Richard Linklater uses the rotoscoping animation technique he employed in Waking Life for this adaptation of Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel, a combination of sci-fi silliness and paranoid thriller about a bunch of drug addicts (including a double-dealing undercover agent) living the low life in a Big Brother-ish, corporate-controlled society. The film boasts a strong cast (including Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, and Robert Downey, Jr.), and its concern with intrusive government surveillance is certainly topical. But while this story of a bunch of hapless hopheads might have a certain cult status, it feels absolutely dated, especially since Linklater's take is so slavishly faithful to the source. Worse, even though the plot doesn't make a great deal of sense, the filmmaker seems bent on keeping the viewer in the same semiconscious, befuddled state as that of a drug-user, and succeeds all too well in maintaining a frustratingly oblique, enigmatic atmosphere in which questions are never fully answered. In the final analysis, A Scanner Darkly is a bummer clearly. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an audio commentary (by costar Keanu Reeves, writer-director Richard Linklater, producer Tommy Pallotta, author Jonathan Lethem, and novelist Philip K. Dick's daughter Isa Dick Hackett), the 27-minute production featurette “One Summer in Austin: The Story of Filming A Scanner Darkly,” “The Weight of the Line: Animation Tales” behind-the-scenes featurette (21 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 14, 2010—Warner, 100 min., R, $24.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's A Scanner Darkly boasts an excellent transfer and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by costar Keanu Reeves, writer-director Richard Linklater, producer Tommy Pallotta, author Jonathan Lethem, and novelist Philip K. Dick's daughter Isa Dick Hackett), “The Weight of the Line: Animation Tales” behind-the-scenes featurette (21 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for an unexceptional film.]
A Scanner Darkly
Warner, 100 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Dec. 19 Volume 22, Issue 1
A Scanner Darkly
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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