'Horror masterpiece' with 80 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes now on iPlayer

A 2022 sci-fi horror flick has dropped on , allowing audiences at home to watch a "blood-curdling and stimulating" masterpiece. Directed by David Cronenberg, the film Crimes of the Future includes a star-studded cast, featuring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart. The film is set in a dystopian future, where mankind has advanced to the stage where human evolution is undergoing mutations. Saul Tenser (Viggo) and his partner Caprice (Seydoux) are performing avant-garde artists who showcase their talent of removing human organs live on stage. Their abilities soon attract the attention of an investigator (Stewart) who develops an obsession with their work.

However, despite the film receiving positive reviews from critics, audiences reacted by walking out of screenings during its 2022 Cannes Film Festival debut, according to .

Critics have favored the film, giving it an 80 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Christina Newland from iNews said, "David Cronenberg's cringe-inducing gore has twists that offer up some truly provocative questions about technology, the body, and sexuality."

Ella Feldman wrote, "Cronenberg finds new entry points into these themes, making fresh incisions that feel distinctly modern. Crimes of the Future is not a carbon copy of its director's greatest hits. It's a manifesto."

Samuel Leggett Jr. also chimed in, "Crimes of the Future literally is not for the faint of heart. It has some amazing imaginary, very heavy artist suggestions and design, and some great performances from the whole cast; this is not a film to watch out of enjoyment or entertainment." [sic]

Audiences at home who reviewed the film on Rotten Tomatoes also gave it plenty of praise. One person stated, "Profound and prophetic; perhaps the greatest dystopian pseudo-sexual body-horror film ever made."

A second person also commented, "Such an amazing return for Cronenberg sci-body horror masterpiece! The practical FX were (fire)!"

A third person also similarly said, "Cronenberg returns to his body horror roots in full force with his 2022 Crimes of the Future. The pacing is a little slow for my taste and the body horror comes in strong. For these reasons, I would only watch this again if there were nothing better to choose from."

Crimes of the Future can be streamed on BBC iPlayer now.