NotArrogant.com - A Scanner Darkly

A Scanner Darkly

Written by John Rozewicki

Tuesday, 25 July 2006

A Negative Story

A Scanner Darkly is a tough movie to watch. It's not that the imagery is disturbing or the story elements are overly depressing. The movie has to tell an intricate story in a short amount of time while still maintaining the pacing and character development. The story in A Scanner Darkly is told as much by what you see as what you don't see. It's a story told in the negative space. You see every 3rd important moment, and your mind fills in the rest. This makes the fairly tiny world the movie takes place in with about 7 characters feel very alive.

Creepy Cartoon Visuals

Visually, A Scanner Darkly is engaging and interesting. At first it seems like a cop-out thing, but then you realize that they're selective and they use it like any other tool in their toolbox. They only use it where they know it's going to be effective. It was constantly interesting to study the screen during this movie.

Oscar-Worthy Performances

I feel I should talk especially about the actors in A Scanner Darkly. A few of them you might assume would not give good performances. However, every single person in this movie gives an amazing performance; Oscar-worthy in many instances. There hasn't been a movie in recent memory to capture the rapid-fire paranoid thinking of people on speed. I don't think it's a coincidence that many of the people who give the best performances in this movie have been known to abuse many substances in their private lives. Most notably, Robert Downey Jr. His performance was just endlessly compelling. He stole every single scene he was in; even scenes where he just sits in a chair and cleans his pipe.

Missing the Specifics

I really liked watching this movie. Unfortunately, it's tough to figure out what the hell is going on for most of the movie. It's also tough to figure out how the world in the movie came to be, and what the infrastructure is like. Finally, it's tough to figure out the specifics of Philip K. Dick's message at the end.

Perceptions of the Future

I can see this movie going in to my collection to be watched and enjoyed once every 3 years. I anticipate most other people who see this movie will not find it super enjoyable. It's easy to see why the movie did not attain number one status at the box office. It's going to be more of a cult following. Certain groups of people are going to like the movie for very specific reasons. The general public will remember it as that weird animated movie with Keanu Reeves that they couldn't figure out. Both sides are equally valid.