Scanner Darkly, A [19]

Phillip K. Dick's stories have emerged as winners in the Sci Fi genre. Minority Report, Total Recall, and Blade Runner are all cult favorites. Even Paycheck has its moments. The Terminator series is based upon his vision for the future where robots take over. Even The Matrix alternate reality owes existence to him.

That is why I expect that this film will do well. It is animated, based upon the rotoscoping technique of drawing over live action. I have seen a lot of bad rotoscoping, notably Lord of The Rings by Ralph Bakshi. But the trailer looks like it shows a well done movie. And if you are a fan of Anime, this will be right up your alley.

In the book, the main character is both a drug user and a narcotics agent. It turns out he is being used by a handler, who is also a narc. The alternate reality caused by the drug is similar to the Matrix/Dark city theme. There is something running the show in our world, and all is not as it seems to be. The story is set in Orange County in the near future. It is roughly based upon Phillip K. Dick's real life drug abuse experiences and the hippie/drug subculture. It would seem that Hunter S. Thompson has nothing on Phillip K. Dick.

Added: February 22nd 2006
Reviewer: BB
29 Point Scale Score:    [19]

Related Movie Link (IMDB): IMDB - A Scanner Darkly
Hits: 1969
Language: english