 "bummer " | 2008-09-25 |
| - Reviewed By jstabile4 |
| Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true. The plot confused and depressed me. It is one twisted, nightmarish sci-fi tale about the horror of drug addiction. Much more effective than the guy who used to come on TV years ago with an egg and a frying pan. 'Just say no' to Substance D. br /br /Now the "interpolated rotoscoping" technique --Been there done that. It's just not as cool the second time. WAKING LIFE, also directed by the same guy, was fantastic and fun to watch. This here, not so much. On top of that I saw this animation in TV commercials which pretty much did for this style of animation what TV commercials did for all those classic rock songs I used to sort of like. br /br /Credit for staying respectful to the source material, but it didn't work for me. Not the worst PDK film adaptation though. I'm always waiting for the next BLADE RUNNER that will never come.br / |
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 "Looks even better in Blu-ray" | 2008-07-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: AT0M8LMRBBPL8 |
| I have this on normal DVD format so I thought I get it in Blu-ray since I just bought a new player. I think this is a great DVD to have in your Blu-ray collection. The whole comic look to the movie is what I really enjoyed. It just looked awesome seeing all the colors in full detail. |
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| "Great movie!" | 2008-07-06 |
| - Reviewed By jaw959 |
| This was a great movie. It had a specific message, and it really made me think and consider some of the things that go on in our world. I would definitely recommend it. |
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| "RICHARD LINKLATER, OPUS 13" | 2008-06-23 |
| - Reviewed By wdanthemanw |
| ***** 2006. Based on Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly and written and directed by Richard Linklater. Los Angeles, California, near future. An undercover cop starts to take the substance D drug, a new dangerous substance. He suffers soon from hallucinations that prevent him to concentrate on his job. If I was more than reluctant and dubious after having seen Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf (Unrated Director's Cut), I don't have with A SCANNER DARKLY the slightest reservation. Richard Linklater's decision to use the rotoscoping animation device in order to recreate the paranoid world of Philip K. Dick was a very smart idea. Without a doubt, the film is a masterpiece. |
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| "Interesting movie" | 2008-05-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1WM0KYJDTPET3 |
| This movie really makes you ponder. It's based off an old book that in my opinion was way ahead of it's time. It makes some interesting points about the society that we live in. I recommend checking out the bonus features and whatnot. The animation was trippy too. Really cool looking. Possibly not recommended for those who get sick playing video games. :P |
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 "A Humor Darkly" | 2008-04-28 |
| - Reviewed By woerkilt |
...Capsule Review...
I liked this film. Linklater manages to achieve a similar effect found in Goodfellas--people who literally amuse themselves to death. I can relate to the theme of friends divided and conquered. That said, if you don't enjoy drug humor or dark satire, steer clear.
...Main Review...
I watch a lot of movies and I read a lot of books, but few affect me. Most stories are either pure thrills, full of bull puckey, or both. While Richard Linklater's latest film, A Scanner Darkly shovels plenty of both, it also offers more heart and tells more truth than most manage.
Mainly because it adapts from Philip K. Dick, one of those writers who deserves to be much more well known than he actually is. A Scanner Darkly is the first novel I've read in years that has set me on fire. Published the year I was born, this tale of drug punishment flows with one humorous vignette after another, all atop a treacherous undertow.
...A Synopsis Darkly...
The movie plays faithfully to the book. America is being destroyed by Substance D, a drug turning people into docile zombies. A rehab-industrial complex handles the mindless citizens, who become janitors and farm laborers.
Especially around Southern California, and a ring of friends who deal in "slow death". Bob Arctor is a noob Dr. Feelgood who dates veteran Donna Hawthorn. Together they hang with Bob's housemates: the surfer-turned-addict Ernie Luckman, the mechanic-turned-paranoid Charles Freck, and fried intellectual Jim Barris.
Bob rooms these crazy kids because he is also undercover agent Fred. Unfortunately, he has become closer to the dealers than to his fellow cops. Close enough to become as sincere an addict as a friend... As Fred climbs the chain, his grip on his own sanity begins to slip. And as Bob becomes close to his partners-in-crime, it becomes clear that one is out to burn him. Clear to all but Fred-Bob, whose drug-addled view of himself becomes very dark indeed.
...Don't Get High on Your Own Supply...
In both book and film, Fred claims he needed the cover to blend in; an excuse so weak the audience jumps on him before Hank does. His real motivation remains unspoken: Fred is loyal to the law, but Bob is loyal to his people.
Unfortunately, the film doesn't convey the love for these people that the novel implies. Most of Dick's soliloquies are reduced to voice-over monologues. More troubling, the characters antagonize each other more, as the film pumps up existing confrontations and introduces new fights. They sweat suspicion. Overall, the book characters are much more sympathetic, which reflects Dick's theme of kids punished overmuch for what they did. The novel prefers to imply tension through plot and scene development.
Both approaches work, however, because the characters become so stir-fried that the most obvious signs of betrayal get lost in D-induced head trips.
As real conspiracies become more murderous, one character calmly reveals that he rigged a hidden microphone, to be activated if the front door opened. To be sure intruders don't sneak in elsewhere, he left the front door unlocked, with a note for good measure. This scene is hilarious. But even as the audience belly-laughs, they might feel a knot of tension. Because Fred arranged for the police to plant cameras in their absence.
Plans within plans, as the late Frank Herbert wrote. Our protagonists are more like those in a Douglas Adams novel, stumbling around a dark basement for a clue locked in the bottom of a file cabinet in a disused bathroom marked "Beware of the Leopard". As much as these scenes play for laughs, Linklater knew to keep the undercurrent of desperation.
...Window Pain...
So Link manages a bit of character study. Like Bob, the audience gets to know these folks better than the "straight" people, who all look the same behind sunglasses, makeup, riot helmets, or scramble suits. The movie is structured so the audience can be sucked into the head-trips of the characters; I recommend doing this because otherwise some of the plot twists will seem too predictable.
Personally, I found the movie easy to understand. People made the mistake of dismissing dialogue in Pulp Fiction as pointless, and so they missed all clues and a lot of spice. ASD also requires an attentive ear.
It already attracts the eye. The film uses animation traced over live footage to generate a graphic novel texture. Actually, I didn't notice the overlay most of the time. It's rendered as life-like as possible while still being animation. However, the technique enables the film to reproduce effectively the hardware and hallucinations of the novel. Scramble suits and holo scanners look purty cool. Since America does not have a strong adult animation industry, at least in Hollywood, I'm pleased to see this attempt.
On a final note, plenty of minor differences and surprises exist between the book and the movie. Linklater combines several characters, such as Jerry Fabin and Charles Freck. He updated most references to the 1960's and `70's, especially the slang. I found it amusing when, amid all of the futuristic gadgetry, a character pulls out a modern digital player. Dick still had people using eight-tracks in his future, you see.
I don't think it's the great American Movie, but A Scanner Darkly inspired me to read the novel. I think many viewers can relate to the theme of friends who fall apart, and take the strength of the group with them.
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| "Stunning video" | 2008-04-26 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| The PQ is absolutely stunning. If I have to nik-pick; there are some minor 'perpective' issues in scenes with continuous pan. This is likely due to how the shots are being rotoscoped. |
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| "Great movie but...." | 2008-04-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3ODOZPPOGAPW4 |
| Ok, this movie has great cast, great visuals, funny at times and just pure mental at times. But as far as the plot goes, its confusing as all hell. I have seen the movie 3 times and still dont get it. Maybe i am just dumb but i don't think so. In the speacial features Woody Harleson even says after they were done making the movie he still had no idea what it was about. Other then that if your a fan weird plot lines and drug use mixed with great animation you will love this. Substance D awaits you! |
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| "Seen through a scanner...darkly" | 2008-04-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2N0X0PHXRB3IE |
| This film is not just good, it's great. An instant classic. Animation, using the rotoscoping technique, gets no better; more time was spent on the animation than on the filming. Perfect casting. Oscar worthy everywhere. Great script, great directing. A thinking man's film. With scramble suits and scrambled minds. A movie with a lesson in wisdom. Toughtful and humorous. Worth owning, studying, and watching again and again. Another great film inspired by Phillip K. Dick; another man who died too soon. |
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| "very good movie, amazing HD DVD" | 2008-04-15 |
| - Reviewed By jonath08 |
| An excellent movie ! It is visually amazing ! You must own it if you like strange movies (Be careful, some scenes are not for kids. for exemple, there is a short "fast forwarded" sex scene ! So be careful, it's like an animated movie but not for kids !). |
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![A Scanner Darkly [HD DVD]](product_images/4925000/4925189_medium.jpg)
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