A Scanner Darkly DVD Reviewed
Posted by: admin in Science Fiction Movies, Phillip K. Dick
Phillip K. Dick’s roster of adaptations made-to-screen is impressive. The likes of Total Recall, Blade Runner, Minority Report, and others have been squeezed from Dick’s stories. Honestly, I’ll admit, I have yet to actually read one of Phillip K. Dicks’ stories, but obviously his impact has been felt across the science fiction world. His interest in reality and the varying degrees of it are both fascinating and unnerving. Especially as we enter a “virtual” age where individuals are transplanted from tangible states of reality to intangible “virtual” existances, it’s no suprise that his stories have become the groundwork for reality-oriented science fiction.
I ordered A Scanner Darkly on my Blockbuster account with the hopes that it would be more than just a visual romp in the park, and in many respects got more than I expected.
From the onset, it was clear that the visual style, the raytraced cartoon-esque imagery, would not necessarily detract from the story. You could tell which characters were which, and the animation itself lent to the drug-induced reality the viewer was seeing in our future (7 years from now is the official premise).
The story revolves around the central character, “Fred” and his alternative counterpart, Bob Arctor. They are both the same, yet cannot seem to identify each other’s life. Fred wears a suit of camoflage to protect his undercover status within the supposed drug running organization that Bob Arctor is in the middle of. And the root of the evil in the world: Substance D, an ultra addictive narcotic that plagues its users with anxiety and distorts the two sides of the brain from having coherent thoughts pass between one another. In this respect, it is why Arctor doesn’t know he’s Fred, and vice versa.
However, all is not as it appears within the police force that Fred works for.
After watching A Scanner Darkly, I was still in a pseudo euphoria myself for the visual imagery. The immersion and efforts the filmmakers took to create the world of the not-so-distant future was engrossing. And frankly, the not-so-distant future looks like the present, but with more abilities to surveil our neighbors and supposed suspects.
I think Phillip K. Dick wasn’t looking to create a science fiction story here. To me, it was more of an ominous big-brother story, highlighting a future where drugs become so potent that there is no simple way to simply walk away from it’s use. The “who’s watching who?” storyline also reminds me of a modern day warning fable of our very own Patriot Act. Even within the book, the drug itself is characterized as a weapon of terrorists - destroying our society from within.
This was not the groudbreaking redemption story that I guess I was hoping for. In most respects, everything that was set up in the first quarter of the movie came full circle in the end. Keanu Reeves was bearable, but between all the actors and actresses, there was nothing specifically notable about their performances. Woody Harrelson was … well … crazy. Robert Downey Jr. was perhaps the most watchable character because perhaps his own life of drug use and problems had inspired him to perform in this movie.
All together, A Scanner Darkly was a dark and somber movie. Worth seeing once, and maybe a 2nd time to catch any lost statements or actions along the way.
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