Film Review: A Scanner Darkly

A Scanner Darkly is a film based on the novel of the same name by psychedelic master Philip K. Dick.  The movie was filmed digitally then filtered by a process called interpolated rotoscope, which gives the film a comic book sort of look that is pretty unique.  The main premise of the story is that in the near future, there is a drug epidemic in which much of the population is addicted to a drug called Substance D.  The government has created a sort of police-state to deal with the crisis, which results in countless police detectives and snitches around every corner.

The acting was quite good by the main cast.  Notably, Woody Harrelson's drug tripping performance was the most memorable of the bunch.  The film deals with mind-bending realities that Philip K. Dick so enjoys exploring.  For the most part, A Scanner Darkly is an interesting ride, although at times a terrifying one.  Dick had firsthand experience with a multitude of drugs and so his dystopian vision is all the more vivid.

About the only downside of A Scanner Darkly is at times the pacing is slow and I found myself itching for something to happen.  It's one of those films that is much better in retrospect when thinking about the concept, or the idea of the film itself, rather than the quality of the film itself.  Although this film never found mainstream success, I believe it is one of the closer adaptations of Philip K. Dick's extensive works and has its place in the hearts of his fans.

I recommend this film and the source book for fans of Philip K. Dick, dystopian fiction, psychedelic drug trips, and a glimpse into a dark subculture that, though few talk about it, already exists in America today.

Bookophile Rating: Good (For a film that is enjoyable despite its flaws and offers a new way to show audiences the inner workings of a dark subculture).