Brandon Cronenberg is a worthy heir to his father’s talent. This is a film that deserved to be appreciated by a much wider audience.

So not recommend. Meh. A whole lot of not much to care about, gross just to be offensive. No real plot or anything interesting. Unnecessary nudity and pornography.

I had stated I was feeling “assassin fatigue” in my Kill Boksoon review (July 24th), but that was before I had the pleasure of viewing Possessor. This movie takes the glitz and glam out of the assassin story, which had become tiresome, and instead straps it into an alternate 2008 where an unnamed assassin group “possesses” the body and consciousness of unsuspecting victims to carry out their violent missions — and then offing the victim thereafter. Nice and tidy. Or as “tidy” as one can expect from a (Brandon) Cronenberg movie. This movie nails so many points, from the look — soulless cityscape and occasional, neo-baroque opulence — to the human-engineered, data-mining apparatus, wherein Colin (Christopher Abbot) plods along in line in matching collared shirt and lanyard like a modern Winston in 1984. Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is a skilled assassin who is struggling to maintain her connection to her own reality, as it seems that a piece of her remains behind after each successful mission. A breath of fresh air here is that while the objects of the syndicate’s missions are usually baleful creatures — you probably wouldn’t feel too bad if Sean Bean’s character lost that other eye — the Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh)-led syndicate is in no way doing the Lord’s work. They are merely a service conducting heinous acts on behalf of clients who merely want to control the very enterprises that have just lost their head, so to speak. Cronenberg strikes a near-perfect balance of violence and gore that is shocking, satisfying, and in one yellow fugue state, dare I say, beautiful. The choice, whether intentional or not, to have the contraption in which the assassin wears over her face to “possess” resemble a plague doctor’s mask drew me in right away: Here comes death. The “battle of the consciousnesses” is twisting and turning and makes for a series of moments in the last couple of scenes that I promise will make your jaw drop. This bought me so into Brandon Cronenberg after finding Infinity Pool to be a disappointment. I loved this movie. RT (94/59)? What? I’m with the critics.

Horrible movie. It tries to pack an art movie into a thriller, only the art part is entirely missing, so one is left with the thriller... which is pretty weak, since it was intended as a shell anyway. Also it's completely illogical, cause, you know, art. Not everything is bad: part of the acting is acceptable and it builds up tension decently in the first half. However, the characters are just ridiculously unbelievable. Take the key female character: she is a sensitive, insecure introvert. The exact opposite of a determined, focused killer. But the movie wants to make you believe she does work as a top killer. The movie doesn't even try to explain this very obvious and striking contradiction; nor her motives; how she got there; why she cares. How she handles the moral issues. Nothing of that sort. She's just insecuring around and doing the job. Her inner journey would supposedly be the key topic of this movie, yet that's exactly the thing viewers learn absolutely nothing about. The entire movie is empty and horrible, employing certain superficial characteristics of art movies, without including a single molecule of actual art, or an actual thought, or basic sense - characteristically trying to fill the great void and provide weight by completely unnecessary blood & gore and excessive nudity. At the end, almost everyone dies, in almost comical fashion, probably because Shakespeare did it like that and he was arty. Dreadful movie - and basically a fraud.

Unsettling but ultimately too ambiguous for average viewers. Possessor deflates after one of the strongest opening scenes in recent memory.

Possessor is such a phenomenal film. The visuals are so fascinating to see and Andrea Riseborough is killing it in this role.

Pornographic, violent, and vile, the meandering plotline that never resolves is designed for critics who can't distinguish between what is truly clever and what is simply designed to revolt.

Deep movie players with subliminal messages. Attention to detail imperative

Insanely excellent sci-fi/horror. Did not see the 'uncut version' but I'm guessing it won't sway my opinion either way.

Was anticipating to see this film with high expectations - an it exceeded everything I have hoped for - gory, bloody, violent, shocking, clever, disturbing, crazy... Brandon Cronenberg is a master.

I rate this movie a 6.2!!

Some cool ideas a good cast but it never quite comes together.

This movie is totally creepy and dark. It has a unique take on consciousness and weaponization of futuristic technology. I won't spoil the plot for you but there is one scene where a character takes over the mind of another character by using futuristic technology and the film makers use excellent practical effects and editing to really thrust the audience into this cerebral experience. There's 1 point in the movie where a character gets killed and I'm not sure if I'm too dumb to understand why, or if it was a plot hole. This film does an excellent job of taking the audience through a very intense emotional journey, in a dark uncomfortable way: Since this is a horror movie I consider that a success for the film. Mini-spoiler below: One very intense element of this film is that a character is depicted as somewhat evil but with redeeming qualities deep down inside, however by the end of the film the audience sees that she becomes, or always ways, totally evil to the core.

For fans of the Sci-Fi horror genre, this one is really satisfying. Bleak, demented, analog, understated but serious philosophically, not shying away from ultraviolence. (Most of) the acting is really excellent, and the soundtrack is fitting. It's haunting, really.

5.0/10 — "Poor"/"Inferior"/"Amateurish" -(Seen on 11/11/23)

Ominous and psychological disform doesn't verify its horrific label besides taking on the "Source Code" lingering question with remorseless execution on its scientific fictious concept revisioning possession in a bland light, albeit striking juxtaposed editing regarding identity and nuanced performances behind a void demeanor. (C+)

An interesting idea that's slow at parts but never fully drags. Some shock gore that makes you wince a bit. Worth a watch to see if you can still feel feelings.

Mind boggling plot that keeps me guessing until the very end. It's in my favorite film genre, i.e., science fiction, psychological & horror. The blend of all three is perfect.

This is a stylish, well shot and acted movie. It is also an unoriginal, boring, gratuitous, steaming puddle of look-how-cool-I-am effluvia that tries to shock, disturb, and scare but does none of those things. It's all about Brandon Cronenberg and how cool he thinks he is, NOTHING else. The scenes are masturbatory, all way too long. Nothing but tropes for every second of its run time, which is way too long. Did I mention it's boring?

Mostly incomprehensible. NOT a good investment of the viewer's time.