A Scanner Darkly Re-Mix
Keanu Reeves in Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly.
It's always something of an excitement for me when a new movie comes out based on a Philip K. Dick novel. Sometimes it's done brilliantly, as in Bladerunner, and sometimes poorly, like Minority Report, and sometimes mixed, like Total Recall.
There is something so shocking about a Dick novel that I don't read them that often. When I do read them, there's definitely a before and after way I view the world. And while I appreciate the feeling, it's one of those things that I don't have a desire for frequently.
But it says something about the power of Dick's ideas that he is constantly being mined for TV and film. The latest one to hit the theaters is A Scanner Darkly based on the novel of the same name. It is dark. And compelling. And, like most of Dick, weirdly plausible.
The movie is a rotoscope/animated film starring Keanu Reeves. And what's cool right now is that you can mix your own trailer for it. Jumpcut provides the elements, you put it together. Then viewers rate them. I think the current favorite is better than the official one.
The next Dick based movie is Next starring Nicolas Cage and based on his short story, The Golden Man.
Scanner Darkly: JJ Strikes Back
While the cool thing about it was the mechanical spiders scanning people's eyes... I thought the ending was completely hokey. I haven't seen it since its release, so maybe I'm wrong, I just remember thinking, "Cmon, you can do better than that." And calling it the best movie of 2002 seems a bit of a stretch with "Spirited Away," "The Quiet American," and, of course, "Y Tu Mama Tambien" coming out that year.
Of course, it may be that I'm just not a Tom Cruise fan
Scanner Darkly: Minority Report
What are you talking about, saying Minority Report was poorly done? Not only was it the best film of 2002, but it was an ingenious representation of the ethical questions posed by Dick while keeping the stakes high and the vision of the future realistic and exciting. And given its generally positive (if not overwhelmingly positive) reception... on what basis are you calling it poorly done?
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.