The Substance
The Substance to be a refreshingly bold and ambitious piece of moviemaking. Did it run a little long in the end? Yes. Every cow has its spots. I exited The Substance, and my only gripe was “eh, they could have tightened up that third act”. The overarching message that smacks you right in the face didn’t feel as obnoxiously heavy-handed as I had expected going in. The fairytale like quality of the story and the dreamlike version of Hollywood allows for the audience buy-in completely because you aren’t as worried about logistical nitpicks like how these two lead characters can just disappear from the world for seven days at a time without raising any eyebrows. I don’t care how lonely you are or if you are a scientific creation, someone will ask “what’s up with Elisabeth/Sue”. And also, how in the hell does this substance actually work. No. You won’t be thinking about that. The story is able to breathe because of this deeply disturbing and beautifully groovy world that is built, and the incredible performances that bring it all to life.
This movie review was sourced from:
https://wickedhorror.com/horror-reviews/the-substance-is-endlessly-ambitious-and-audacious-review/