eXistenZ is a virtual reality game that plunges people in to a world of strangeness. And it is strange. The game characters react only when spoken to in certain context, the animals are weird, the guns are biological, and the plot is twisted.

Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law star in this strange film that got swept under the rug by the hugely successful The Matrix. But while The Matrix dealt with special effects, eXistenZ is more like The 13th Floor, questioning what reality are you in. The movie starts off with an introduction to the game, and quickly an assassination attempt occurs on Leigh's character. Law's character helps her escape and they run off together, and ultimately plug in to the game and start playing. But as it progresses, they begin to question how real the game is, and whether they are still in it or not. They also begin to think that what's going on in the game is related to what is going on in real life.

Luckily, there are a lot of plot twists in eXistenZ, because there are a lot of dull parts as well. The movie keeps my attention, but it still isn't very exciting. It doesn't help that the acting is really flat, especially from Leigh. The movie is also confusing, especially near the ending. Every person seems to be a bad guy, although that turns out to be the second largest twist of the movie. The ending is great, but, of course, I won't reveal that.

eXistenZ could have used a better script and actors, but the plot was good. If you liked The Matrix and especially The 13th Floor, you should like eXistenZ.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.