Tag Archives: Julien Leclercq

The cyberpunk genre is one of my favourites but I’m always mindful of the label being over- or mis-used just to make a science fiction piece sound all dark and cool. Ever since I first watched Blade Runner I’ve had a fascination with futuristic stories set in high-rise dystopias though; the atmosphere and style of it appeals to me for some reason. Quite a few sci-fi stories claim to fall into this category or, as is more often the case, have the term forced on them but the 2007 effort from Julien Leclercq falls squarely in cyberpunk territory. In a good way.

Perhaps part of the appeal is in the way cyberpunk draws so much from two other areas I appreciate: the twisting plotlines and ambiguous morality of Chandler-esque hard-boiled detective fiction and the gritty yet stylish feel of film noir. Being part futuristic sci-fi and part butt-kicking detective movie, Chrysalis ticks all these boxes…with the bonus of being French and therefore even cooler and more stylish. In other words, it’s pretty good.