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A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 164
Fresh: 110
Rotten:54
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Consensus: A faithful adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, A Scanner Darkly takes the viewer on a visual and mind-blowing journey into the author's conception of a drug-addled and politically unstable world.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for drug and sexual content, language and a brief violent image
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Jul 7, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $5,281,537
Synopsis: Richard Linklater's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's classic novel is a challenging, mind-bending experience that cautions about the dangers of excessive drug use as well as the government's capacity... Richard Linklater's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's classic novel is a challenging, mind-bending experience that cautions about the dangers of excessive drug use as well as the government's capacity to abuse and manipulate power. Using the same interpolated rotoscoping technique that Linklater employed in 2001's WAKING LIFE, the film is an animated, trippy descent into one man's unraveling mind. Set in the not-too-distant future where a new drug, substance D, has created an epidemic, A SCANNER DARKLY charts the mental unraveling of Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves). Arctor is an undercover cop who has been assigned to track a group of individuals who include the druggily verbose Barris (Robert Downey Jr.), the hyper-intense Luckman (Woody Harrelson), the ultra-paranoid Freck (Rory Cochrane), and the beautiful Donna (Winona Ryder). As the film unfolds and Arctor finds himself abusing substance D in order to maintain his façade, his mind begins to spin out of control, to the point where he doesn't know what's real and what isn't. Eventually, the truth comes out, leaving Arctor even more numbed. Linklater's surprisingly faithful adaptation of Dick's novel blends humor, drama, and Bob Sabiston's striking animation to deliver a thought-provoking film that will leave viewers as dazed as the film's protagonist. [More]
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, Rory Cochrane
Director: Richard Linklater
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriter: Richard Linklater
Composer: Graham Reynolds
Studio: Warner Independent
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Reviews for A Scanner Darkly
Too talkie to be legitimately entertaining, too dark to be wholly enjoyable and too muddled to be entirely comprehensible, A Scanner Darkly stands as a creative, if unengaging interpretation of its source materia
Linklater may have admired the novel -- I do, too -- but that doesn't necessarily make him the ideal director for this material.
a trippy movie that doesn't make it easy for the audience to follow. The story is complex and confusing and theanimation keeps the viewer from entering the tale emotionally or intellectually.
this dystopian paranoid thriller tracks addiction in all its highs and lows, and offers a dignified elegy for its misguided casualties.
The movie isn't for those seeking a run-of-the-mill Hollywood film and it can't be viewed with a trace of passivity.
I don't think the movie will appeal to a wide audience, but I could see it becoming a perennial cult classic, right up there with Repo Man.
Linklater never pretends that he has all the answers, but he asks the questions in such an interesting, elegant fashion that you'll be glad you came along for the ride.
Has more to recommend it than arty graphics--as befits a movie made from one of Philip K. Dick's most acclaimed novels.
Acabando por revelar-se bem mais complexa do que poderíamos supor a princípio, a trama deste filme nos apresenta a um mundo sombrio e ameaçador no qual a máxima "os fins justificam os meios" acaba atingindo dimensġes assustadoras.
I think this is a film that would have been more effective as live action, rather than animation.
Destined to become one of those movies that college kids love to rent and smoke bongs with.
When the film is on track, it works; when it devolves into meaningless chatter, it simply drifts.
A futuristic morality tale using rotoscope animation to enhance the trip effect, offering visual stimulation but not enough satisfying engagement.
A Scanner Darkly is funny, unnerving, astonishing, urgent. It's my kind of summertime special-effects extravaganza.
free-flowing science-fiction drama that moves like a cloud of ink in a swimming pool. ... while the visuals are suitably trippy, 'Scanner' is disappointingly short on drama and compelling characters.
Latest News for A Scanner Darkly
January 09, 2007:
Online Film Critics Name Their Year-End Favorites
Hosted right here at the illustrious Rotten Tomatoes is the official website of the Online Film Critics Society, an international group of flick analyzers who put their heads... More...
August 31, 2006:
A Taste of What's "Next" for Nicolas Cage
Any time I hear the phrase "movie based on a Philip K. Dick story," I know I have to do a little more research. The next PKD adaptation is Lee Tamahori's... More...
August 08, 2006:
Paul Giamatti to Star as Philip K. Dick
He night not be as famous as H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov, but ask a sci-fi enthusiast what they think of Philip K. Dick, and get ready for a lengthy conversation. The late and... More...
July 24, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Pirates" Passes $300M; "Lady" Stumbles
Johnny Depp made this weekend's four new releases walk the plank as his megablockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest became the first film of the year to spend... More...
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