Canadian writer and director David Cronenberg has created a far-out sci-fi thriller that challenges us to ponder the propensity we all have for surrendering ourselves to cheap thrills as a substitute for the boredom of reality. In the opening scene of this film set in the not too distant future, Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the world's No. 1 game programmer, is about to demonstrate her new creation eXistenZ when an assassin tries to kill her. She is rescued by Ted Pikul (Jude Law), a security guard for Antenna Research. It turns out she has enemies not only among anti-game fanatics (long live realism!) but also among rival gaming companies.
Fearful that her game is damaged, Allegra convinces Ted to have a bioport shot into his spine so he can play the game with her. Suddenly they enter a narrative that keeps changing along with their moods, desires, and fears. At one point Ted tells Allegra: "I don't want to be here. We're stumbling around in the unformed world, not knowing what the rules are, or if there are any rules. We're under attack from forces that want to destroy us but we don't understand." The game's creator responds, "Yeah, that's my game." Ted states: "It's a game that's going to be difficult to market." Allegra concludes, "It's a game everyone's playing."
This phantasmagorical movie leaves the viewer pondering the perspectives of both the game players and the defenders of reality. Or, to put it another way, Cronenberg celebrates the invented reality of moviemaking as a worthwhile game.
