Certainly an experience!
'The Substance' is a lot. It's one of those sorta movies that I needed to let settle in my mind before I even started to think about reviewing it. I'm not even sure where to start. It's insane from pretty much the beginning to the very end of its 140 minute run time, some scenes are particularly rough to watch unfold!
I think the only body horror flick I've seen up until this point is David Cronenberg's 'Crimes of the Future' from 2022, which I found to be solid enough but it came across, at least to me, as a bit too forced for shock value. This 2024 release has plenty of that, if not more, but it somehow feels totally at home with what surrounds it.
The story itself is fascinating, even taking out all the craziness with the gore et al. So by no means is this a film that is style over substance (sorry). It isn't anything actually overly original in terms of the base plotline, though the way it is portrayed and brought to life is astounding - every inch is expertly crafted.
Demi Moore is outstanding in this! I haven't seen her in much, at least anything released post-2002, but here she is top quality throughout. Margaret Qualley is obviously the opposite in terms of the former, though is just as fantastic in regards to the latter - great performance!
If you see anyone giving warnings ahead of watching this, they are very much warranted! Even with all the graphic twistedness, which will turn many away, this is an impressively enthralling picture. I may need a lie-down though.