Yep, I finally saw it. The horror film of 2024. The gore-laden smash everyone is talking about.
Here’s the thing with a movie like “The Substance.” You can’t just review it. While discussing the film, you need to opine about weighty topics like the nihilism of modern society, feminism, objectivity versus subjectivity and more. Every review I’ve seen on the movie reads like someone’s dissertation for their PHD in post-modernism.
Of course, if you’ve been reading my reviews, you know that’s not my bag. (I’m just not that smart.) So I’ll offer some jumbled thoughts.
While watching “The Substance”, I was reminded of the 1985 horror film “The Stuff.” It too was about a strange material that had ill effects. But while “The Stuff” was a commentary on consumerism, “The Substance” is more about humanity’s—particularly women’s—search for physical self improvement through exercise, make-up, surgery, etc.
The plot is such that if you know the setup, you know how it’s going to play out. Demi Moore’s aging actress Elizabeth comes across a strange injectable fluid that promises to reverse aging, albeit by essentially creating a clone of herself (played by Margaret Qualley), with whom she will trade consciousness every seven days. When Elizabeth breaks that bargain, troubles begin. Flesh deforms. chicken drumsticks are yanked out of belly buttons. All the side effects you see listed in the warning labels.
The promise of hosting a televised New Year’s Eve extravaganza is dangled in front of the Moore/Qualley character, and, well, you can guess the rest. It’s “Carrie” moving towards the prom scene. Or “King King” heading towards the giant apes’s unveiling as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”.
The film is deliberately absurd. Dennis Quaid’s character, an embodiment of the male gaze, is wildly over the top. The movie’s environment seems to be LA, but a city of nothing but bright colors, sparkling streets, and endless palm trees. (Also surprisingly walkable!) It’s a dream realm.
The gore and effects are top-notch. The most harrowing scene was a character’s face smashed repeatedly against a broken mirror. (Mirrors, those magical tools which offer us a chance to see ourselves as others see us, figure prominently in the film.)
The movie does have an ailment that’s always bugged me, that of Hollywoodification. This is the situation where movie creatives seek to make some commentary on society’s love of youth and beauty, our disgust of the aged, ugly, or plain. But, I feel those traits exist more within the realm of Los Angeles, New York and their media industries rather than the average joe. It’s like the elites are condemning us for their own crimes.
That said, “The Substance” sticks with you after viewing and is worth the hype.
