Looks great but that's it!
- A Scanner Darkly review by CP Customer
A fantstic film to look at, A Scanner Darkly looks like traditional animation, CGI and real life action all rolled into one. Unfortunately, the film is not well put together; it is slow paced, confusing and difficult to follow. There are some funny moments, but my overall impression from watching the film was of boredom. A shame, as the Philip K Dick novel, which I haven't read, sounds fascinating.
3 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Hmmmm
- A Scanner Darkly review by CP Customer
As rubber ducky said the film looks great, a nice edgy graphic novel appearence. But film is confusing and a little muddled to say the least. Which is a shame as the film gives us great performances especially Winona Ryder, who I never really rated as an actress, but this film shows she has some genuine talent. Backing her up we have Robert Downey Jr, giving a fine comic performance as a somewhat bemused friend of Keanu and Woody Harrelson's characters, is he friend or informer?
Woody alas is at times annoyingly OTT whilst Reaves proves he isn't always as wooden as he can be in other movies. But this is a mixed package, looks great but may need more than one viewing to make it clear what's going on. It's always an ambitious thing to do, adapting a Philip K. Dick story, and it's been done before and well. Blade Runner for one but this is a valiant attempt but falls a little short. The extra features may help to clear things up somewhat, so watch the extra features, it may help understand the plot.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
FORMIDABLE ANIMATION
- A Scanner Darkly review by JF
Pretty bizarre. The storyline was probably not worth the the amount of work in the animation. But it was well done and a pleasure to see "adult" animation instead of cute elephants and google-eyed cats.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
A warped trip through paranoia, rotoscoped into something uniquely uneasy.
- A Scanner Darkly review by griggs
A Scanner Darkly is an odd but intriguing one—digitally shot then animated, giving it a woozy, off-kilter feel that suits the drug-fuelled paranoia. Without the raw footage, it’s hard to say what rotoscoping adds, but it definitely gives things a surreal edge. The story grips in parts, though it does drift. But the real issue? Linklater casting that Alex Jones again, even before his notoriety. It’s a baffling choice that totally breaks the spell.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
War on Drugs
- A Scanner Darkly review by Steve
Weird sci-fi head movie adapted from a Philip K. Dick novel, with the live digital images laboriously rotoscoped to give the appearance of animation. And while it looks far out, this feels just right for a trippy tale of drug paranoia and corporate degeneracy.
It's like Richard Linklater took his usual counterculture slackers and fitted them into a simple conspiracy frame. While this got good reviews, many critics complained it's hard to understand... but actually there isn't much narrative, this is mostly dialogue.
The delusional streams of consciousness are funny and imaginative and alone make this a must-see for fans of psychedelia. Plus the wacky visuals. Keanu Reeves plays an undercover cop inside a computerised second skin which protects his anonymity,
He monitors a cell of stoner freaks- played by Robert Downey Jr, Woody Harrelson, et al- which includes himself! Will he discover the truth before his brain is fried? The spoofy performances are suitably bizarre, and a huge blast. This can also be enjoyed sober.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.