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Altered States (1980)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:27
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Extraordinarily daring for a Hollywood film, Altered States attacks the viewer with its inventive, aggressive mix of muddled sound effects and visual pyrotechnics.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: A psycho-physiologist doing experiments with human consciousness eventually decides to test his findings on himself. He becomes obsessed with performing these auto-sensory deprivation experiments... A psycho-physiologist doing experiments with human consciousness eventually decides to test his findings on himself. He becomes obsessed with performing these auto-sensory deprivation experiments until he actually changes form physically, ending up as a gorilla at a local zoo. He returns to his normal state, at which point he also involves his wife in the experimentation. [More]
Starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Charles Haid, Bob Balaban
Starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Charles Haid, Bob Balaban, Drew Barrymore
Director: Ken Russell
Director: Ken Russell
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Reviews for Altered States
An uneasy blend of the extreme visuals of director Ken Russell and the bloated dramaturgy of writer Paddy Chayefsky.
There isn't a lucid moment in it (and much of the dialogue is rendered unintelligible by Russell's subversive direction), but it has dash, style, and good looks, as well as the funniest curtain line since Some Like It Hot.
No simple description could ever manage to convey the sheer visual assault of the film. It's a movie that has to be seen, experienced.
Trippy, odd and more than a mite inaccessible, but you sure as heck won't be bored.
Altered States is much more a film of image and idea than narrative or character, but they're pretty compelling images and ideas, and Hurt is great.
Latest News for Altered States
April 25, 2005:
"Blair Witch" Director to be "Altered" by Rogue Pictures
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