32/25

Elisabeth Sparkle: There's been a slight misuse of the Substance

Scenario

A fading celebrity takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.. Ray Liotta was cast in the film in February 2022, but he died in May that year before he could film his scenes. Dennis Quaid replaced him, but Liotta is still mentioned in the director's "Thank You Notes" during the credits.. The toilet mirror reappears intact after being repeatedly smashed during the fight sequence.. A special thanks in the credits is given to the many extras in the theater scene, who got covered in blood..

Let me start with the positives

Featured in The 7PM Project: Episode dated 20 September 2024 (2024). Pump It UpWritten by Michael Hall, Leonardo StellaPerformed by Earl GregoryProduced by Julien Deguines. There are a LOT of them. The casting? Perfect.

The concept was phenomenal and super interesting

The acting? Pretty flawless. All performances drew me in and added greatly to the story. A really great idea for a movie. The cinematography was unique and very good.

The score also greatly added to the suspense

The first 2 thirds of the movie executed all of these things to a TSo why 6 stars? THE ENDING. Took the believable and suspenseful story aspects and threw them out the window in favor of indulging the director's Cronenberg fantasy and desire to max out the special effects budget. It came off as completely disorganized, almost like they had no idea what to do with the ending or any desire to make it interesting. A movie with so much going for it and I left the theater disappointed.Side notes: enough with the butt shots.

We get what you're trying to do, that's enough

Also, if you want to disgust your audience, put in the work in the writers room. Adding over the top squelching sounds to almost every scene is lazy.. Check out our list of exciting new movies from this year's film festivals, including Venice, TIFF, the New York Film Festival, and more.