Scott LeBrun
This stunning film, grim and graphic at nearly every turn, is an incredible early work by David Cronenberg when he was still into his "body horror" cycle. ("The Dead Zone", done the same year, broke him free for a moment.) James Woods delivers an amiable performance as Max Renn, operator / part owner of a small time cable TV station. He's looking for edgy new programming, and his employee Harlan (Peter Dvorsky) shows him the pirated transmissions of a hideous series dubbed "Videodrome". There are no stories to speak of, it's just straight-ahead torture and degradation. Well, as it turns out, viewing Videodrome causes freaky and strikingly violent hallucinations for just about anybody.Taking a journey into the worlds of David Cronenberg is always interesting, if nothing else. And "interesting" is never a bad quality to possess. Some people may wince at the effects sequences in these early movies, but they are evidence of the way that Cronenberg could often appeal to adult intellects as well as affect them at gut level.Here, he hypothesizes that television and technology are so ingrained into human experience and existence that they can become part of our physical makeup, so to speak. His themes are prophetic; "Videodrome" could be seen as a way-ahead-of-the-game forerunner to the "torture porn" sub genre that exploded in the 21st century. And the desire for some networks and stations to try to draw people in with entertainment that they can't get anywhere else has remained relevant over the decades.Approximately 35 years later, the wonderfully gross Rick Baker effects lose none of their power to amaze. This viewer was particuarly delighted by the pulsating videotape and television set, and by that "flesh gun" that results when a regular gun is fused into Max's body.Cinematographer Mark Irwin and composer Howard Shore do typically excellent work. This is also a nice showcase for a solid cast: Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry (the Blondie singer looks VIVACIOUS, and is intriguing as an enigmatic woman who gets off on physical pain), Lynne Gorman, Jack Creley, Dvorsky, and Les Carlson as Barry Convex, the villain of the piece.After all this time, the new flesh is still living a very long life.Eight out of 10.
gwnightscream
James Woods, Deborah Harry and Les Carlson star in David Cronenberg's 1983 sci-fi/horror film. Woods (Vampires) plays Max Renn, a manager of an x-rated TV station. Soon, he stumbles onto a mysterious program, "Videodrome" which consists of real violence & torture. Max starts to feel strange after viewing it and his reality changes. Harry (Blondie) plays Nicki Brand, a radio shrink who Max gets involved with and the late, Carlson plays Barry Convex, the producer of Videodrome plus Carlson also worked with Cronenberg in "The Dead Zone" and "The Fly." This is a bizarre 80's flick, Woods is good in it and Rick Baker's make-up effects are terrific as usual. Give this one a try at least once.
tdrish
Videodrome is by far one of the most original, complex, and freakiest movies I have ever seen. Possibly even the goriest. At the time of its release (1983), it was a miserable failure at the box office, and for one clear reason: This movie was incredibly too far ahead of its time. Incredibly far! I think it was so far ahead of its time, that its true audience wasn't even born yet. It's not truly a bad thing, as this has created a cult following over the years, and perhaps this has proved our director David Cronenberg as somewhat a master of something more important then making money, and that is making a great movie. Indeed, we will never see anything even close to a film like this being made again, or even a reboot ( which has been on the back burner for years. Keep delaying it, Krugar, it doesn't need it!) Cronenberg is an insanely talented man, and when it comes to violence in films, fans of his work will know he does not f**k around, so the squeamish can easily be discarded from viewing his stuff. And if you are squeamish, stay away from this movie. We are talking flesh guns, tumor bullets, and outdated video cassettes inserted into giant chest cavities. Think you can handle it? James Woods ( usually taking on roles of the bad ass) plays Max Wrenn, and he runs an independent cable channel that connects his viewers with some unusual programming. He's looking for some new material for Channel 83, and he thinks he's found it, via a show called Videodrome, which is transmitted through an unknown signal from an unknown origin. ( This is why you don't torque with the unknown!) After catching a taste of this show, Max gets in touch with a source that has connections with the porn industry, where he is strongly cautioned to stay away from Videodrome. He is told that this is not a show, that it is real, and what he sees on this show is really happening. What exactly is this show? Disturbing images of torture, women being brutally beaten on, raped, killed...still think you can handle it??? The jaw dropping content just leaves you picking it up off the floor right to the very end, as things just become increasingly worse and worse for Max. He learns, all too late, that he indeed was not watching a show called Videodrome...that there was a hidden signal behind "watching" this show that he has been exposed to, which has altered the way he thinks, acts, and sees things. He is developing a bizarre brain tumor, and it seems to be shutting down his old brain, creating a new brain, and it creating a vertical slit from his chest down to his belly, where video cassettes are inserted, and program his new brain to become an assassin for Videodrome beyond his will. Think you've heard the worst? His life alters, as he was warned that Videodrome has a philosophy. ( The philosophy is this: Television is reality, and reality is less then television. Wrap your thoughts around that!). What is so downright intriguing about this movie, is how much thought, creativity, and time was spent into this. By the time you are done watching it, you are left with the remaining years of your life to interpret what you saw. This movie has left me pondering unanswered questions over the years. Videodrome will not waste a second explaining to you, for example, about how it works, or what exactly it is. We are left to our own devices to figure that out for ourselves. I have watched this movie over and over, know it forward and backward, and I still can't tell you everything about it. What exactly is the war of North America? How will it be fought in the arena of Videodrome? What exactly is the New Flesh? What is that unknown wind that emerges when Max "opens up"? By trial and error, Max learns that he can use his own body as a weapon, and he will do his best to fight Videodrome with his own war...the Death To Videodrome war, after talking to Bianca O'Blivion ( the only likable character in the movie, in my opinion). Biancas father was killed after his creation of Videodrome was hijacked. It's never explained what Brian O'Blivions purposes were with Videodrome, but it does not appear he meant any harm through it, as he and his daughter ran a service that helped the homeless. After Videodrome was stolen from him, he was killed off, and they want to rub out the only remaining connection to Videodrome, and that's through Bianca. Bianca talks Max out of it, and he learns to use his body as weapon against the bad guys once and for all. For its time, Videodrome is rewarded for not relying on a computer graphics for its use of violence. ( And even if you have a strong stomach, NOTHING is going to prepare you for the scene when Barrys head comes apart at the seams. Look closely, you can see the gums!) Beyond all the insanity and graphic violence, there is an underlying message that I believe this film tries to get across. The very unique thing about this movie, is how each person will see it differently, and even how each reviewer will review it from another aspect that someone else wouldn't have thought of. Just remember the two key points to this movie, and that's (1) technology and (2) global mind control. There's a third key point too, but I will leave that to you to figure out what it is.
charliesonnyray
I like weird movies. I love it when a film maker decides to go outside of the box and use strange and surreal stories to present unusual concepts like TV ruling our world. Croneneberg-notorious for making strange films-directed this picture and his fingerprints are all over it. The questioning of reality, the dream like imagery and the hammy acting are all part of his charm. But frankly, it simply didn't work here. The story of the film is about the head of a TV station named Max Renn that broadcasts sleazy sex-ploitation movies. He comes across a new program called Videodrome that begins to affect the way his mind works. Eventually, reality begins to unfold around him as a war between fiction, reality, and rival companies comes to the surface. Now, the main problem with this film is that it leaves the audience with more questions than answers. Now allowing your audience to think for themselves is a good thing. But allowing too many questions to be wide open isn't. In Inception, letting the audience guess whether or not Leonardo Di Caprio's character was still in a dream or not was a great use of suspense. Videodrome slowly reveals the secrets of it's world but as it does so, it begins to make less and less sense.Did that actually happen or was just in his head? Was that person real or did Videodrome mess with your head? Why is an eyewear company getting involved with TV? It is like a piece of clothing that if you just pull out a little string than the whole thing unravels and turns into a mess. Now the visuals and the special effects are very well done, I will give the movie that. That doesn't make up for the fact though that it isn't really well constructed story wise. If you want to watch a really gross body horror film that questions what reality is, go check out eXistenZ-another Cronenberg film with similar themes to Videodrome but done way better.
