Quick Review: The Substance (2024)

The most insane film of the year

So I’ve been trying to catch up on some of the big 2024 releases that I’ve missed this year and one of those films was The Substance. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this film besides hearing about how it’s a body horror film and it gets crazy. But after watching it, I was blown away with with how bat sh*t crazy this movie gets and how much I ended up loving it. I can easily say that it will end up in my top 10 of this year.

There is so much that I can praise about this film, but to start, I love the story. I liked the way of incorporating these themes of beauty and the unrealistic expectations that Hollywood places on women in the industry. It gets really silly at times and it’s easy to see how this can turn someone away, but I appreciate the movie for really just getting crazy and weird with it and not backing away from those elements. I also loved Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley playing these polar opposites of each other. Even though we don’t know much about Elizabeth and her past, we can get easily get an idea that she’s been through a lot with the industry which leads to her decision of taking the substance. Then Sue puts these expectations on herself of having to be perfect and refusing to switch back. I liked the way their dynamic played out and it was interesting to watch. Dennis Quaid also is surprisingly great here as well. Who would’ve thought that he would be perfect for playing this scumbag executive. The shrimp scene especially is a highlight (scariest scene in the movie tbh).

The technical aspects of this film is what really makes this movie shine. The cinematography gets creative in shot placement and execution. I loved how close it would get to Dennis Quaid’s character to show how much of a scumbag he was. The sound design especially is really special in this film. There’s so many ways that sound is used here to enhance a scene or make it unpleasant depending how you look at it. But it works so well with this movie and I loved how sound was used in it. One final thing to talk about is the practical effects. It’s always nice to watch a movie that uses practical effects and really takes full advantage of using them and this movie does just that with it. Without saying too much about how it’s incorporated, they really have fun with using it and I loved the way it was incorporated. I really loved this movie and there was so much to appreciate about it.

The only thing I can say that bothered me was the film feeling like it holds your hand at times. It feels the need to have constant flashbacks to remind the audience of a certain element that happened like how it felt insistent of showing the character Fred even though we know that he was the one that gave his number to Elizabeth. A minor complaint for a film I otherwise really love.

Overall: The Substance is easily one of my favorite films of the year and I love how creative this film was able to get. I also loved how weird and crazy it was able to get and it didn’t feel afraid in doing that. This will be a film that I remember for years to come.

Rating: 9.5/10