It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Coldly pragmatic clinic doctor Adam Tripod (a perfectly haughty pantomime portrayal by Ronald Mlodzik) goes searching for his unhinged dermatologist mentor Antoine Rouge, who has vanished in the wake of a catastrophic plague created by cosmetic products that has killed off the entire population of sexually mature women.Writer/director David Cronenberg does an expert job of crafting a cold'n'clammy feeling of total amorality and emotional detachment which in turn gives this oddball experimental short a distinctly chilly identity. Moreover, Cronenberg makes nice use of the sprawling locations and the vibrant color photography frequently looks gorgeous. The early exploration of body horror themes -- one man has "creative cancer" and folks bleed what looks like chocolate milk -- serves as a precursor to such later Cronenberg outings as "Rabid," "The Brood," and "The Fly" while the abundant deviant sexuality on bold display throughout provides a dry run for the even more alarmingly warped carnal fetishism and perversity of "Crash." However, the glacial pacing as well as total dearth of any music and dialogue make this one a bit of a rough slog to sit through. That criticism aside, it's still worth a watch for Cronenberg fans as an interesting initial example of his unique talent and highly unusual imagination.

This early Cronenberg is bizarre, strange, experimental – and yet, this avantgarde approach to science-fiction nonetheless does not match with the masters latter works. Fascinatingly, in some regards, "Crimes of the Future" looks more "mature" then, say, "Shivers" or "Rabid". This is probably because the director/writer/cinematographer/producer Cronenberg does not mind to use a form of narrative which, while being incredibly slow and intentionally mannerist, also manages to trap the viewer into an almost hypnotic state. In other terms, he unfolds an "uneasy" way of story-telling. For the context of the tale, the venues are excellently chosen, and rarely have I seen such a convincing portrayal of an apocalyptic society. This counts for post-apocalypse (since all women have died and the male survivors behave in a dreamlike state, making it impossible for the protagonist (and us, the viewer), to read the rationality that motivates their doings) as well as in terms of pre-apocalypse, as the ending leaves no doubt that mankind – this sort of "man"kind – is doomed. Many aspects later to be taken up in other of Cronenbergs films already appear here, most prominently the subject of estranged skin diseases – later to become "the new flesh". However, fans of the latter-day Cronenberg may be puzzled by this hard-to-crack nut; it is very different from what you might expect. It comes as no surprise that critics at the time, the booklet mentions, stated the young director is unlikely to continue film-making. And he did indeed change the direction. I would just love to see the short films for Canadian TV that followed this piece. Recommended!

Spoilers herein.You might find this interesting if you are in search of something deeper in Cronenberg's mind than what is apparent in his later projects. I think that rather than they being watered down, they are a blooming of early intuitions.Or, you might find this engaging on its own, as an economical dive into obsession. I myself am in this camp, and though all but the last 5 minutes is tedious, it has one of the best conceived endings I've seen recently.Its a cheap shot in a way, using a child. But so effective that at the time we should have known that we had a man who is both original and has the competence to express his vision. This indeed presages crimes of his future.But if you want a more competent and bizarre treatment of the same, check out 'Institute Benjementa.'Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

This is an unusual filmic experience, hypnotic, trance-like, not totally rewarding but still fascinating. On the soundtrack you can only hear the narrator, strange noises (sounds of sea-creatures) and for some stretches, total silence. Signs of Cronenbergs weird imagination is present throughout the narrative. I especially liked the quite extraordinary concept of "creative cancer".The sterile, modernistic architecture lends the movie a strangely desolate, surreal tone and sets, at least my, imagination in motion. It´s like stepping into another reality, something Cronenberg has continued to achieve in the best of his subsequent movies. It´s an experimental film, but it succeeds in drawing the viewer into the picture, not solely with its narrative, but with its images and composition. In fact, it´s not unlike what Kubrick did, in much larger scope of course, with 2001. Recommended for Cronenberg fans, and those of you who aren´t afraid of something different.