I think another really sad thing about this movie is that Elizabeth literally disappears for three months and she literally has nobody that even checks up on her or not even a friend. Our family. Nothing she could’ve died and nobody would even know.
Well her classmate from 10th grade wanted to reconnect with her and he kept texting her when she didn't show up for their date, but she ignored him. He cared for her despite her age and fall from grace but Elizabeth was incapable of forming relationships based on who she is on the inside - she only cared about what she looked like on the outside and that is why she didn't go on the date - she wanted only to look good and couldn't grasp the idea that someone would like her regardless of her outward appearance. Since she never cultivated relationships based on who she is on the inside she never made long lasting personal connections hence nobody questions where she's been for months on end.
yeah，all her life has been surrounded by those who only value her because of her appereance, her youth. And when she's going to be replaced, she collapsed thinking that her existence has no meaning, that she has no value anymore :((
Things are gonna go downhill quickly once rich people find an expensive way to prolong and preserve their lives. Right now, natural death is one of the essential things safeguarding change from generation to generation.
@@linger4605Natural death is a guarantee right now. The old people die, the old ideas die with them, and things change without us needing to take direct action and be forced to destroy a person, to change things. If people lived forever, it will become stagnant, and we will have to violently destroy people to get the same benefit of natural death. It would be awful. Sure we "destroy ourselves" but immortality would escalate that to dangerous levels, becoming a necessity.
Monstro as Elisabeth and Sue's final form of acceptance is both happy and sad. The moment she realized shes beautiful the way she is was the moment she became unrecognizable.
I saw it as shes completed deluded or consumed by her desire for fame to the point where she would continue the show in that form in complete ignorance to the reality. The audience saw a monster but she saw the "better" version
I saw it the protagonist realizing that she went too far, she can no longer be Sue nor Elisabeth, and becomes something in between and is happy with that, but nobody likes "betweens" in the silver screen so she fades away into irrelevancy.
A week spent young gorgeous and famous then switching to older, still hot and semi anonymous? That’s basically just working a week and spending the next hiding out at home. I would NOT hate that
@@thebullseye8524 I interpreted it differently - I thought that she knew well what's going on, but was so desperate to keep going that she just did what she could to push through and hope for the best outcome. Sticking the photo on her face and drawing on it with lipstick could be interpreted as putting on a fake smile (keep in mind that nobody saw or wanted to see her as a monster before it fell off). While losing the photo-mask and everything that happened after could be interpreted as her breaking down and failing to maintain that "perfect woman" facade. Elizabeth's body deteriorates alongside her mental health state throughout the movie
5:53 actually quite the opposite. Fred’s the reminder that there are people who WILL still find you beautiful, you choose who to listen to. Fred is a confirmation that many still do think she’s beautiful, except herself. Further pushed by the segment where for a split second she thought to give herself a chance with fred
I haven’t watched the movie (definitely plan to now) but I kinda took it as that as well though maybe there’s something within the movie that shows that’s not what it is.
@@jazlynlopez6409 yep! It’s in the quote flashed by the clip on this video as well. “you’re still the most beautiful girl on earth” is not a dwell of the past but an affirmation that their beauty never faded regardless of time. There’s really no hidden meaning to uncover on how literal that quote is haha
and the tragedy is had she not been taking the substance she may have been able to overcome it and accept herself...instead it sends her down that spiral...much like using drugs to escape makes it harder to overcome the underlying issue.
I disagree. Fred is the reminder that there are people who will still find you beautiful but 1) still you are only interesting to them because they find you beautiful. 2) Fred was obviously not "on the same level" as Elizabeth so it is still a reminder that with age even the hottest women should let go of their expectations. We do not know anything about Fred either besides the fact that he fancies Elizabeth but I do not see his role in the movie that positively. If only Fred had mentioned anything else why he admired her besides her beauty then I would say he could have been her savior. Although Elizabeth herself was horribly vain and lived for her appearance, unfortunately Fred also seemed just as superficial.
I wonder why they all started attacking her. lol and screaming in literal horror. I’m guessing it’s exaggerated commentary on how Hollywood is I’m guessing
@@ALLROY240 Fred was such a nice guy. A little dorky, but that made him likable. I bet if Elizabeth had called him on the phone to apologize, he would’ve been thrilled just to talk to her, and wouldn’t even care that she didn’t show up.
I was yelling at the screen for her to stop messing around with her makeup and just go see Fred. He wouldn't have cared what she looked like. Elizabeth crippled herself with her own vanity. Anything less than Sue's supermodel appearance was inadequate for Elizabeth, this is why every time she saw the billboard of Sue she had to run back to redo her makeup.
My theory with the fight scene is that because Sue was 75% terminated she wasn’t fully human when she awoke, proven by her superhuman strength and ability to speak only in animalistic growls. It’s only once Elisabeth dies that both halves of her consciousness reconnect and she realises she’s just doomed herself
My theory is that the fight scene along with the rest of the ending (Monster ElizaSue going out onstage) is inside her Elizabeth's head, the fight is internal, it's her desire to exist fighting with her self hatred (Sue). She doesn't become a monster, she SEES herself as one because no matter what she does she's still old and she's brainwashed to think being old means your ugly.
My theory was that the termination serum was meant to give sue full consicousness and a directive to "terminate" elisabeth upon being fully injected to eliminate any witnesses that could lead back to the shady organisation. Sue was meant to be completely exist without having to stablize esscientally becoming "a real boy" however elisabeth couldn complete the termination process
@thebullseye8524 Nah, I think Sparkle is the MATRIX like the movie says so anything that spawned from the matrix will always need the matrix to survive. The failure to use all the termination serum just allowed sue not to die. When Sparkle tried to switch in that moment its clear her consciousness became split but i dont think sue would have ever been able to live without the stabelizing fluid from Sparkle.
@@tjpokomo my reasoning came from the concept of kill and replace. The substance had alot of test subject who is to say that the ones that terminated has been killed off by their younger versions so that they become the new matrix so to speak
Two things I picked up on: I feel the part when she becomes Monstro and puts the picture of her old face over her, now hideous, face symbolises how people completely ruin their faces with cosmetic surgery. By trying to make themselves look younger and more beautiful, they end up looking quite deformed in some cases (Jocylyn Weinstein the 'cat lady' is a perfect example). As a result, they appreciate how beautiful they were before and wish they could go back to how they looked, hence why she places the old picture of herself over her face. I think the part where Sue is kicking Elizabeth to death on the living room floor symbolises how we beat ourselves up over our appearance. In seems we view ourselves as two entities. How many times have you thought or heard someone say "how did this happen. When did I get this old?". It's like we have our consciousness which is trapped inside this aging husk that we may not fully recognise or relate to as we age. In the worst cases some people may outright reject it and start hating it. In this instance, Elizabeth symbolises the aging body, and Sue symbolises the internal self. Sue is filled with so much disgust, hatred and anger that she just wants to kill it. I thought that was a very powerful scene.
This movie I feel genuinely sets a bar for the new era of horror films. Even if it's not original (I could pick out the different inspos even though Dorian gray was clearly the main inspiration for the director) it felt like a great homage to everything that's come before it. Demi Moore nailed this. I even got evil queen from snow white vibes. Watched it this morning and was genuinely impressed despite the low expectations I created for myself.
When I was a kid, I used to dream of having fame and wealth. I wanted to be a child star, and asked my mom to audition for kids roles and singing opportunities in big shot shows. She always told me no, and when I asked her why, she simply said “It’s too dangerous.” I didn’t get it then, but now I’m 23, and seeing all these celebrities desperately injecting themselves with fillers, surgeries, weight-loss medications, and so much more. Their eyes look empty, searching for meaning through all the success.
No money or fame in the world is worth everything they have to go through not to me either!! They can’t live life like they used to live and go out in public like they used to. I don’t care who you are, That’s not gonna make anybody happy.
Fame and wealth isn’t the problem. The problem is people with no principles and who will do anything for fame. Lots of rich and famous people are quite happy. Give me fame and wealth over middle class any day.
@@lexisisk8079 I couldn't understand if she was the same person. Had the same consciousness. If so, why did she say horrible things about herself. If not why would Elisabeth keep going. I mean if I could live every other week decades younger I get that. But if I was like in a coma and someone else was having fun I wouldn't do that.
Know what you mean, I didn't enjoy it. First half an hour was ok, then the film started to annoy me, but I think Demi Moore or her alter ego should win some type of acting award.
saw this movie pretty much blind a week ago, did no research besides reading the synopsis. Was very intense and had a few moments of me being very uncomfotable. was 100% worth a watch, just don't expect to watch it again lol.
"Sue" has her own personality, ambitions and wants, but it's still Elizabeth. They are the exact same consciousness, but different bodies creates personality change. This is in reference when women with less desirable bodies, get major surgeries to improve appearance and as a result, their personalities change too (for the worst.)
Also, they are not the same consciousness. If they are the same why are they surprised every time they switch? If they are the same why do they both call the company to complain about their behaviors? If they are the same why is Sue “apologetic” to Elizabeth when she extends her woken state? There so many factors that hints at two individuals sharing a massive apartment, making this movie unreasonable! This is just a story about a depressed mother giving birth to a spoiled, privileged teenager who turns into a murderous parasite. Terrible movie!! Great acting though 😅
@@TheJuicy20 you're correct, two different minds, but they started as the same personality, their body and circumstances differentiate their paths and attitudes
@@bluesirius1 yes, one personality became two. Just like two individuals finding each other and make a baby; same concept, different math. The only reasonable justification I saw for Elizabeth to keep Sue alive was the gluttonous lifestyle. Liz could eat anything she wanted, not work and allow Sue to be the breadwinner… either way, terrible movie, great acting 😂
I disagree with the statement that Sue is her own person. I thought one of the themes was how women in their youth, exploit and discard themselves, chasing their misguided desires. They are one, and she is willing to literally sacrifice her older self for more time to be young and famous. Even at the end, when Elizabeth gets the upper hand, she can’t bring herself to give up what Sue represents. That I think is the real horror. That she did it to herself, and given the choice, she would do it to herself over and over again.
Alsoo living for the male gaze and approval. Living to be a pick me. As you age you realize, that is dam*n stupid to waste your youth on trying to find the male gaze.
After watching the movie a second time I actually felt sorry for Sue. A true Horror in life: The realization that she was just a product of someone else's wants. Kinda evokes that "Who am I and Why Was I Born?" Tearjerker
Totally gave me toxic mother/daughter vibes. You hate the spoiled daughter, but she's only been made into this by an over zealous, vain mother trying to live vicariously through her. Brilliant and sad..
I read someone else’s interpretation as this is like generational trauma from grandma, to mom, to child. Imagine having a dream and then pushing the dream onto your child and living vicariously through them. Imagine a woman having a child and being disgusted with their body after growing a child due to their C-section scar or stretch marks, and being resentful towards their child. Then using Demi and her reaction to the huge scar on her back and the resentment towards Sue for the changes in her appearance.
One thing I questioned was when Sue came into existence, if Elisabeth was “experiencing” it with her, or if they were two separate people thus the reason they kept forgetting they weren’t the same person. Then I felt sad for Elisabeth because if she “birthed” a better her, yet never felt the experience Sue was going through, then what was the whole point? Felt more like a mother with a fallen dream wanting their child to go on and fulfill that dream for them vicariously.
The creator of the Substance constantly tells her (them), "Never forget, YOU ARE ONE." The creator reminds her throughout the movie when she calls and has questions or concerns. One thing about that I really appreciate is the "Company" never holds any info, and is consistent with being honest and clear in its instructions both verbally and the packing of the Substance. All failures are because of the user, 100%. It even asks her if she wants to stop multiple times and she refuses.
@@CordeliaWagner1999….i think it’s more about how people treat older women including the older women themselves and how we put youth and beauty above everything to a point of self destruction.
What I got out of it (as a woman who has hit middle age) is that aging is terrifying and eventually we're all young people who are saddled with elderly bodies. Getting old sucks.
@@vashsunglasses The point was our societies obsession with youth an beauty, to the point that we abuse each other and ourselves. The industry uses you up until your old then boots you away like garbage when all your youth is used up. Society worships beauty and youth to the point that women of age, even if still pretty don't feel pretty anymore just because they are up in age. As individuals, women in particular, abuse themselves in every way imaginable to appear young and pretty. From mental abuse and self hate to physical abuse in every way they can find to stay skinny and pretty. That's the point of the movie. That our society's obsession with youth and beauty has caused our entire society to abuse each other and ourselves to stay relevant and pretty.
It also sttracts the worst men possible. I had a friend who was a model and the men, good lord, were terrible that she attracted. They were shallow and onlycareed about her looks, she was miserable for sometime, until she finally decided to marry and old HS sweetheart who like her for here. Thought of her during this movie.
Stunning cinematography, excruciatingly beautiful makeup and practical effects, and standout performances by everyone. Easily one of my favorite movies
@@SamFX22 I honestly love it for that. It felt like a relief for me after all of the gruesome, extended body horror moments. Got a good giggle out of its absurdity
Considering how much plastic surgery and other work Moore has had done in real life, I wonder if she took this role out of deep self awareness or if she's completely oblivious and doesn't see the insanely obvious parallels to her actual life. Either way, great performance.
She is 100% self aware. Also i think that bruce willis health deterioration set her mind on a renew appreciation for life and living for the now, not the past. I truly think she is no longer chasing youth as she did.
plenty of pictures of them with diddy they were inseparable in the 90s / 00s pretty sure bruce's brains were fried from drugs and those freak parties kutcher and moore all hanging out too after that was peeled out of the darkness somehow adrenochrome and adraxone do that to the human brain, schizophrenia is literally the #1 symptom of long term use, has been since the 70's when they figured it proper and had mobile refrigeration ("reefer trucks") and suddenly tons of sea food chains started sprouting up, one of them was involved with the rockefellers / clintons called long john silvers and they had the cornbread mafia trafficking kids and drugs for them... likely sprang up after the franklin scandal / arrests and snow murders (original epstein island) went down, some new enterprise(s) had to show up; then you start to see the cia etc. start using people / civilians and connect with smaller but richer mobsters such as fertita bros in galveston, hwy rick ross in cali, that herion guy in nyc all around the same time... it's not a complicated story, just very very overlooked and no one suspected our own government for almost 50 years now... absolutely massacring children for 50+ years on your taxes, vote and good faith... too bad about all that corruption and r@pe and blood libel and death that followed since accountability isn't a huge problem when you have all that money and power over life itself
The movie never shows anything about what it costs monetarily for the substance. I assume it wasn't free. Imo, they missed an opportunity. They could have shown or just implied it being very very expensive and Elizabeth hesitating because of it. Then maybe show old bills for plastic surgery and have her finally commit.
As a 45 yr old woman I absolutely loved this movie. So many parts of it spoke directly to my generation, who grew up with Demi being one of our silver screen idyllic beauties. The movie is heartbreaking, funny, and in your face about the cruelty we women often enforce upon ourselves. It isn't until we look past the paper mask of the past of who we once were that we can love who we are in the present.
Even as a man, i really felt for Elisabeth so much and women in real life that care so much about how they look as they age. It makes me so sad that a lot of women can relate to Elisabeth's story.
The most unrealistic thing about this movie is that the executives did not try to take advantage of her to get the position but other than that great story
I don't know about you but I found the sound the be absolutely remarkable, very asmr it is a feast for the ears and the eyes with all the popping colors and beautiful set designs that created gorgeous shots, I loved it, especially because imo it is a cautionary tale about Vanity and how if you try to fight aging too much, it may become a war with yourself.
I Had Not Been to a Theater since 2009, and My Wife’s Girlfriend had seen this Film a couple of days ago. AND SAID IT WAS A WILD RIDE! I’m a Big Fan of Body Horror! Then reading some of these Comments I said , this is for Me! And we went to see it! Great camera Work, Great Acting, Brilliant Editing, it was completely OVER THE TOP!! Was way more than I EXPECTED!! Iv seen A lot of Body Horror Films dating back to the70s! And this one Took it to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL! GO SEE IT! Now! And Be Sure To Fasten YOUR SEATBELT! Brilliant Simply Brilliant!!!!
The deeper thematic isn't about the entertainment industry, it's society as a whole. These standards are just more prevalent in the industry. It sucks that not even a film critic can make a non superficial analysis
The fountain of youth has a price, and ironically it is the loss of youth. Sue was not a clone of Elizabeth, she was something of a daughter but with the consiousness of the mother. There were countless references to motherhood in this movie. The chickens for example and Elizabeth constantly breaking eggs. She breaks eggs all over the window just to cover the billboard of Sue. Harvey mentioned earlier 'it happens after 50' and never said what be meant but he meant menopause. The Substance is given to Elizabeth on her 50th birthday and Sue is created. Sue represents the daughter Elizabeth never had because she was too focused on her career to have children. Ironically despite Sue and Elizabeth being the same person neither sees this as the case, both see themselves as seperate people. Sue's youth and fertility gives her almost goddess-like powers over everyone she interacts with whereas Elizabeth's lack of youth and fertility makes her invisible to all except Fred, who was Elizabeth's one chance to escape the cycle of self destruction she was on. Fred represented stability outside of Elizabeth herself. Stability is a huge plot device in the story as only by extracting stability from herself could she be Sue. By not going out with Fred she through away stability and then extracted it all from herself as Sue and it lead to her killing herself.
"Beauty" is attractive because in nature we use it to recognize health and mutated genes. But as we age we lose health and our bodies mutate, losing beauty. So it's no incompatible, but it's temporary.
Oddly this movie reminds me of Madonna in some way, desperately want to look and act young, refusing to aged gracefully and move on from her glory days.
Women are the biggest offenders of plastic surgeries. It's no longer just older women as the majority are getting younger each day. This movie beautifully (😂) captures this by showing you how Sue takes from older Elizabeth and makes her pay the consequences at her age. All these 20-30 year olds with BBL's will heavily pay the price as they age.
@@linger4605or even 18-early 20 yr old injecting fillers and stuff like that already. I mean I slightly understand if you want to make yourself look better and want to do a little especially when you get to your late 40s and 50s but no one needs that in your teens or early 20s lol
@@linger4605also there’s little girls doing their skin care with retinol and collagen….like preteen girls or 8-10 yr olds… I’m pretty sure that stuff will ruin their skin
For me the biggest mystery in this film was: why in the hell would the organisation send her enough activator fluid for a second shot if it's only meant to be used once? It's almost like they purposefully made her consider that it's gonna help once the situation is out of control...
That’s fair but maybe its one of those things where ultimately she’s meant to decide whether or not to use it. Like the power is in her hands type of thing.
In my oppinion the second injection of activator fluid never happened. She was likely dying on the floor and simply imagining that. Remember there are several scenes in the movie that are mearly dreams (chicken leg under Sue's skin scene for example). I think the whole Monstro Elisasue was just a nightmare Elizabeth/Sue was having as she lay dying with no access to stabilizer fluid. Since all the events of the Monstro scenes made no sense - the people not seeing the monster simply because it wore a paper mask. That whole sequence was just a dying nightmare. Sue never made it to the New Years broadcast.
I think that it was just a standardised product. So the person using it has to take the appropriate dose based on bodyweight or something. so it makes sense to me that some would be left over.
People often 'disappear' for periods of time in an attempt to hide the signs of having had plastic surgery. I wonder if the 7-day cycle is a reference to that.
I think whats interesting and never mentioned is that objectively many would say that Demi Moore is the more beautiful of the 2 of them. Sue is beautiful and young but theres many young women who fit that description. Demi Moore has striking beauty that you dont see as often, which would easily set her apart from other beautiful women. Maybe im looking too deep into it? Again this is no slight against the actress who plays Sue.
I agree totally. I haven't seen this movie, but when watching this great review, this was my first thought. the young woman is nowhere near as attractive as Demi more is even in her plastic surgery present, let alone her youthful age of beautynow gone.
My second thought was it reminds me of the Disney Snow White catastrophe. who would cast Gal Gadott as the evil queen, then make that little troll as the beautiful princess 😂. Jenna Ortega would have fit this movie better, looking more like Demi. She also would have suited snow white, her youthful beauty against Gal handsome maturity.
I agree but I don’t think it’s intentional. Margaret plays dark and very sexual roles, so this is right up her alley. Funny enough she comes off as a nerd irl
Its not objective if some people would like Demi more than Sue, its subjective. And as what the movie is trying to portray, mainstream media has a specific type of beauty that they want. For the same reason you won't see a Quasimoto figure in anime, you won't see Danny DeVito play as Peter Parker despite his ability to act.
I don't really know, because Qualley isn't Demi's age. They are both very beautiful women. I do agree that Demi Moore is aging very well and looks incredible at 61.
Spoiler alert: To me the biggest plot hole is that Demi's character had no advantage of the switch. Like she cant experience what Sue is going through.
Exactly, if I can’t go through , what u paid for , why will even want to go buy it at first place ! But if we say this , we will be blamed for citicizing this brilliant movie
Even when Elizabeth became older, she still had quite a bit to her name. While it's true she wasn't the biggest star in the world anymore, she is still a star. She is still on the walk of fame, has her own TV show, fans and even has an old friend come back and falling for her. I think it was still possible for her to maintain some of her fame as she went on. It's just a shame her opportunities were all but destroyed by tinsel town and she fell into self-loathing instead of being given an avenue to stay relevant and age with grace. This movie was so refreshing to see; bold, grotesque, and for a nice little change, a movie that didn't talk down to the audience and make them the problem. Edit: Also, I love the fly in the beverage! I think it's a nice little nod to our old friend Cronenberg.
Watched a few Breakdowns of this movie but no one has mentioned The Shining. Which clearly has an influence on this film. The Carpet, the hallway full of Blood and also the Red Bathroom is almost identical as the one in The Shining. Also one more thing I had a question about on this film is what is the significance of the colour yellow. It’s absolutely everywhere and I don’t just believe it’s the egg thing. Great original movie. Which aren’t easy to find these days.
...the monster (when the old celebrity gets so many face lifts and plastic surgeries trying to look like their youthful selves that they turn themselves into monsters).
It's interesting how so many people view Harvey as the villain and Elizebeth as the victim. Elizabeth/Su is a horrible person. She's a complete narcissist. All she cares about is self image. She has no friends, no family, has zero personality. She literally inadvertently calls her younger self a selfish b***h. Her younger self IS HER. Notice how in every phone conversation that Elizabeth/Su has with the Substance provider, she constantly blames the 'other self' as if they are another person. In other words, she takes zero accountability for her own actions. She cannot comprehend that she herself is to blame. This is why the film constantly stresses the point of 'YOU ARE ONE'. She's also completely entitled. Listen to the way she just expects the dealer to magic up a fix for her reckless behaviour. She says 'excuse me?!' in a bratty offended tone as if she's so shocked that someone is telling her that she can't just get exactly what she wants. She's never learned that actions have consequences. And what does she choose to do with her new found youth? She goes right back to Harvey. They are two vile people feeding off each other for their own self interest. The moral of the story is, young ladies (and men)... don't base your entire identity on your looks, because they won't last. And stay away from toxic celebrity/influencer/social media culture.
Well said. What is also very interesting is Elizabeth/Sue is not the only person using the substance. There are MANY people using it. If the Substance creators were smart they would just create an old folk's home of sorts where the Matrix bodies could all be kept and live together so the rules can be enforced. Without a support network the Other Selves will inevitably abuse the Matrix bodies. But maybe the Substance creators are litterally demons and that's the whole point of the substance - to be a 'deal with the devil' kind of punishment.
I don't think we ever get any indication that she was a bad person. She was simply in a bad mental health state, deteriorating, losing control of her emotions and tearing herself apart. People often aren't at their most reasonable or collected when they're at the bottom. I also think it's not fame or wealth that she wanted, that's something she already had. She was just extremely passionate and focused on her work, it was the only source of joy she knew, and it gave her a sense of purpose. Losing it and hearing that she isn't good enough for it broke her
@@elisethethird3248Yet instead of pursing other career paths she tries to stick to the ones which one of the requirements being pleasing to the eye. It's vain of her and shows that yes she was a bad person.
@@WhyYouMadBoi First off, jobs are not all interchangeable, and if you feel good doing something, there are so many reasons why you would want to continue doing that. For example because you have an attachment and a personal connection to it, because it's fun to you, keeping you inspired and full of positive energy, because you have a mission and feel like your work is improving the world in a way that feels important to you (for example encouraging women to stay active and healthy), because you love your audiences and/or co-workers, because you are good at it and have years of experience under your belt. You can go from being a tv host to baking bread for a living, yes, but you can't act like it's the same thing. Some people are more flexible/have multiple career fields that they would feel comfortable in, while some others maybe don't, and in Elizabeth's case she shouldn't have had to. She wasn't unfit to continue working, she wasn't lacking anything that her role would require and the movie doesn't even imply that her show was losing popularity. Second, what exactly was unpleasant in the way she looked at the beginning of the movie? She looks all good for a woman her age, she only spirals later on as a consequence of being made to feel ugly by Harvey's subjective opinion. Do you actually think that anyone who isn't young and perfectly fitting in the beauty canon doesn't belong on tv?
When I saw this film, I was intially hesitant about it given its marketing and vibe but then I watched it and I honestly found it an interesting retelling of the classic doppelgänger mythology
its honestly crazy how good the horror was like it wasnt cheap jumpscare typa horror it was make your skin crawl and make you move in your chair while watching horror its so good and for once i was scared lol but also the main thing that got me like "WHAT THE ACTUAL FAWK" was when she was fully drained of life old and was gonna kill her younger self but fawkkk it was scary just seeing her go from slow and broken and crawling to pissed and raged and running arounf the house all hunchbacked dragging her younger self arounf like she weights as light as a fether like that shit was just scary to see her get so like just fast and then them both waking up and moving quick ash it was scary ash fr lol but so goooood idk but im gonna be rewathcing this movie a couple times fs its so damn good fr and idk ima guy and i get this prolly more for girls but rs this movie great fr and me personally i think it painted a differ thought of women fs and overall i think ill fs just alaways be nice and coo to women fr like idk jus seein this like thats gotta suck yk and with social media and i wont lie guys have this typa stuff too but i think in women its definitly way more abused and thought about ig but shit its sad tho fr but sheeit the body horror fr is amazing i really dont think ive seen a movie like make me move in my chair and just like actually feel scared steada the cheap ass jumpscares like thats not scary its just lame but this THIS is real horror fr body horror is real horror. i like it and the story it tells fr its well put tg.
OK, I'm watching this video and I get an ad break. what was the advert? For a face cream meant to return a 'rosy glow' to the skin of your face. How ironic is that?
Sue always was impulsive and willing to break rules. She broke the rules then kept pushing them. Then when she was decomposing, further broke rules by taking the activator again.
Where do I need to sign to look like a 50yo Demi Moore in the Substance when I turn 50 myself, even though she's actually older? 😂😂😂 she looks gorgeous. Always has ❤
Probably to a really good plastic surgeon with excellent customer service keeping you from going completely overboard. For mortal prices I recommend you use sunscreen every single morning, maybe just 10-20 SPF in winter and take vitamin d as a pill.
I feel like a point needs to be made on the discarding of women in Hollywood after a certain age. Cinema is a visual medium, and often times men and women will get work based off of their appearance and age. What combination of talent and visuals will be different in each case. Those men and women, and the audience, understands this, and there normally aren’t complaints when their looks and age is a key factor in getting the role, the actor doesn’t argue against that their innate attribute is what got that work. Though when their age and looks change, a key component to their work in the past, all of a sudden they are being “disrespected and disregarded”. I’m not supporting or against this way that Hollywood acts, though it’s needed in certain story telling I’d imagine, I’m just calling out the hypocrisy. Love your work man, keep it up!
i wish they explore more about The Substance itself. in this movie, it explore the desire for eternal youth. perhaps they can make a sequel where the same company who make The Substance offers slimming/height solution. something that relate to the physical attributes that human often find unsatisfactory.
I thought that the substance was already a metaphor for plastic surgery/eating disorders, is how far you'll push your body until it destroys itself in exchange for "beauty" that you don't even needed.
It's just like that Rick and Morty episode where they have 2 versions of themselves. A day version and a Night version. The day version has all the fun. The night version does all the work and studying. It's a commentary on how some nights, you party too hard and regret it in the morning when you have to go to work.
if you looked at this movie on a esoteric level, you could say the main character was fighting herself the whole time. see she had an ego of vanity that ran rampant inside because she couldnt let go of her former fame. this is how egos work, ego try desperately to hang on and will do anything to survive. the ego consumed her and she ended up self destructing slowly. this is essentially the message from a esoteric pov. loved the movie and was a great warning for people.
This movie was so much fun ngl. I love how it didnt take itself seriously too much. And i also kinda love hiw you just know right from the start, that sparkle wont obey the rules. And that ending was goddamn hilarious
It's sad. . . The body horror parts are quite chilling, but the last parts of the film where she turns into Monstro Elisasue were genuinely so sad that I forgot that I had to be scared of it. . . Even when she sprayed so much blood on the venue that Tarantino would get jealous. . . Beauty is sometimes a sad thing. How someone outwardly appear hides the beauty of the soul beneath it. But people who are just like Elisabeth, scared of the unknown that comes after, or what they didn't know they still had that others see, they mar their souls for what little they'd gain and lose shortly. . . Kinda sounded cliché, but it's sadly still true.
This movie made me so sad. Elizabeth was genuinely still so beautiful. What she became was horrible. I wish the industry wasn’t this way towards women.
@@CordeliaWagner1999 in a part yes, but to say no woman would care about her age if men didn’t is laughable. No one likes getting older, everyone misses their youth. Stop the gender war bs and go outside
This reminds me of a rock Hudson movie called seconds where he plays a man named Arthur Hamilton, who gives off his life, goes through all this surgery to become a different person is amazing. It’s very similar in idea.
saw this movie pretty much blind a week ago, did no research besides reading the synopsis. Was very intense and had a few moments of me being very uncomfotable. was 100% worth a watch, just don't expect to watch it again lol.
I don't know if anyone else feels that way, but I cannot help but notice the similarities between this movie and "The strange case of doctor Jekyll and mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The desire to create a different version of yoursefel just to do the things you cannot do, using a strange substance on yourself driven by sadness and unfufilment, the inevidable destruction of both parts because of the irresposibility of the younger self, the conflict between both parts despite the fact that one cannot exist without the other
I’d love some more science behind how the activator only splits the best cells and creates the best “new” version of the person without the risk of a worse version crawling out instead. Also, how did both versions of the nurse have the mark on his hand? It doesn’t make sense that it’s a birth mark that was passed on, and it can’t be because they didn’t respect the balance because both bodies would have their own unique damage and not the same.
"a movie about the societal pressure on woman to conform to beauty standards. Hey let me a douche on the internet and use this film as a way to slander another woman."
This is what you end up when you take R.L Stevenson's 'Strange case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' and apply it to life of an ageing celebrity in entertainment industry. Pure genius, game-changing move.
for our sins we deserve hell, but God sent Jesus to die for our sins so we could have redemption and eternal life if we repent and obey him in faith ✝️❤️❤️❤️
As was pointed out elsewhere, notice how there are fewer lockers in the shady reception point when Elizabeth returns there for refills packages. We can assume a lot of people using The Substance did terminate "normally", but... how many of them suffered body horror similar to Elizabeth's? ...Did any of them end the same way as Monstro Elizasue?
I think another really sad thing about this movie is that Elizabeth literally disappears for three months and she literally has nobody that even checks up on her or not even a friend. Our family. Nothing she could’ve died and nobody would even know.
@@Bonbonbon739 her ex husband is her BFF but has brain damage.
Well her classmate from 10th grade wanted to reconnect with her and he kept texting her when she didn't show up for their date, but she ignored him. He cared for her despite her age and fall from grace but Elizabeth was incapable of forming relationships based on who she is on the inside - she only cared about what she looked like on the outside and that is why she didn't go on the date - she wanted only to look good and couldn't grasp the idea that someone would like her regardless of her outward appearance. Since she never cultivated relationships based on who she is on the inside she never made long lasting personal connections hence nobody questions where she's been for months on end.
@@deeacosta2734?? They’re talking about the movie 😂
yeah，all her life has been surrounded by those who only value her because of her appereance, her youth. And when she's going to be replaced, she collapsed thinking that her existence has no meaning, that she has no value anymore :((
Alot of women will be like that
Things are gonna go downhill quickly once rich people find an expensive way to prolong and preserve their lives. Right now, natural death is one of the essential things safeguarding change from generation to generation.
And as this movie shows you, it's simply not feasible with our own human greed. We will destroy ourselves irregardless of immortality capabilities
@@linger4605Natural death is a guarantee right now. The old people die, the old ideas die with them, and things change without us needing to take direct action and be forced to destroy a person, to change things. If people lived forever, it will become stagnant, and we will have to violently destroy people to get the same benefit of natural death. It would be awful.
Sure we "destroy ourselves" but immortality would escalate that to dangerous levels, becoming a necessity.
@@FrankRizo-nn3iy If that worked as the nutters pretend, Rupert Murdoch would be running triathlons.
When's the last time a generation was different?
I mean, the rich are overall still getting richer, don't know how much change is happening
Monstro as Elisabeth and Sue's final form of acceptance is both happy and sad. The moment she realized shes beautiful the way she is was the moment she became unrecognizable.
I saw it as shes completed deluded or consumed by her desire for fame to the point where she would continue the show in that form in complete ignorance to the reality. The audience saw a monster but she saw the "better" version
The monster ending felt like a Picture of Dorian Gray on Kubrick steroids.
I saw it the protagonist realizing that she went too far, she can no longer be Sue nor Elisabeth, and becomes something in between and is happy with that, but nobody likes "betweens" in the silver screen so she fades away into irrelevancy.
A week spent young gorgeous and famous then switching to older, still hot and semi anonymous? That’s basically just working a week and spending the next hiding out at home. I would NOT hate that
@@thebullseye8524 I interpreted it differently - I thought that she knew well what's going on, but was so desperate to keep going that she just did what she could to push through and hope for the best outcome. Sticking the photo on her face and drawing on it with lipstick could be interpreted as putting on a fake smile (keep in mind that nobody saw or wanted to see her as a monster before it fell off). While losing the photo-mask and everything that happened after could be interpreted as her breaking down and failing to maintain that "perfect woman" facade. Elizabeth's body deteriorates alongside her mental health state throughout the movie
5:53 actually quite the opposite. Fred’s the reminder that there are people who WILL still find you beautiful, you choose who to listen to. Fred is a confirmation that many still do think she’s beautiful, except herself. Further pushed by the segment where for a split second she thought to give herself a chance with fred
I haven’t watched the movie (definitely plan to now) but I kinda took it as that as well though maybe there’s something within the movie that shows that’s not what it is.
@@jazlynlopez6409 yep! It’s in the quote flashed by the clip on this video as well. “you’re still the most beautiful girl on earth” is not a dwell of the past but an affirmation that their beauty never faded regardless of time. There’s really no hidden meaning to uncover on how literal that quote is haha
@@jazlynlopez6409go watch it, it’s one of the best films I’ve watched in recent years. If you can accept extreme body horror that is 😂
and the tragedy is had she not been taking the substance she may have been able to overcome it and accept herself...instead it sends her down that spiral...much like using drugs to escape makes it harder to overcome the underlying issue.
I disagree. Fred is the reminder that there are people who will still find you beautiful but 1) still you are only interesting to them because they find you beautiful. 2) Fred was obviously not "on the same level" as Elizabeth so it is still a reminder that with age even the hottest women should let go of their expectations. We do not know anything about Fred either besides the fact that he fancies Elizabeth but I do not see his role in the movie that positively. If only Fred had mentioned anything else why he admired her besides her beauty then I would say he could have been her savior. Although Elizabeth herself was horribly vain and lived for her appearance, unfortunately Fred also seemed just as superficial.
The closeups on people as they scream after the paper cutout of Sue falls off is some hilarious shit.
I wonder why they all started attacking her. lol and screaming in literal horror. I’m guessing it’s exaggerated commentary on how Hollywood is I’m guessing
Paper cutout of *Elizabeth
THE MONSTER!!!!!
I wish the movie has more of that, campy--body horror comedy
Reminiscent of some of the scenes in Darkman (Sam Raimi, 1990)
My favorite movie of the year. But the scene when Elizabeth tries to prep for her meet-up with Fred is heart-wrenching. 💔
I felt sorry for Fred, he looked forward to it all day and had to sit in the restaurant by himself.
@@ALLROY240 Fred was such a nice guy. A little dorky, but that made him likable. I bet if Elizabeth had called him on the phone to apologize, he would’ve been thrilled just to talk to her, and wouldn’t even care that she didn’t show up.
@@GDeNofa People who love you as you are, who see your actual self, are worth everything.
@@Hedge_witch I think Fred’s heart would have seen that too. 💔
I was yelling at the screen for her to stop messing around with her makeup and just go see Fred. He wouldn't have cared what she looked like. Elizabeth crippled herself with her own vanity. Anything less than Sue's supermodel appearance was inadequate for Elizabeth, this is why every time she saw the billboard of Sue she had to run back to redo her makeup.
My theory with the fight scene is that because Sue was 75% terminated she wasn’t fully human when she awoke, proven by her superhuman strength and ability to speak only in animalistic growls. It’s only once Elisabeth dies that both halves of her consciousness reconnect and she realises she’s just doomed herself
it’s her self hatred. unstoppable.
My theory is that the fight scene along with the rest of the ending (Monster ElizaSue going out onstage) is inside her Elizabeth's head, the fight is internal, it's her desire to exist fighting with her self hatred (Sue). She doesn't become a monster, she SEES herself as one because no matter what she does she's still old and she's brainwashed to think being old means your ugly.
My theory was that the termination serum was meant to give sue full consicousness and a directive to "terminate" elisabeth upon being fully injected to eliminate any witnesses that could lead back to the shady organisation. Sue was meant to be completely exist without having to stablize esscientally becoming "a real boy" however elisabeth couldn complete the termination process
@thebullseye8524 Nah, I think Sparkle is the MATRIX like the movie says so anything that spawned from the matrix will always need the matrix to survive.
The failure to use all the termination serum just allowed sue not to die. When Sparkle tried to switch in that moment its clear her consciousness became split but i dont think sue would have ever been able to live without the stabelizing fluid from Sparkle.
@@tjpokomo my reasoning came from the concept of kill and replace. The substance had alot of test subject who is to say that the ones that terminated has been killed off by their younger versions so that they become the new matrix so to speak
If nobody realized, the harvey in this movie is a direct reference to harvey wenstein. He was disgusting, fat, ate like that too.
Yep
Except even 60+ year old Dennis Quaid is much better looking then weinstein ever was in his life.
@@filmcomicsexplaineddo V/H/S next!
You don't say
Except he didn't actually molest anymore so it's a very wierd half assed reference
First think I thought
Demi Moore's performance here was out of this world. Hoping she wins awards for this.
Oscar for Demi
@@johnlewis195 Sadely the pearl cluthching members of the academy in Hollywood refuse to nominate Horror for BP let alone Best actress.
Fame is fleeting. Let it go.
Fear is forever. Understand what you can't control.
That's a cool lyric. Yours?
Fear is Fleeting as well
You just gotta Let it go
Le it go
Fear is the mind‑killer.
Fear is the mind‑killer...
Two things I picked up on:
I feel the part when she becomes Monstro and puts the picture of her old face over her, now hideous, face symbolises how people completely ruin their faces with cosmetic surgery. By trying to make themselves look younger and more beautiful, they end up looking quite deformed in some cases (Jocylyn Weinstein the 'cat lady' is a perfect example). As a result, they appreciate how beautiful they were before and wish they could go back to how they looked, hence why she places the old picture of herself over her face.
I think the part where Sue is kicking Elizabeth to death on the living room floor symbolises how we beat ourselves up over our appearance. In seems we view ourselves as two entities. How many times have you thought or heard someone say "how did this happen. When did I get this old?". It's like we have our consciousness which is trapped inside this aging husk that we may not fully recognise or relate to as we age. In the worst cases some people may outright reject it and start hating it. In this instance, Elizabeth symbolises the aging body, and Sue symbolises the internal self. Sue is filled with so much disgust, hatred and anger that she just wants to kill it. I thought that was a very powerful scene.
This movie I feel genuinely sets a bar for the new era of horror films. Even if it's not original (I could pick out the different inspos even though Dorian gray was clearly the main inspiration for the director) it felt like a great homage to everything that's come before it. Demi Moore nailed this. I even got evil queen from snow white vibes. Watched it this morning and was genuinely impressed despite the low expectations I created for myself.
I like that you caught the Dorian Gray association. Very cool!
When I was a kid, I used to dream of having fame and wealth. I wanted to be a child star, and asked my mom to audition for kids roles and singing opportunities in big shot shows. She always told me no, and when I asked her why, she simply said “It’s too dangerous.” I didn’t get it then, but now I’m 23, and seeing all these celebrities desperately injecting themselves with fillers, surgeries, weight-loss medications, and so much more. Their eyes look empty, searching for meaning through all the success.
you've got a great mom for sure
Your mom is smart. Especially how many pedos where involved into kid shows. Nickelodeon comes to mind
No money or fame in the world is worth everything they have to go through not to me either!! They can’t live life like they used to live and go out in public like they used to. I don’t care who you are, That’s not gonna make anybody happy.
Fame and wealth isn’t the problem. The problem is people with no principles and who will do anything for fame. Lots of rich and famous people are quite happy.
Give me fame and wealth over middle class any day.
you got the best mother of the year. god bless you
Fred didn't deserve to be ghosted
Lol....now that is funny. So random...
I didn't deserve to have to watch such crap.
We have no idea what he's really like or what he deserves
I know I was hoping the happy ending would be her appreciating herself the way he always did and even then :/
@@lexisisk8079 I couldn't understand if she was the same person. Had the same consciousness. If so, why did she say horrible things about herself. If not why would Elisabeth keep going. I mean if I could live every other week decades younger I get that. But if I was like in a coma and someone else was having fun I wouldn't do that.
watched this last night, what a trip. The movie was insane in the best way and I really enjoyed it but it's not for everyone
Know what you mean, I didn't enjoy it. First half an hour was ok, then the film started to annoy me, but I think Demi Moore or her alter ego should win some type of acting award.
saw this movie pretty much blind a week ago, did no research besides reading the synopsis. Was very intense and had a few moments of me being very uncomfotable. was 100% worth a watch, just don't expect to watch it again lol.
@@maxwellkirk3874exactly😂😢
"Sue" has her own personality, ambitions and wants, but it's still Elizabeth. They are the exact same consciousness, but different bodies creates personality change. This is in reference when women with less desirable bodies, get major surgeries to improve appearance and as a result, their personalities change too (for the worst.)
Also Sue's name is Use backwards. A nice middle finger to her boss!
@@wiinterflowers4277Umm. Sue spelled backward is Eus, not Use. Might be overthinking this
Also, they are not the same consciousness.
If they are the same why are they surprised every time they switch? If they are the same why do they both call the company to complain about their behaviors? If they are the same why is Sue “apologetic” to Elizabeth when she extends her woken state?
There so many factors that hints at two individuals sharing a massive apartment, making this movie unreasonable! This is just a story about a depressed mother giving birth to a spoiled, privileged teenager who turns into a murderous parasite.
Terrible movie!! Great acting though 😅
@@TheJuicy20 you're correct, two different minds, but they started as the same personality, their body and circumstances differentiate their paths and attitudes
@@bluesirius1 yes, one personality became two. Just like two individuals finding each other and make a baby; same concept, different math. The only reasonable justification I saw for Elizabeth to keep Sue alive was the gluttonous lifestyle. Liz could eat anything she wanted, not work and allow Sue to be the breadwinner… either way, terrible movie, great acting 😂
"Don't do drugs. Stop it. Get some help." *- Michael Jordan*
Except he had his own addictions and was actually not a great person.
I loved all the Kubrick references with the red bathroom, the carpeted patternry, the cartoony Clockwork Orange close ups, the "stargate" sequence...
Stargate?
I disagree with the statement that Sue is her own person. I thought one of the themes was how women in their youth, exploit and discard themselves, chasing their misguided desires.
They are one, and she is willing to literally sacrifice her older self for more time to be young and famous. Even at the end, when Elizabeth gets the upper hand, she can’t bring herself to give up what Sue represents.
That I think is the real horror. That she did it to herself, and given the choice, she would do it to herself over and over again.
Alsoo living for the male gaze and approval. Living to be a pick me. As you age you realize, that is dam*n stupid to waste your youth on trying to find the male gaze.
After watching the movie a second time I actually felt sorry for Sue. A true Horror in life: The realization that she was just a product of someone else's wants. Kinda evokes that "Who am I and Why Was I Born?" Tearjerker
Totally gave me toxic mother/daughter vibes. You hate the spoiled daughter, but she's only been made into this by an over zealous, vain mother trying to live vicariously through her. Brilliant and sad..
I read someone else’s interpretation as this is like generational trauma from grandma, to mom, to child. Imagine having a dream and then pushing the dream onto your child and living vicariously through them. Imagine a woman having a child and being disgusted with their body after growing a child due to their C-section scar or stretch marks, and being resentful towards their child. Then using Demi and her reaction to the huge scar on her back and the resentment towards Sue for the changes in her appearance.
One thing I questioned was when Sue came into existence, if Elisabeth was “experiencing” it with her, or if they were two separate people thus the reason they kept forgetting they weren’t the same person. Then I felt sad for Elisabeth because if she “birthed” a better her, yet never felt the experience Sue was going through, then what was the whole point? Felt more like a mother with a fallen dream wanting their child to go on and fulfill that dream for them vicariously.
The creator of the Substance constantly tells her (them), "Never forget, YOU ARE ONE." The creator reminds her throughout the movie when she calls and has questions or concerns. One thing about that I really appreciate is the "Company" never holds any info, and is consistent with being honest and clear in its instructions both verbally and the packing of the Substance. All failures are because of the user, 100%. It even asks her if she wants to stop multiple times and she refuses.
What is absolutely the saddest thing about this movie and it's meaning?
IT WONT CHANGE A DAMN THING!
People will always hate young beautiful women.
@CordeliaWagner1999 Really, I thought it was more about how much people hate old women
@@CordeliaWagner1999….i think it’s more about how people treat older women including the older women themselves and how we put youth and beauty above everything to a point of self destruction.
What I got out of it (as a woman who has hit middle age) is that aging is terrifying and eventually we're all young people who are saddled with elderly bodies. Getting old sucks.
@@vashsunglasses The point was our societies obsession with youth an beauty, to the point that we abuse each other and ourselves. The industry uses you up until your old then boots you away like garbage when all your youth is used up. Society worships beauty and youth to the point that women of age, even if still pretty don't feel pretty anymore just because they are up in age. As individuals, women in particular, abuse themselves in every way imaginable to appear young and pretty. From mental abuse and self hate to physical abuse in every way they can find to stay skinny and pretty. That's the point of the movie. That our society's obsession with youth and beauty has caused our entire society to abuse each other and ourselves to stay relevant and pretty.
Lol naming Quaid’s character “Harvey” is possibly a little too on the nose
Except weinstein is dis-gusting phat pocked marked Yiddish face. But yeah.
the price for beauty is not worth it
It really isn’t
For people in Hollywood, it's never enough. Even when they're "perfect".
It also sttracts the worst men possible. I had a friend who was a model and the men, good lord, were terrible that she attracted. They were shallow and onlycareed about her looks, she was miserable for sometime, until she finally decided to marry and old HS sweetheart who like her for here. Thought of her during this movie.
That’s depends on how you see “beauty”
Stunning cinematography, excruciatingly beautiful makeup and practical effects, and standout performances by everyone. Easily one of my favorite movies
The end though it was over the top
@@SamFX22 I honestly love it for that. It felt like a relief for me after all of the gruesome, extended body horror moments. Got a good giggle out of its absurdity
@@ScoopaCoop yeah soo out of the top
@@SamFX22that was the point
Considering how much plastic surgery and other work Moore has had done in real life, I wonder if she took this role out of deep self awareness or if she's completely oblivious and doesn't see the insanely obvious parallels to her actual life. Either way, great performance.
She is 100% self aware. Also i think that bruce willis health deterioration set her mind on a renew appreciation for life and living for the now, not the past. I truly think she is no longer chasing youth as she did.
plenty of pictures of them with diddy
they were inseparable in the 90s / 00s
pretty sure bruce's brains were fried from drugs and those freak parties
kutcher and moore all hanging out too after that was peeled out of the darkness somehow
adrenochrome and adraxone do that to the human brain, schizophrenia is literally the #1 symptom of long term use, has been since the 70's when they figured it proper and had mobile refrigeration ("reefer trucks") and suddenly tons of sea food chains started sprouting up, one of them was involved with the rockefellers / clintons called long john silvers and they had the cornbread mafia trafficking kids and drugs for them... likely sprang up after the franklin scandal / arrests and snow murders (original epstein island) went down, some new enterprise(s) had to show up; then you start to see the cia etc. start using people / civilians and connect with smaller but richer mobsters such as fertita bros in galveston, hwy rick ross in cali, that herion guy in nyc all around the same time... it's not a complicated story, just very very overlooked and no one suspected our own government for almost 50 years now... absolutely massacring children for 50+ years on your taxes, vote and good faith... too bad about all that corruption and r@pe and blood libel and death that followed since accountability isn't a huge problem when you have all that money and power over life itself
It's unlikely that she's oblivious, as people on the internet absolutely dogged on her bad fillers a couple of years ago.
The movie never shows anything about what it costs monetarily for the substance. I assume it wasn't free. Imo, they missed an opportunity. They could have shown or just implied it being very very expensive and Elizabeth hesitating because of it. Then maybe show old bills for plastic surgery and have her finally commit.
She's discussed it openly in interviews
As a 45 yr old woman I absolutely loved this movie. So many parts of it spoke directly to my generation, who grew up with Demi being one of our silver screen idyllic beauties. The movie is heartbreaking, funny, and in your face about the cruelty we women often enforce upon ourselves. It isn't until we look past the paper mask of the past of who we once were that we can love who we are in the present.
We have so much wisdom in life as well. A knowing that a younger woman will never have
Even as a man, i really felt for Elisabeth so much and women in real life that care so much about how they look as they age. It makes me so sad that a lot of women can relate to Elisabeth's story.
Demi is still beuatiful lets face it.
@sueblack5794 She really is.
"A cronenbergian nightmare" is an understatement. There are no words for that kind of ugly.
ENDAY, ENDAY??
The most unrealistic thing about this movie is that the executives did not try to take advantage of her to get the position but other than that great story
True, they actually made believe that not all of them are pervert, some people love jst power that all
No, the most unrealistic this was that Sue did NOT have an ID or social security number and STILL got a job, she didn’t even have a phone number. 😅🤣
Let’s not forget the super kick ability Sue had for some reason
@@darksecret5328 bro it was a old lady
@@jonalex9002 are you dumb? Sue had ONLY her original ID (with another name and 50 years old)
I don't know about you but I found the sound the be absolutely remarkable, very asmr it is a feast for the ears and the eyes with all the popping colors and beautiful set designs that created gorgeous shots, I loved it, especially because imo it is a cautionary tale about Vanity and how if you try to fight aging too much, it may become a war with yourself.
I feel like Demi returned to her early 90s “Tales From The Crypt” roots. I love this storyline. Be careful what you wish for. ❤❤❤
I never clicked so fast to see your coverage on the body horror masterpiece.
I Had Not Been to a Theater since 2009, and My Wife’s Girlfriend had seen this Film a couple of days ago. AND SAID IT WAS A WILD RIDE! I’m a Big Fan of Body Horror! Then reading some of these Comments I said , this is for Me! And we went to see it! Great camera Work, Great Acting, Brilliant Editing, it was completely OVER THE TOP!! Was way more than I EXPECTED!! Iv seen A lot of Body Horror Films dating back to the70s! And this one Took it to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL! GO SEE IT! Now! And Be Sure To Fasten YOUR SEATBELT! Brilliant Simply Brilliant!!!!
"Wife's girlfriend" 💀 wtf? You are a simp and cuck.
Reminds me of the “Death Becomes Her” movie
I love that movie!
The deeper thematic isn't about the entertainment industry, it's society as a whole. These standards are just more prevalent in the industry. It sucks that not even a film critic can make a non superficial analysis
The Persians have a saying - "Kill me, but make me beautiful." So I am made to wonder: Is the quest for beauty incompatible with life?
The fountain of youth has a price, and ironically it is the loss of youth. Sue was not a clone of Elizabeth, she was something of a daughter but with the consiousness of the mother. There were countless references to motherhood in this movie. The chickens for example and Elizabeth constantly breaking eggs. She breaks eggs all over the window just to cover the billboard of Sue. Harvey mentioned earlier 'it happens after 50' and never said what be meant but he meant menopause. The Substance is given to Elizabeth on her 50th birthday and Sue is created. Sue represents the daughter Elizabeth never had because she was too focused on her career to have children. Ironically despite Sue and Elizabeth being the same person neither sees this as the case, both see themselves as seperate people. Sue's youth and fertility gives her almost goddess-like powers over everyone she interacts with whereas Elizabeth's lack of youth and fertility makes her invisible to all except Fred, who was Elizabeth's one chance to escape the cycle of self destruction she was on. Fred represented stability outside of Elizabeth herself. Stability is a huge plot device in the story as only by extracting stability from herself could she be Sue. By not going out with Fred she through away stability and then extracted it all from herself as Sue and it lead to her killing herself.
"Beauty" is attractive because in nature we use it to recognize health and mutated genes. But as we age we lose health and our bodies mutate, losing beauty. So it's no incompatible, but it's temporary.
Oddly this movie reminds me of Madonna in some way, desperately want to look and act young, refusing to aged gracefully and move on from her glory days.
Women are the biggest offenders of plastic surgeries. It's no longer just older women as the majority are getting younger each day. This movie beautifully (😂) captures this by showing you how Sue takes from older Elizabeth and makes her pay the consequences at her age. All these 20-30 year olds with BBL's will heavily pay the price as they age.
Aging gracefull is just a made up bs for Virtue Signalling.
Not every woman wants to look old and wobbly and wrinkly.
She never had glory days. She has no Talent.
@@linger4605or even 18-early 20 yr old injecting fillers and stuff like that already. I mean I slightly understand if you want to make yourself look better and want to do a little especially when you get to your late 40s and 50s but no one needs that in your teens or early 20s lol
@@linger4605also there’s little girls doing their skin care with retinol and collagen….like preteen girls or 8-10 yr olds… I’m pretty sure that stuff will ruin their skin
I wonder if the "termination" injection also contributed to the Monstro Form?
I think it contributed to the whole falling apart thing
Sue was probably severely poisoned by that and that's why she began falling apart shortly after.
For me the biggest mystery in this film was: why in the hell would the organisation send her enough activator fluid for a second shot if it's only meant to be used once?
It's almost like they purposefully made her consider that it's gonna help once the situation is out of control...
That’s fair but maybe its one of those things where ultimately she’s meant to decide whether or not to use it. Like the power is in her hands type of thing.
In my oppinion the second injection of activator fluid never happened. She was likely dying on the floor and simply imagining that. Remember there are several scenes in the movie that are mearly dreams (chicken leg under Sue's skin scene for example). I think the whole Monstro Elisasue was just a nightmare Elizabeth/Sue was having as she lay dying with no access to stabilizer fluid. Since all the events of the Monstro scenes made no sense - the people not seeing the monster simply because it wore a paper mask. That whole sequence was just a dying nightmare. Sue never made it to the New Years broadcast.
I think they did it on purpose … a test to see how long it will take for subjects to take it again
I think that it was just a standardised product. So the person using it has to take the appropriate dose based on bodyweight or something. so it makes sense to me that some would be left over.
A drug dealer irl would'nt stop selling their drugs to someone who's buying regularly either
People often 'disappear' for periods of time in an attempt to hide the signs of having had plastic surgery. I wonder if the 7-day cycle is a reference to that.
This movie had no business being as fun as it was. Camp, schlocky, gruesome and often very funny.
I feel like they cover so many topics, aging, drug use, jealousy of others, hating yourself, if you’re a star you’re always a star etc
I think whats interesting and never mentioned is that objectively many would say that Demi Moore is the more beautiful of the 2 of them. Sue is beautiful and young but theres many young women who fit that description. Demi Moore has striking beauty that you dont see as often, which would easily set her apart from other beautiful women. Maybe im looking too deep into it? Again this is no slight against the actress who plays Sue.
I agree totally.
I haven't seen this movie, but when watching this great review, this was my first thought.
the young woman is nowhere near as attractive as Demi more is even in her plastic surgery present, let alone her youthful age of beautynow gone.
My second thought was it reminds me of the Disney Snow White catastrophe.
who would cast Gal Gadott as the evil queen, then make that little troll as the beautiful princess 😂.
Jenna Ortega would have fit this movie better, looking more like Demi.
She also would have suited snow white, her youthful beauty against Gal handsome maturity.
I agree but I don’t think it’s intentional. Margaret plays dark and very sexual roles, so this is right up her alley. Funny enough she comes off as a nerd irl
Its not objective if some people would like Demi more than Sue, its subjective. And as what the movie is trying to portray, mainstream media has a specific type of beauty that they want. For the same reason you won't see a Quasimoto figure in anime, you won't see Danny DeVito play as Peter Parker despite his ability to act.
I don't really know, because Qualley isn't Demi's age. They are both very beautiful women. I do agree that Demi Moore is aging very well and looks incredible at 61.
Spoiler alert:
To me the biggest plot hole is that Demi's character had no advantage of the switch. Like she cant experience what Sue is going through.
Exactly, if I can’t go through , what u paid for , why will even want to go buy it at first place ! But if we say this , we will be blamed for citicizing this brilliant movie
That’s the point. Elizabeth is so desperate and frankly crazy that she’ll do anything just for SOME version of her to still be beautiful
@@emilybarclay8831 but it was never her. just a clone. So she could just watch a clone of herself on TV being beautiful. What's the point lol
Yeah, the editing in this movie was absolutely beautiful❤😢
Quite funny as well. ITs dark comedy but the end, in its finest form.
Even when Elizabeth became older, she still had quite a bit to her name. While it's true she wasn't the biggest star in the world anymore, she is still a star. She is still on the walk of fame, has her own TV show, fans and even has an old friend come back and falling for her. I think it was still possible for her to maintain some of her fame as she went on. It's just a shame her opportunities were all but destroyed by tinsel town and she fell into self-loathing instead of being given an avenue to stay relevant and age with grace.
This movie was so refreshing to see; bold, grotesque, and for a nice little change, a movie that didn't talk down to the audience and make them the problem.
Edit: Also, I love the fly in the beverage! I think it's a nice little nod to our old friend Cronenberg.
One of the most exceptional critiques of the film out there.
Watched a few Breakdowns of this movie but no one has mentioned The Shining. Which clearly has an influence on this film. The Carpet, the hallway full of Blood and also the Red Bathroom is almost identical as the one in The Shining.
Also one more thing I had a question about on this film is what is the significance of the colour yellow. It’s absolutely everywhere and I don’t just believe it’s the egg thing.
Great original movie. Which aren’t easy to find these days.
Yes, thank you... My husband and son are big fans of that movie... So yeah they had watched that movie several times and you can't miss any details
By far the best review of this movie I've seen - thank you
Perfect, just got on my lunch break.
Happy to see you reviewing this new body horror movie
The Mother, Maiden and The Crone...
...the monster (when the old celebrity gets so many face lifts and plastic surgeries trying to look like their youthful selves that they turn themselves into monsters).
It's interesting how so many people view Harvey as the villain and Elizebeth as the victim. Elizabeth/Su is a horrible person. She's a complete narcissist. All she cares about is self image. She has no friends, no family, has zero personality. She literally inadvertently calls her younger self a selfish b***h. Her younger self IS HER. Notice how in every phone conversation that Elizabeth/Su has with the Substance provider, she constantly blames the 'other self' as if they are another person. In other words, she takes zero accountability for her own actions. She cannot comprehend that she herself is to blame. This is why the film constantly stresses the point of 'YOU ARE ONE'. She's also completely entitled. Listen to the way she just expects the dealer to magic up a fix for her reckless behaviour. She says 'excuse me?!' in a bratty offended tone as if she's so shocked that someone is telling her that she can't just get exactly what she wants. She's never learned that actions have consequences. And what does she choose to do with her new found youth? She goes right back to Harvey. They are two vile people feeding off each other for their own self interest. The moral of the story is, young ladies (and men)... don't base your entire identity on your looks, because they won't last. And stay away from toxic celebrity/influencer/social media culture.
Well said. What is also very interesting is Elizabeth/Sue is not the only person using the substance. There are MANY people using it. If the Substance creators were smart they would just create an old folk's home of sorts where the Matrix bodies could all be kept and live together so the rules can be enforced. Without a support network the Other Selves will inevitably abuse the Matrix bodies. But maybe the Substance creators are litterally demons and that's the whole point of the substance - to be a 'deal with the devil' kind of punishment.
Harvey is an enabler but Elizabeth is absolutely her own worst enemy. Neither are good people.
I don't think we ever get any indication that she was a bad person. She was simply in a bad mental health state, deteriorating, losing control of her emotions and tearing herself apart. People often aren't at their most reasonable or collected when they're at the bottom. I also think it's not fame or wealth that she wanted, that's something she already had. She was just extremely passionate and focused on her work, it was the only source of joy she knew, and it gave her a sense of purpose. Losing it and hearing that she isn't good enough for it broke her
@@elisethethird3248Yet instead of pursing other career paths she tries to stick to the ones which one of the requirements being pleasing to the eye. It's vain of her and shows that yes she was a bad person.
@@WhyYouMadBoi First off, jobs are not all interchangeable, and if you feel good doing something, there are so many reasons why you would want to continue doing that. For example because you have an attachment and a personal connection to it, because it's fun to you, keeping you inspired and full of positive energy, because you have a mission and feel like your work is improving the world in a way that feels important to you (for example encouraging women to stay active and healthy), because you love your audiences and/or co-workers, because you are good at it and have years of experience under your belt. You can go from being a tv host to baking bread for a living, yes, but you can't act like it's the same thing. Some people are more flexible/have multiple career fields that they would feel comfortable in, while some others maybe don't, and in Elizabeth's case she shouldn't have had to. She wasn't unfit to continue working, she wasn't lacking anything that her role would require and the movie doesn't even imply that her show was losing popularity.
Second, what exactly was unpleasant in the way she looked at the beginning of the movie? She looks all good for a woman her age, she only spirals later on as a consequence of being made to feel ugly by Harvey's subjective opinion. Do you actually think that anyone who isn't young and perfectly fitting in the beauty canon doesn't belong on tv?
When I saw this film, I was intially hesitant about it given its marketing and vibe but then I watched it and I honestly found it an interesting retelling of the classic doppelgänger mythology
as a guy who always looking out for my appearance this movie hits me hard the movie was really good
That scene when the goo topped the star of Elisabeth at the Walk of Fame is a chef's kiss to those elites.
its honestly crazy how good the horror was like it wasnt cheap jumpscare typa horror it was make your skin crawl and make you move in your chair while watching horror its so good and for once i was scared lol but also the main thing that got me like "WHAT THE ACTUAL FAWK" was when she was fully drained of life old and was gonna kill her younger self but fawkkk it was scary just seeing her go from slow and broken and crawling to pissed and raged and running arounf the house all hunchbacked dragging her younger self arounf like she weights as light as a fether like that shit was just scary to see her get so like just fast and then them both waking up and moving quick ash it was scary ash fr lol but so goooood idk but im gonna be rewathcing this movie a couple times fs its so damn good fr and idk ima guy and i get this prolly more for girls but rs this movie great fr and me personally i think it painted a differ thought of women fs and overall i think ill fs just alaways be nice and coo to women fr like idk jus seein this like thats gotta suck yk and with social media and i wont lie guys have this typa stuff too but i think in women its definitly way more abused and thought about ig but shit its sad tho fr but sheeit the body horror fr is amazing i really dont think ive seen a movie like make me move in my chair and just like actually feel scared steada the cheap ass jumpscares like thats not scary its just lame but this THIS is real horror fr body horror is real horror. i like it and the story it tells fr its well put tg.
The moment that got me was she yearned to be adored and in her monster state, everyone feared and hated her.
OK, I'm watching this video and I get an ad break. what was the advert? For a face cream meant to return a 'rosy glow' to the skin of your face. How ironic is that?
Phenomenally good body-horror film. I think this will be an instant classic.
Sue always was impulsive and willing to break rules. She broke the rules then kept pushing them. Then when she was decomposing, further broke rules by taking the activator again.
Where do I need to sign to look like a 50yo Demi Moore in the Substance when I turn 50 myself, even though she's actually older? 😂😂😂 she looks gorgeous. Always has ❤
Probably to a really good plastic surgeon with excellent customer service keeping you from going completely overboard. For mortal prices I recommend you use sunscreen every single morning, maybe just 10-20 SPF in winter and take vitamin d as a pill.
Demi IRL is actually 62 🤯
This was Demi Moore’s great work. I loved this movie!!!
I feel like a point needs to be made on the discarding of women in Hollywood after a certain age. Cinema is a visual medium, and often times men and women will get work based off of their appearance and age. What combination of talent and visuals will be different in each case. Those men and women, and the audience, understands this, and there normally aren’t complaints when their looks and age is a key factor in getting the role, the actor doesn’t argue against that their innate attribute is what got that work. Though when their age and looks change, a key component to their work in the past, all of a sudden they are being “disrespected and disregarded”. I’m not supporting or against this way that Hollywood acts, though it’s needed in certain story telling I’d imagine, I’m just calling out the hypocrisy. Love your work man, keep it up!
Thanks for posting! Been waiting on your take on this film
One thing I'll disagree with is the notion that this is about Hollywood's treatment of women - or women and fame. Really, this is about all women.
i wish they explore more about The Substance itself. in this movie, it explore the desire for eternal youth. perhaps they can make a sequel where the same company who make The Substance offers slimming/height solution. something that relate to the physical attributes that human often find unsatisfactory.
Great idea. I can see the potential of this becoming a series about body horror.
One question I had while watching this was "...they're just giving this out for free?!"
@@rashodmasters4299It was an experiment.
maybe is like when yo voluntier for testing drus, is free but because they are testing on you, there is a risk it will go wrong
I thought that the substance was already a metaphor for plastic surgery/eating disorders, is how far you'll push your body until it destroys itself in exchange for "beauty" that you don't even needed.
It's just like that Rick and Morty episode where they have 2 versions of themselves. A day version and a Night version. The day version has all the fun. The night version does all the work and studying. It's a commentary on how some nights, you party too hard and regret it in the morning when you have to go to work.
if you looked at this movie on a esoteric level, you could say the main character was fighting herself the whole time. see she had an ego of vanity that ran rampant inside because she couldnt let go of her former fame. this is how egos work, ego try desperately to hang on and will do anything to survive. the ego consumed her and she ended up self destructing slowly. this is essentially the message from a esoteric pov. loved the movie and was a great warning for people.
Absolutely deranged. I will say that it went for it hard and then kept going.
This movie was crazy but good
This movie was so much fun ngl. I love how it didnt take itself seriously too much. And i also kinda love hiw you just know right from the start, that sparkle wont obey the rules.
And that ending was goddamn hilarious
This movie is absolutely wild.
Absolutely wild! Thanks for stopping by @TheGourdKing
It’s not just about youth and celebrity. It’s mostly about the female experience in general.
this is one of my favourite horror movies ive seen in a good long while. everyone is working at the top of their game.
This was a f*cking nightmare fuel, curious to see if there will be a sequel? Good movie man!!!
It does not need a sequel
The movie is about the nature of Narcissism.
It's sad. . . The body horror parts are quite chilling, but the last parts of the film where she turns into Monstro Elisasue were genuinely so sad that I forgot that I had to be scared of it. . . Even when she sprayed so much blood on the venue that Tarantino would get jealous. . .
Beauty is sometimes a sad thing. How someone outwardly appear hides the beauty of the soul beneath it. But people who are just like Elisabeth, scared of the unknown that comes after, or what they didn't know they still had that others see, they mar their souls for what little they'd gain and lose shortly. . .
Kinda sounded cliché, but it's sadly still true.
This movie made me so sad. Elizabeth was genuinely still so beautiful. What she became was horrible. I wish the industry wasn’t this way towards women.
It's MEN that want women as young as possible.
@@CordeliaWagner1999 in a part yes, but to say no woman would care about her age if men didn’t is laughable. No one likes getting older, everyone misses their youth. Stop the gender war bs and go outside
@@CordeliaWagner1999 And they blame it on 'biology' when it's honestly just sickening pedophilic tendencies and powerplay.
Great imagery. Box in an apple...can't wait to see. It's also about how certain groups would have access.
This plays well with the whole Diddy parties and how society puts sex and sensuality over everything else .. its a sad world we live in
Thank you! I’m so excited to finally see this film.. can’t wait :) I’m gonna go do some some care now
Self care 🧖♀
The ending reminded ne of Carrie, just in reverse but over all it was a good watch that made me think.
Yeah - I watched the movie. This isn't a review? It's a synopsis.
Dennis Quaid charqacter reminds me of Vince MCMahon
I thought the same
This reminds me of a rock Hudson movie called seconds where he plays a man named Arthur Hamilton, who gives off his life, goes through all this surgery to become a different person is amazing. It’s very similar in idea.
18:06 People wouldn't panic; they'd assume it's just prosthetics 😅
That scream got me rolling 😂
Best movie of the year imo, i hope Demi gets nominated for best actress she's brilliant
saw this movie pretty much blind a week ago, did no research besides reading the synopsis. Was very intense and had a few moments of me being very uncomfotable. was 100% worth a watch, just don't expect to watch it again lol.
I don't know if anyone else feels that way, but I cannot help but notice the similarities between this movie and "The strange case of doctor Jekyll and mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The desire to create a different version of yoursefel just to do the things you cannot do, using a strange substance on yourself driven by sadness and unfufilment, the inevidable destruction of both parts because of the irresposibility of the younger self, the conflict between both parts despite the fact that one cannot exist without the other
Phenomenal performances from both of the Leading Actresses.
Ngl this is a GREAT view of that, watched the whole movie and it’s crazy. And probably the crazy incidents are shown in a mental imagery way.
Ducking sick. Rich people wanting to be young forever is just sad.
I’d love some more science behind how the activator only splits the best cells and creates the best “new” version of the person without the risk of a worse version crawling out instead. Also, how did both versions of the nurse have the mark on his hand? It doesn’t make sense that it’s a birth mark that was passed on, and it can’t be because they didn’t respect the balance because both bodies would have their own unique damage and not the same.
Madonna would've been even better for this, she's basicly a Cenobite, no practical effects needed.
Oh, well, maybe in a sequel...
"a movie about the societal pressure on woman to conform to beauty standards. Hey let me a douche on the internet and use this film as a way to slander another woman."
@@amgm1996 he has got a point though
This is what you end up when you take R.L Stevenson's 'Strange case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' and apply it to life of an ageing celebrity in entertainment industry. Pure genius, game-changing move.
They just weren’t ready for Monstro Elisasue
Looking forward to seeing this. Youth simply cannot be maintained
Love your channel!
for our sins we deserve hell, but God sent Jesus to die for our sins so we could have redemption and eternal life if we repent and obey him in faith ✝️❤️❤️❤️
As was pointed out elsewhere, notice how there are fewer lockers in the shady reception point when Elizabeth returns there for refills packages. We can assume a lot of people using The Substance did terminate "normally", but... how many of them suffered body horror similar to Elizabeth's? ...Did any of them end the same way as Monstro Elizasue?