Noah Thompson’s review published on Letterboxd:
Pull me out.
Since no one apparently wants to hire David Cronenberg for some godforsaken reason, I'll take a chance with little Cronenberg. It did take awhile for something in Possessor to click with me, and I can't even say I ever fully liked it by the end, but it does have a handful of things definitely going for it. I also feel at peace knowing that whenever David passes, Brandon is absolutely going to carry on the Cronenberg legacy for blood and sex in his own way. The special effects in this and the aesthetics as a whole are easily the best things about Possessor, fountains of blood, plenty of flesh, and some trippy imagery popping up all over the place. If that's enough for you to be interested, go crazy. I think I needed a little more of what David has always shown himself to be great at, crafting a really high-quality story to go alongside disturbing visuals and stellar effects. I understand that I perhaps shouldn't compare one filmmaker to another like that, even if they are related, but it is an issue that extends beyond that. If this weren't as well-shot as it is or if the effects weren't as quality as I found them be, this would have been just a waste of time. (Though even if that was the case, I did get to see Christopher Abbott's dick in this, so that's a win alone.) Once the character of Colin comes to be the main focus, that's when it started picking up, but again, was never fully won over, and the film just kind of ended with only a small amount of impact. If this all sounds negative, it isn't. There were more than enough moments that kept my interest and carried me to the end, yet I simply want something more meaty from a written sense along with my meaty visuals. Brandon has definite potential, and I am interested in seeing how he can improve.
6/10
