A Scanner Darkly (2006)

lookingglass

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I am a big fan of Philip K Dick, so I was really looking froward to this film. However, it just didn't work. I'll walk you though how this movie failed in a big way.

1. The Script. Now I know this movie had excellent source material, but when lines from your movies are:

"Do you know where the bathroom is?"
"What?"
"It's in the house"

AND

"I like air."

It makes me want to scream. Truly it sounded like a word processing program vomited out the script and the director just stuck to it.

2. The new animation method used.
The director decided to use a brand new method to tell this story. He shot the film with live actors, and then animated on top of them. Sounds cool right? Sounds innovative? No. It didn't work. All it did was make it difficult to concentrate the action. Everything kept moving even when it should have been still, so it was very similar to being on a boat.

3. Keanu Reeves
I'm not saying anything else.

4. The "scramble" suit.
With out giving too much away the scramble suit its a fairly effective plot device. It's used to protect undercover cops from getting their cover blown by constantly shifting their faces. A great concept in print, but a horrible one in practice. No only do I have to hear a voice that sounds like it came out of one of those voice altering toys, but then I'm forced to watch a shifting blur of people.
 
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lookingglass

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Originally Posted by Sadie's Mom

I was also completely disappointed in this film.
It's one thing to be disappointed, but this film just had so many problems I can't believe that it made it past the testing phase.
 

carolpetunia

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Originally Posted by lookingglass

3. Keanu Reeves
I'm not saying anything else.
Nor do you need to. I haven't seen this movie, but I saw Johnny Mnemonic, and the name of Keanu strikes dread in my heart.


And y'know, Blade Runner is one of my all-time favorite movies -- but once I read the Phillip K. Dick story it's based on ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"), I concluded that director Ridley Scott is the one to thank. I hated the short story! For Scott to have envisioned what he could make out of that wretched little story and turn it into such a masterpiece... he's brilliant.

My opinion only, of course.
 

strange_wings

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240-ish pages isn't really considered a short story, 50-60 pages or less is - so maybe you have it mixed up with another one?


Personally, I don't believe this sort of social sci fi/speculative fiction does well as movies(or at least with current Hollywood). Directors, producers, and studios don't want to leave the story alone -likely because of the very nature of it. Who wants to really make their audience think?
 
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