eXistenZ

Andrew Pope:

eXistenZ (1999) reimagines these themes within the context of video games and virtual reality. Here, Cronenberg shifts from passive media consumption to active participation in simulated worlds. Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a game designer, and Ted Pikul (Jude Law), her skeptical ally, navigate a layered reality of eXistenZ, an ongoing virtual reality game that can be accessed via “bio-ports,” spinal implants that connect players to organic, pulsating game pods. The tactile grotesqueness of these devices mirrors Videodrome's uncannily throbbing videocassette, but the stakes are the same: once again a media product promises ultimate immersion and freedom, whilst erasing that freedom. The interactive nature of a game may seem a more positive prospect than the passive reception of cable TV signals, but in fact the game subtly dictates the players' actions, eroding their agency even while promising to promote it. The freedom of the game isn't a step up from the limits of cable TV – it's just a better way to sell control.