Wednesday, November 7, 2012

eXistenZ

This film was one that truly pushed the boundaries between the real and technological worlds through the use of one of the most common household items now a days: video games. The film's director took virtual reality to a new level by having the characters live in a world where the machine (video game console) and they became one of the same.
Much like a mother would nurture her child, player and game were attached via an umbilical cord allowing the game to feed off its host, indicating it had a life of its own. In the film the main female character was also made a remark that even though she she designed the game, you never knew where it could take you. This is pretty much her saying that while she designed this piece of machinery and data, what the game console decides to do with what she made is not in her control. This thought is possibly the biggest evidence towards the idea that the video console has a mind of its own and is a living thing, only in a different reality.
The film's lead male character appears to be much more conservative. He fears the idea of having an object live off of him, as well as the idea of his body being left defenseless as he explores another world. He can be seen as the advocate for the human world and what we consider to be our reality.
The ending of the film is quite possibly the most puzzling of all. While the "pods" they hold are not as grotesque looking as the previous ones in the game, its clear that they are on their way to becoming that. Also the fact that it is never explained if the game ended or not goes to show that even in our modern age, technology can pose a threat to our way of living. Some people may become susceptible to the idea that there is another reality out there and this can cause, as seen in the film, major paranoia. The film serves as a warning that while our improvements in the technological world are amazing, we should all proceed with caution.

No comments:

Post a Comment