Videodrome
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| WARNING: This review may contain spoilers. |
It seems as if not seeing a specific movie from the past that is considered a cult classic is enough to become an outcast until you finally go through it. Videodrome is easily one of those types of movies, and sadly, this had become the situation I was facing, especially since I do appreciate product David Cronenberg's work. With all the references being made towards the film today, it's hard to admit to never seeing this release, especially with how many people will rave about how brilliant a film this one is. But, is Videodrome really one of Cronenberg's best works, or is this a movie that might be too overhyped for its own good, even back when it first was released?
The plot of the film centers around Max Renn (James Woods), the owner of the "sleazy" television channel Civic 83. Throughout the start of the film, he is established as a man as filth-driven as the channel, catering to "softcore porn to hardcore violence," always on the hunt for new and exciting television programs to air on the channel. However, he and his video pirate coworker Harlan (Peter Dvorsky) happen to stumble upon a broadcast titled Videodrome via a pirate satellite. This new show becomes a new fixation for Max, as well as Nicki Brand (Deborah Harry) who is asked out during a television panel discussion about what television is like today. From that panel, we are introduced to Brian O'Blivion (Jack Creley) as well, who plays an important role in the later effects of the Videodrome program, which begin to show up quickly for Max as the relationship between he and Nicki grows, and her desire to be on the program.
Eventually, Max becomes determined to make Videodrome part of his station's line-up, and eventually begins to have a lot of hallucinations including violence towards others that never happened, scratching an open wound on his stomach, and distorted video tapes that look like living creatures. As the hallucinations become more drastic, and even more life-like, Max looks for the source and discovers it to be related to Brian O'Blivion, who provides a taped explanation that the film projects into the mind and seems to add a new growth like a tumor, but a new advancement in mankind brought on by these transmissions. This plot point becomes extended when Barry Convex (Leslie Carlson) is introduced into the mix, and the film goes from a simplified concept of how sleaze and violence on a regular basis on television can desensitize the viewer, to how the programs can manipulate the viewers mind and bend them to the will of the people making them. Granted, this is not a huge change of pace in the film, but it is about when the film starts to mess with your perception of what is real, and what is a hallucination. These scenes are executed very well, and only through characters pointing out the obvious to Max do you really understand what is reality.
But that reality even begins to twist, and those behind Videodrome intend to unleash these broadcasts beyond the "coded" pirate transmissions, and turn to Max as a way to make their plans succeed. Hallucinations from before become a reality, and the real action of the film begins as the humanity that Max slowly loses throughout the film begins to run thin. But, this is about the time the film seems to start dragging on. Roughly thirty-five, forty minutes into Videodrome, and you cannot help but feel the characters are having the same elements served to you over and over while the film's story slows down to accommodate the hallucinations with some impressive practical special effects such as the aforementioned tapes and even television sets moaning in ecstasy and pulsing along with it, and a rear projection of Nicki against a bulging television screen that Max makes out with during another hallucination. One of the more impressive ones deals with the continuing combination of flesh and gun on Max's hand later in the film, making that a new extension of his body similar to what Brian O'Blivion was speaking of, except on a different location of the body. But these effects don't really cater much to the character development or the story, as well as the many shifts in allegiance that occur as you progress to the film's rather obvious conclusion as far as the next evolutionary step goes, which seems to foreshadows in an earlier video tape given to Max.
But, while the story does dwindle in the second act of the movie, and chances are good you'll end up paying more attention to the nearest clock or watch than some of the events on the screen, there are still some more positive things to be said about the film. The aforementioned practical effects simply look astounding, especially where Max is concerned. There are some gripping moments the occur thanks to the acting more so than the story, such as when Max is lost in a hallucination and begins to whip a television, getting more and more into it with each crack of the whip, though its pretty clear James Woods is not doing it right and the sound effect never really changes to accommodate the growing energy behind the next snap. For the most part, Max is a very believable character, and so are many of the others that end up just being supporting cast members more than pivotal faces of the story, and there isn't a moment where you feel the acting goes too far or make you wonder who the actor or actress slept with just to get the role. The audio levels are well done in the film as well, but you can easily pick out moments where some of the conversations have a little bit of a muffled sound, and then that are times where they are crystal clear, even in the same frame as if the boom mic were suddenly closer, or they were dubbed in later in post production. The character reaction time was also a mood killer here, such as the first death scene where it took the people right outside the door forever just to pile in at once and see what is going on, causing the impact of character deaths to be lost.
The concept to Videodrome is a pretty good one, and for its time, it probably made a lot of people think. It's really sad to see some of the faults that come through with this film, especially given how well the acting and special effects are. The movie isn't unbearable when it hits the long stretch of repetitive explanations with very little growth and quite a lot of walking around with little reaction to make important scenes make a strong impact on the viewer, but you definitely will find yourself wanting the movie to just et to the climax as quickly as possible. But, then again, you could also argue that these moments are largely due to the whole concept of desensitization from violence and pornographic media, and that the reason it doesn't really hit the viewer too hard is because you're not as affected by it as, say, someone not into porn or violence on a daily basis, which both elements are expressed here in moderate amounts. But, overall, it is one of those movies you should check out at least once, and perhaps you will draw a deeper meaning from it in the end. But aside the fact that it's one of those films you should see before you die, at least in the eye of the cult sensationalists and David Cronenberg fans, it deserves some of the hype it has, but in the end is definitely a little too overhyped for its own good.
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