I'm gonna start posting movie and book reviews here occasionally. My first here is The Substance.
My short take:
I thought it was great for the most part. It trods familiar territory vis a vis women and how aging can depersonalize them, like the 90s film "Death Becomes Her" or the early 60s Twilight Zone episode "The 16 Millimeter Shrine."
But the sci-fi plot and how it unfolds present these old ideas in a fresh and very in-your-face kind of way. My main quibble is the ending, which is a bit too Grand Guignol for my taste and goes on forever. If the ending had been trimmed back maybe 15-20 percent, it would have been a really excellent film. I also felt like Margaret Qually doesn't really look or act like Demi Moore very much, but that's a small thing. It's still very much worth watching.
Published on November 17, 2024 15:32