Altered States Reviews

The 80s produced a lot of cheesy films. This was one of them. Well, the first half's pretty entertaining. Then, suddenly, "No one takes me seriously!" *turns into ape* Then, everything devolves into sheer stupidity and melodrama. But again, the hallucinations, dialogue, and everything in the beginning are entertaining up until that point. Then, I wonder if I'm watching the precursor to The Lawnmower Man.

I was a little overwhelmed with all the scientific mumbo-jumbo at first but once I got an idea of what was going on I found this to be a very interesting and surprisingly creepy experience. It's quite Cronenberg-esque and reminded me of "The Fly" in some ways. Great performance too by William Hurt in his debut and Dick Smith worked his grotesque magic with the special make-up effects. Give this one a watch!

They might as well have called this "The Trip 2", like The Trip, this movie's character goes on a strange journey after doing weird experiments on himself. It's really hard to watch, and I couldn't hardly stand it. I don't recommend seeing this movie.

Not one of my favorite Russell films, but interesting.

I'm tempted to read the source material (novel by Paddy Chayefsky) as I feel that at the core of this film is an incredibly deep premise that might be better "fleshed out" in the novel.

I feel that much the more interesting concepts are lost / overshadowed by the psychedelia that predominates the film. Much of which seems horribly dated at this point.

I was lucky enough recently to take part in a Q & A session with Ken Russell and he told an ammusing story of how when this film was playing in theaters it developed a large following of college students who would (he says) buy their tickets and wait in the lobby or outside the theater (getting high) until they got the signal from one of their friends inside that there was another hallucination scene starting. At which point they'd all run back in to watch those scenes only to step back into the lobby / outside when the "trip" was over. He found that quite amusing and (after watching this film) it's a story that I totally believe.

A Harvard scientist takes an exotic Mexican hallucinogen inside a sensory deprivation tank, which causes him to physically regress to earlier evolutionary states. Completely ridiculous and unbelievable as science fiction, but on the other hand, Ken Russell's visuals may make it the greatest acid trip movie ever made. It's hard to rate this one; it's simultaneously no good at all, yet it's great.

Truly horrifying and beautiful at the same time. This is one of the most bizarre viewing experiences i've ever had. The plot was smart, well planned and nearly plausible. The creators obviously spent a great amount of time researching the topic. William Hurt gave a really haunting performance, his best probably.

Exhilarating psychological sci-fi about a university professor who encloses himself in a sensory-deprivation chamber and experiments with hallucinogenic drugs with drastic results. Seductively sets up a feeling of anticipation in the first half, then devolves into a rather amusingly ridiculous horror film in the second half. Filled with dreamlike images, stunning special effects and horrific makeup. Even at its most ludicrous, it is a thrilling roller coaster ride of a film. William Hurt gives a brilliantly unbalanced performance in his film debut.

The special effects of 2001: a space odyssey, but with a good storyline to go with it. The William Hurt monkey was awesome. I think it's neat to think about how our bodies are made up of elements that have been other people's bodies and minds since the beginning.

I'm no fan of director Russell but this was a creepy pseudo-scientific movie. The FX were surprisingly good and I enjoyed the trippy moments. It reminded me alot of Cronenberg's early work.

A phenemonal and conversational movie for its time. Groundbreaking effects. I liked the concept of prolonged sensory deprivation causing a regression to primative human life. Freaky eye-candy effects. Fascinating. DEVO should've done some of the soundtrack. A mind-odyssey onscreen!

Ken Russell is a total hack, but this is one of his better efforts. A pseudo-scientific sci-fi based on a factual study that's wall to wall hallucanogenic visuals and allegedly lofty concepts, but it is strangely affecting.

8.7/10

"Altered States" represents the best kind of Science Fiction film; one that is tense, scary, intelligent, sad, dramatic, and even beautiful. This is a film that seems to understand, all too well, that fascination itself is an art. It takes special movies - special stories - to fascinate an audience looking for an intellectually stimulating good time. "Altered States" might as well be something special. It is a cinematic experience that takes us to hell and back; and we enjoy it regardless of the flashy lights, the loud and distorted sounds, and the vibrant colors. All of those things might have annoyed a general audience, but it's hard to be annoyed by a film when you're so deep into discovering it.

Eddie (William Hurt) is a scientist bent on discovering how "altered states of mind" might lead us further into discovery, as well as our own understanding, of the universe and our role in it. Throughout the film, Eddie subjects himself to the psychological torture of hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD. He also experiments with sensory-deprivation, which takes place inside a flotation tank. He is assisted in these experiments by a fellow friend and scientist.

Eddie's life, as a father and a husband, has grown distant from the beginning. It has only gotten worse since he started toying with hallucinogenic "medicine". Eddie's wife leaves him and takes the children (although Eddie was the one who thought of divorce to begin with). This gives Eddie even more time to experiment, which doesn't do him a whole lot of good.

The trouble with Eddie is that he has one fatal flaw; addiction (to these experiments). He keeps taking the drugs, he keeps going in the tank, and he soon gets hooked on the visions he is having. I imagine it is fun to discover and interpret the things he is seeing, but soon, the line between reality and, well, hallucinogenic imagery, is crossed. In a few solid sequences of lovably icky "body-horror", Eddie's mind becomes a slave to the altered states he has been so gleefully visiting.

I can imagine that the Acid culture will enjoy this one. It is a psychedelic, visually interesting acid trip, told through cinematic technique and technology. I like when a film forces me to give up my mind for a little bit, although this is an "acid trip film" that has a story to it aside from just the images. Adapted from Paddy Chayefsky's novel, the film deals with its scientific themes as it should; smartly, and whilst being aware.

Is it a perfect film? I'm not quite sure. All I really know is that I, as a movie-goer, had a powerful and rather unique experience with the film, and therefore I could seriously dig it. Yes, I admit; I loved this movie. It offers what only an imagery-fest of a movie can; A LOT of interesting and one-of-a-kind imagery. If you see this film, then I warn you; you might not see another like it. It is a movie that was daring for its time, uncommonly intelligent for its time, and surprising for its time. It was positively received at the original time of its release, to my surprise, and I can imagine that now, even more will be able to appreciate "Altered States" for what it truly is; art. It features one of William Hurt's best performances, some of the most insane images I've seen in some time, and it's one of the best science fiction films I've seen in a long, long time. And yes, that means a lot.

The experience is overwhelming, and the visuals are bat-shit insane. The visuals are not so much consistent, but they are none-the-less crazy whenever they show up. Hell, even now, they are impressive and imaginative; perhaps even nightmarish. This is pure movie-making at its near finest; where a filmmaker expresses their vision through images rather than mere symbolism. Don't go into "Altered States" looking for a meaning; go into it looking for a movie.

So if you like Science Fiction, and if you enjoy a good acid-surrealist joint, pop this one into the DVD player and allow it to steal your mind for an hour and forty minutes. Perhaps I have said some misleading words about it already, but hey, what am I here for anyways? Misleading you is what I intended to do all along. I cannot tell you what to expect out of a film such as this; I cannot tell you WHY you should see it. Some movies exist just to be seen, and boy, does this one deserve to BE seen. As of now, I think I've said enough.

They way it recklessly hurls itself into the narrative (embracing terrifying symbolism and absurd dialogue) is why I've always rather liked it. Russell isn't interested in attempting to rationally explain whats occurring, you either accept it or you don't. Basically if getting to see William Hurt take some drugs, go into a sensory deprivation tank, hallucinate biblical imagery, and then turn into a neanderthal is interesting to you, then you'll like this film . . . if not I'd stay away from it. The performances of Brown and Hurt are about as believable as you can get with this material and the film's sort of "rationally insane" energy is partially due to their successful work.

A compelling, well-crafted, cleverly written conceptually ambitious sci-fi thriller stylishly directed by the late Ken Russell. About a brilliant Harvard research scientist Dr. Eddie Jessip, superbly played by William Hurt in a impressive film debut; Hurt delivers a psychologically convincing and physically striking performance of an obsessed scientist who believes that they are different states of consciousness, experimenting on himself in a sensory deprivation tank with a exotic hallucinogen drug in a effort to prove his theories in what he hopes will be the discovery of the ultimate truth, it will turn into a living nightmare for him; the experiment has gone completely out of control and disturbing physical changes in his body begin to happened to the point of evolutionary regression, when he begins to change his form into a ape-like creature ending up in the zoo, then returning into his normal form. But now he is changing again into some kind unknown being, the forces that he has unlocked are now consuming him. The hallucinatory sequences are amazing, wonderfully inventive and frightening. The cast is marvelous with Bob Balaban and Charles Haid in two excellent supporting performances and the beautiful Blair Brown in a terrific turn as Jessup's wife Emily. The special makeup effects by Dick Smith are amazing, as are the outstanding visual effects by Bran Ferren, special mention must be made of the extraordinary Oscar nominated score by John Corigliano and the late Jordan Cronenweth exquisite cinematography. An intellectually, stimulating and exciting motion picture. Highly Recommended.

Great performances, a solid story, and incredible imagery that all makes perfect sense up until that ending .... uh, yeah.

A brilliantly well executed sci-fi drama, reminiscent of Cronenberg's most memorable works with the added value of some of the most striking effects/audio sequences I recall seeing in any movie. LSD trip can't be too far from this.

Also, the story is the classic one of a scientist exploring what he shouldn't with daring consequences. Nothing on the dramas presented (problems with the colleagues tired of warning him, lost loves/family, etc.) but everything is so confident on it's execution and acting, it's hard not to care for what happens to these people.

I feel it gets a bit lost towards the end on some of the most memorable sequences which don't add anything particulary relevant, but what you have is still class.

Man goes underwater, hallucinates, spouts philosophy, turns into monkey, the end.

This was totally random. I'm still not overly sure what was going on (I mean, I get it, it just seemed kind of pointless and lame and weird). It was pretty boring but was weird.

So you start with a plot of some guy experimenting with an isolation tank and getting trippy as hell visions, that seem to stick around in his conscious and unconscious mind. Then the film decides to turn it up to 11, and see how far past 11 they can possibly go.
It makes for an incredible film, as long as you just allow it to take you with it. You won't believe what's happening, but you may love every moment.
Were the writer and director insane, or were they genius?

This is a very strong work of sci-horror-fantasy, that rarest of combinations to get right. As most other Ken Russel films this is a visual trip, a feast for the senses, but unlike many of his other works this one is firmly grounded, with heart and brains. It is not to say that the story isn't ludicrous, but it is never treated as such b any of the characters. The ending is haunting.