Watch Crimes of the Future

Crimes of the Future is a science fiction movie from the year 1970, directed and written by David Cronenberg. The movie is set in a distant future where human beings no longer reproduce in the conventional way, and all babies are created through surgical procedures. The storyline revolves around Adrian Tripod, played by Ronald Mlodzik, who is a dermatologist and an expert in the field of skin diseases. Adrian's mentor, Antoine Rouge, has disappeared along with all the women in the world, which leads him on an intriguing journey to discover the cause behind these strange occurrences.

The movie takes place in a sterile, science-driven world, where human beings have evolved into new forms of existence. In this future world, humans have become sterile and unable to reproduce naturally, leading to a growing interest in the science of cosmetics and artificial mating. The absence of women in this world prompts an eerily sinister atmosphere and prompts the story's eerie and gripping tension.

Adrian's mentor, Antoine Rouge, was a renowned scientist in the field of experimental diseases. Upon his disappearance, Adrian sets out on a dangerous scavenger hunt for Rouge's whereabouts. Along his way, Adrian discovers information about an underground 'sexual underground' where individuals opt-out of the sterilized society by returning to nature’s primal elements. The point suggests a new form of mutation in humanity that balances science and primal nature's desires. Throughout his journey, Adrian encounters numerous bizarre factions and people connected to Rouge's work.

The scenery throughout the movie is striking in its simplicity, with a breathtaking focus on the sterile and artificial. Adrian's journey becomes a surreal exploration of sterile environments, clinical hallways, and the futuristic population in sterile white uniforms. An additional gut associated with many Cronenberg films is applied to this environment, depicting the emotional turmoil of those living in biological sterility.

In the film, there is a noticeable theme of biological mutations and their ever-evolving nature, drawing parallels to current developments in human cloning and genetic modification. The movie also touches on the blurring lines between science and the natural world, science's constraints and limitations, and the quest to push beyond them. Moreover, human empathy and sexual desire serve as drivers of natural instincts that go beyond the sterile and clinical world.

Crimes of the Future is a slow-moving, thought-provoking, yet thrilling movie that keeps the audience engaged and immersed. The plot is unpredictable and veered towards the bizarre end of science fiction, but Cronenberg fans would anticipate nothing less. The use of the sterile environment is a bold choice, but garners a presence of unnaturalness and creepiness.

Ronald Mlodzik gives a strong performance as the lead, injecting the role with the right amount of curiosity and desperation. Jon Lidolt's contribution as Fink, an ambiguous character working on Rouge’s experiments, adds a dimension of surrealism to the film, and Tania Zolty, playing the role of a young child seemingly unaffected by the disappearance and medical experimentation, adds an air of alienation and detachment to the overall tone of the movie.

In conclusion, Crimes of the Future is a strange yet thought-provoking movie that's aimed squarely at fans of the Science Fiction genre, with a curiosity to explore the hidden corners of the human condition. It may occasionally be bizarre and slow-paced for some viewers, but it still leaves a lasting impression and resonates with an audience in its strange visions of genetic mutation and primal desires informing futuristic vultures of human existence.

Crimes of the Future is a 1970 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 10 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.7 and a MetaScore of 58.