David Cronenberg: All 21 Films Ranked From Worst To Best

9. eXistenZ

While eXistenZ is not Cronenberg's strongest film, and occasionally feels a bit like Videodrome-lite, its cyberpunk themes and glossy aesthetics make it a worthwhile and - particularly for its time - brave entry into the director's canon. It's basically a film about virtual reality, video games and the separation between the real world and the digital world. There's no doubt that you'll have seen this done a million times before, from Tron to Lawnmower Man to Futurama. eXistenZ works, though, because it employs Cronenberg's trademark visceral, bodily aesthetics. The technology seems alive, organic almost. This isn't some tacky amusement park ride visit to video game land. Once you enter eXistenZ's world, you become one with the machine. As indicated, these are issues that were worked to a far, FAR more successful end in Videodrome. But that doesn't mean that eXistenZ should be discounted entirely. Some of its virtual reality sequences are great fun, and it maintains several interesting issues that could certainly be applied to today's culture of smartphones and social networking.