear that is embedded in our society today.
Please talk to me about these movies. I can't find anyone in person who has seen them..
I added some on that I saw before I made this list just in case you hadn't seen them and they end up interesting you. If you click on the titles they will take you to the JustWatch page that will tell you all the places that title is currently available to stream. (I took all the release years from IMDB and sometimes the JustWatch release years don't match by a year or two, I don't know why).
I tried breaking it up into four categories: Sci-Fi/Sci-Fi Horror, Other (psychological drama, etc.), Horror, and Don't Recommend. They are in no particular order and I've been jumping around myself. The titles on the list span a scale from light, mildly mind-bending to mind-destroying fear of the unknown.
Mind-Bending/Sense of Dread movie watchlist: