What the worm doin …
I have so many questions about what the hell is goin on. It felt like every 5 minutes, they cut out a crucial scene; leaving character, plot, and even visual choices that really left me perpetually questioning everything.
This is pretty clearly an Alien ripoff but I liked how ambitious it was in sci-if concept and visual horror.
And the set design was pretty fun! I guess it’s got some bones, but I’m not sure what critter(s) they came from.
Really? Right in front of my glowing neon TRAUMA sign?
Super dramatic, colorful as hell, tastelessly curated art mansion, punchy editing style, really confusing unless you’re locked in; watching this felt like playing the messiest group party game you could participate in. And that’s what made it really fun!
Girl. It’s so confusing sometimes to be a girl-girl!
This might be THE new definition of gooped and gagged.
The Substance was masterfully made in every way. It’s a perfect tug of war between sparkling beauty and horrific disgust. As a story, it’s so well contained and patient for the explosive moments that hit harder and harder as the chaos descends. Those details play incredibly well with the themes and messages here. It creates a perfect invitation to lean into every little detail; which you aren’t going to be able to avoid even if you wanted to, literally!
I think I know how you feel, girl.
“Bleep bloop for me too.” — Teddy Pierce
I liked that they leaned into the fun of this concept. It moves quickly which is great but I think the story would’ve benefited from the movie being longer. Some of the characters, plot-points, and sci-fi robo-details could’ve been extrapolated to make us care about this group more—also making the stakes feel higher.
It says a lot socially, specifically about how men treat women and view themselves; while not being heavy-handed. Using so much comedy was a good choice!
